1. SPSC125 Report Open Session: NP01 (WA104) NP02 (ProtoDune-DP)
NP04 (ProtoDune-SP)
NP05 (BabyMIND)
NA62
RD52/DREAM
Closed Session:
GBAR NA64 others
SPSC125 Report
L.Gatignon EATM meeting, 11 April 2017

2. Xenon run schedule (H.W.): approved
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

3. NP02 (DP)
Significant slippage (~7 months) in the 3x1x1 m3 prototype. But preliminary results were very encouraging (purity, lifetime, etc). Then a cold spot occurred (ice formation). The problem was understood and is specific to the 3x1x1 prototype. Now cooling down.
NP04 (SP)
The major project risk is the schedule, the major technical risk is the cold electronics. Two months slippage wrt October schedule. Now aim for 2 months of beam before LS2 (rather than 4).
Cosmic ray data alone would be sufficient for the DUNE TDR. Keep open the option of taking beam data after LS2. Operation in or beyond 2022 is not foreseen at this time.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

4. L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

5. L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

6. ProtoDUNE (SP&DP)
The Committee visited the EHN1 extension and other NP installations and was very impressed! But…
The Committee remains concerned that the schedules for both ProtoDUNE-DP and ProtoDUNE-SP towards operation with beam before LS2 have no contingency. Should the collaborations wish to extend operation beyond the start of LS2, the Committee would expect a request to continue operations in EHN1.
The SPSC notes the need for close coordination during the simultaneous assembly in EHN1 of both ProtoDUNE experiments. The Committee recommends the preparation of a common resource-loaded installation plan jointly between ProtoDUNE-SP and ProtoDUNE-DP, specifically with reference to the required CERN technician resource. For the October 2017 meeting, the SPSC requests the Collaboration to submit the run plan proposal for 2018, including commissioning, as input to the beam time allocation.
Needs a request to IEFC (via EACM?)
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

7. ProtoDUNE DP (NP02)
The SPSC recognises the progress made by the ProtoDUNE-DP Collaboration in the construction of the 3x1x1m3 prototype and in the design of the DLAR detector. In particular, the Committee notes with pleasure that the design of all detector components have been finalised and several parts are developed in common with ProtoDUNE-SP.
The Committee is concerned about the delay in the commissioning of the 3x1x1m3 detector. The lack of these data represents an additional risk for ProtoDUNE-DP since a re-design of critical components is not compatible with beam data taking before LS2. The SPSC encourages the Collaboration to take all efforts and to dedicate the resources to complete the commissioning of the 3x1x1m3 prototype. The Committee is looking forward to seeing results of the prototype in the October 2017 meeting.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

8. ProtoDUNE SP (NP04)
It was noted that the challenging assembly procedure implies a risk of delays if problems are encountered.
Muon halo counters will be installed, probably in the course of this year.
The SPSC recognises progress by the ProtoDUNE-SP collaboration towards completing the first anode plane assembly and achieving the high voltage feed through requirements. The Committee is pleased to note the achievement by the ProtoDUNE-SP collaboration in defining the organization of the project.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

9. BabyMIND (NP05)
BabyMIND is preparing for the test of their 60 ton prototype in the T9 beam (1+3 weeks). Well on track.
The dismantling procedure has been optimised and can now be done in 2-3 days instead of 3 months.
The detector will then be shipped to T2K (to serve as part of the Near Detector - WAGASCI) and as soon as it arrives there, the SPSC considers NP05 as completed.
The SPSC congratulates Baby MIND experiment for the successful and timely completion of the detector, in spite of the very tight construction schedule. The Committee notes with pleasure that the full apparatus should be ready for data taking at T9 according to plan and looks forward to a report based on the analysis of the collected test-beam data.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

10. L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

11. NA62 So far 5% of the good 2016 data (Period A) have been analysed.
Most of the data were taken at 40% of nominal intensity. Backgrounds still few times larger than nominal, but can be further improved by optimising the analysis. So far 0 signal events. Expect to collect O(15) events in 2017 at 60% of nominal intensity ( ppp on T10).
Acceptable intensity depends critically on spill quality. Note: DYNECO OFF test this year?
The LKR leak has been repaired.
The collaboration also starts measuring hidden decays (A’, NHL, ..)
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

