Very long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments for precise measurements of mixing parameters and CP violating effects

Abstract

We analyze the prospects of a feasible, Brookhaven National Laboratory based, very long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment consisting of a conventional horn produced low energy wideband beam and a detector of 500 kton fiducial mass with modest requirements on event recognition and resolution. Such an experiment is intended primarily to determine CP violating effects in the neutrino sector for 3-generation mixing. We analyze the sensitivity of such an experiment. We conclude that this experiment will allow determination of the CP phase delta(CP) and the currently unknown mixing parameter theta(13), if sin(2)2theta(13)greater than or equal to0.01, a value similar to15 times lower than the present experimental upper limit. In addition to theta(13) and delta(CP), the experiment has great potential for precise measurements of most other parameters in the neutrino mixing matrix including Deltam(32)(2), sin(2)2theta(23), Deltam(21)(2)xsin 2theta(12), and the mass ordering of neutrinos through the observation of the matter effect in the nu(mu)-->nu(e) appearance channel.