Workshop on Neutrino Science and Applications at HFIR
RM A-103 (Iran Thomas)
Building 8600- SNS
Post-Workshop Information
We held a successful Workshop on Neutrino Science and Applications at HFIR from 22-24 April, 2024. Thanks to all for attending in-person and remotely!
Please see the attached documents below for:
a) A fact sheet summarizing the features of the HFIR reactor facility
b) A link for joining the HFIR Particle Physics Slack channel, where we will continue discussions of particle physics opportunities at HFIR.
To refresh your memory from the tour of the HFIR facility, a virtual tour of the experimental floor of HFIR is located here:
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=EH9pRVXL4kc
Pre-Workshop Welcome
The Workshop on Neutrino Science and Applications at HFIR will held at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore opportunities provided by the unique High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) facility (see attached Fact Sheet) to host a world-leading neutrino science experimental program over the next two decades that matches the spirit and utility of its sister laboratory at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at ORNL, Neutrino Alley. Many physics topics accessible at a short distance from an intense and well quantified source of MeV-scale electron antineutrinos like HFIR were described in a recent whitepaper. This workshop seeks participation from a broad community to explore two goals:
- identifying fundamental science topics that could be pursued at HFIR in the near-term with the current facility configuration and
- identifying facility upgrades, e.g. to shielding and overburden, that could unlock additional scientific opportunities in the medium-to-long term.
HFIR recently hosted the PROSPECT experiment which, while carrying out its physics program, quantified HFIR background conditions, demonstrated technology for on-surface rare event searches, and established the ability of HFIR facilities to support fundamental neutrino science. The workshop will provide a forum for communicating existing capabilities and knowledge for exploring how they can be leveraged to benefit other measurements.
Within the existing HFIR facility, PROSPECT’s shielding platform and supporting infrastructure are already approved for operation within HFIR and will support the upgraded multi-ton PROSPECT-II experiment. This resource could also potentially host other new experiments with similar shielding needs. For instrument concepts requiring less shielding, the HFIR experiment hall may support simultaneous operation of multiple efforts. We invite speakers to present ideas for new use cases, experiments or R&D efforts using this existing HFIR infrastructure.
A planned long HFIR outage beginning in 2028 presents an opportunity to implement facility modifications that could include enhanced shielding capacity, modifications to floor/head space and floor loading, and more. Thus, we also solicit ideas for new efforts that may require substantial HFIR facility enhancements. A White Paper summarizing the outcomes of this workshop can provide critical HEP input to ongoing HFIR facility upgrade discussions within the ORNL, BES, and NP communities.
Scientific Organizing Committee:
Nathaniel Bowden
Marcel Demarteau
Bryce Littlejohn
Pieter Mumm
Jason Newby
Ohana Benevides Rodrigues
Diego Venegas Vargas
Xianyi Zhang
Workshop sponsors:
Department of Energy Office of High Energy Physics
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Adam Hansell
Brian Beckford
Brooks Hartsock
Bryce Littlejohn
Chenguang(晨光) Su(苏)
Chris Bryan
Danielle Norcini
Diego Venegas-Vargas
Eli Ward
Emma van Nieuwenhuizen
Franz Danylo Machado Perez
Gabriel Rodriguez Guijarro
Gonzalo Herrera
Helmut Marsiske
Holger Meyer
Igor Bernardi
Israel Hernandez
Jacob Mireles
James Kingston
Janina Hakenmueller
Jason Newby
Jonathan Folkerts
Jorge Lopez
Kate Scholberg
Kyle Leach
Manoa Andriamirado
Marcel Demarteau
Michela Lai
Mike Pierce
Nathaniel Bowden
Nickolas Solomey
Nicole Dombrowski
Octavio Pacheco Vazquez
Ohana Benevides Rodrigues
paul mueller
Phillip Barbeau
Pieter Mumm
Radomir Smida
Rob Dimeo
Rupak Mahapatra
Russell Neilson
Samuel Hedges
Tyler Johnson
Tyler Nolan
Vedran Brdar
Wouter Van De Pontseele
Xianyi Zhang
Yuri Efremenko
