Hyper-Kamiokande is the next generation neutrino oscillation experiment under construction in Japan. It will employ the highest intensity neutrino beam and the largest water Cherenkov detector ever made to measure neutrino parameters with unprecedented accuracy including delta CP phase which quantifies the possible difference between neutrino and anti-neutrino oscillations. In addition, the experiment can study a broad array of interesting physics including the search for proton decay and the detection of supernovae neutrinos. To be able to fully exploit the high statistics available, the detector must be very carefully calibrated. At Carleton University, the HyperK research group is developing a novel instrument able to inject light pulses with very short duration to calibrate the response of 50-cm diameter photomultiplier tubes. One very important consideration is the effect of magnetic fields and the angular response of these large photosensors. Before installation in Japan the light injection technique must be optimized using Monte Carlo simulations which include a full model of the HyperK detector and photon propagation processes in ultrapure water like absorption, Rayleigh and Raman scattering. This project will be done in collaboration with a post-doctoral fellow expert in simulations and involves presenting the project’s methods and results regularly at meetings with the research team.
Supervisor: Prof. Razvan Gornea, RazvanGornea
cunet [dot] carleton [dot] ca