A roadmap for neutrino detection at LHC, HL-LHC and SPS

TL;DR

SND@LHC is a new neutrino detector at the LHC that can distinguish all three neutrino flavors, enabling unique studies of heavy flavor production, lepton flavor universality, and searches for feebly interacting particles, with initial data already collected.

Contribution

The paper introduces the SND@LHC detector, its capabilities, recent commissioning, and planned upgrades for high-luminosity operation, along with a proposal for neutrino measurements at the Beam Dump Facility.

Findings

First observation of collider-produced neutrinos.

Successful commissioning and initial data collection.

Proposed upgrades for high-luminosity LHC operation.

Abstract

SND@LHC is a new detector for neutrino physics at LHC. Its experimental configuration makes it possible to distinguish between all three neutrino flavours, opening a unique opportunity to probe physics of heavy flavour production at the LHC in the region that is not accessible to ATLAS, CMS and LHCb. It can also explore lepton flavour universality in the neutral sector, and search for feebly interacting particles. The detector has been commissioned and installed in 2021-2022. A first set of data has since then been collected, providing the first observation of neutrinos produced at a collider. This paper discusses the detector technologies being used to study high-energy neutrinos at the LHC, and their performance in terms of physics reach. The necessary upgrades to operate at high-luminosity LHC are presented, as well as a proposed experiment to perform neutrino measurements at the newly approved Beam Dump Facility.