12. NA64
NA64 has been running on the invisible A’ decay mode with electron beam intensities of up to e/spill. This year they may try to reach e/spill.
They propose to run 2 weeks for the visible mode A’ → e+e- to clarify a recently published 8Be anomaly at 17.6 MeV
The Committee received with interest the proposal by the NA64 collaboration to devote two weeks of this autumn’s run to the search for a new boson with visible decays to electron-positron pairs (SPSC-SR- 211).
The SPSC judges the proposal to be interesting and timely and recommends its approval.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

13. The visible channel only requires a minor reshuffling of the apparatus (1 to 2 days of work – Wednesday MD)
The SPSC recognises the benefits of a permanent location for the experiment in case the first results (June) confirm its potential for a longer continuation. THE Design study is well on track, estimated cost ~150 kCHF. Need go-ahead sufficiently ahead of next YETS.
Would also provide more flexibility in H4 scheduling for 2018 (and beyond).
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

14. GBAR The installation of the GBAR experiment is progressing well.
However, they suffer delays with the commissioning of their electron Linac, due to difficulties with the beam permit after a meeting in January. A safety review has been scheduled which will clarify operational safety requirements and which is welcomed by the collaboration. However, it requires 1000 to 1500 pages of safety documentation, out of which only a fraction can be prepared rapidly. They hope to find a solution allowing them to start commissioning the linac in May or June.
The safety of the whole experiment will then be reviewed in September.
The extended mandate of the Safety Reviews includes many new aspects to be looked at, impacting the availability of the experimental teams for addressing the items according to priorities, as well as the timely delivery of a final report. Future reviews could profit from a pre- iteration with the Departments concerned.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

15. Other experiments
EOI015 was submitted for a test of a high-pressure TPC in the T9 beam with possible requirements for infrastructure. Waiting for proposal.
NA61 requests ~60d of Pb-Pb in 2018: 2x20 + 2x6 days + setting up. To be discussed in October when charm results should be available and the NP situation may have become clearer .
UA9 initial aim crystal collimation (SPS and LHC). Now also Baryon Magnetic Moment and crystal-based extraction studies (PBC). SPS time is now 50% for pure UA9 and 50% for PBC related studies. From 2018 all crystal collimation and extraction studies shall be done in MD time, not as physics time. PBC studies will be followed by SPSC for what concerns the beam requests.
CLOUD reiterates its request for operation during LS2 → EACM
BLFS received 176 proposals
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

16. L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

17. WA104 (ICARUS/NP01)
The two detector modules are now ready for transport to Fermilab, which is foreseen to take place before end of April 2017.
The detector installation at Fermilab will start at the beginning of May and will last until around the end of 2017.
Once the ownership of the detectors has been transferred to the US, the SPSC will cease its scientific follow-up, which will be taken over by the Fermilab PAC.
The SPSC is pleased to see that the overhauling of the T600 detector has been successfully completed and congratulates the ICARUS collaboration for this significant achievement.
The Committee looks forward to a safe transportation of the detector to Fermilab.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

18. RD52
RD52 is a generic calorimeter R&D program based on Dual Readout, i.e. separating Cerenkov and scimtillation light by timing and using this information to improve energy resolution.
The Committee recognises the efforts by the RD52 Collaboration devoted to a systematic and thorough exploration of the dual-readout hadronic calorimetry through a number of experimental measurements and detailed simulations. The SPSC congratulates the Collaboration for the impressive improvements in Cerenkov light yield, sampling homogeneity, electromagnetic energy resolution and hadronic linearity. The Committee notes that RD52 will not ask for more beam time beyond 2017.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

19. EOI015 (high pressure TPC)
This EOI is a R&D program for a high-pressure TPC for T2K. They already provided a short but interesting Addendum.
They want to use CERN expertise for
The TPC charge readout system (Micromegas)
The design of the gas system
Test beams (T9) in 2018 and post-LS2
The integration of the TPC in the T2K near detector
They ask for direct CERN involvement (as collaborator, Recognised Experiment or by getting a NP number) and dedicated R&D on high pressure TPC’s at CERN.
Question on which committee shall review this T2K related project. Wait for more details in the form of a proposal.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

20. L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report

21. OSQAR
The SPSC received with interest the further addendum to the proposal by the OSQAR collaboration for a second Chameleon search run (SPSC-P-331-ADD-1-ADD-1) and recommends approval of such a run for summer 2017.
The parameter space to be covered by OSQAR is already excluded by atom interferometry, but OSQAR has an independent approach.. It is therefore imperative to show good results from this run to justify a run: operation perhaps still possible in 2018 (tbc), but excluded after that. The RB will issue a clear statement on future availability of SM18 for such non-LHC activities.
L.Gatignon, IEFC,
SPSC125 Report