Candidate electron neutrino decay event

IFAE Research Groups

Neutrinos Group

  • Neutrino Physics

    Studying the “ghost particle” among the fundamental particles and searching for answers to why there is more matter than anti-matter in the universe.

    • Leadership in International Collaborations
      • Co-spokesperson of the CERN experiment NP07 and co-leader of the ND280 Upgrade project (2020 - )
      • Elected members of the T2K Executive Committee (201X - 201X and 2021 - )
      • Working group conveners and technical coordinator of the ND280 Upgrade (2017 - )
    • Instrumentation Expertise and Technolgy Transfer

      Wide range of Important instrumentation contributions to various projects

      • first full-size TPCs with MPGD readout (2005-2008),
      • high-pressure TPCs with electroluminescence readout (2007 - 2012),
      • a photon detection system for a liquid argon TPC (2012-2019),
      • a TPC with resistive anode Micromegas readout (2017 - )
      • scintillator detectors for timing and tracking (2017 - )

      The group transfers the instrumentation expertise to the field of applied physics in projects such as

      • Liquid Biopsy system, ATTRACT grant (2019-2020)
      • R&D towards a residual energy detector for proton CT (2020 - )
    Papers published (2015-2022)
    55
    Publications in Q1 Journals (2015-2022)
    85%
    Theses produced (2015-2022)
    4
  • Neutrinos Group

    The neutrino physics group at IFAE studies the neutrino sector of the Standard Model, with the ultimate goal to understand the fundamental phenomena that have produced the observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe.

    The group is led by T. Lux

    The T2K experiment in Japan

    The group had a leading role in the construction of the near detector TPC for the T2K experiment in Japan. T2K data have provided the most precise measurement of antineutrino oscillation parameters and the first indication of CP violation in neutrino oscillations, recently published in Nature.

    IFAE contributed to the analysis of the near detector in several aspects: from electron neutrino background determination to the development of the basic data selection of muon neutrino interactions. For many years, IFAE has had a member in the Executive Committee of the collaboration. As a result of these contributions to T2K, nine current and past members of the IFAE neutrino group were awarded the 2016 Breakthrough Prize on Fundamental Physics, together with other groups that have shaped the understanding of neutrino oscillations during the last decades. A significant improvement in CP measurements will be achieved in the T2K-II phase which currently is under construction and will be completed in 2023. Besides an upgrade of the accelerator also the near detector, ND280, of the T2K experiment is undergoing a major upgrade for which three new subdetectors were designed and are currently being built and installed. The IFAE group has important management functions in the ND280 upgrade project which is also a CERN experiment (NP07). T. Lux is among others, co-spokesperson of NP07/ co-leader of the ND280 upgrade project.

    Inside of the Super-Kamiokande Detector Credit: Kamioka Observatory, ICRR (Institute for Cosmic Ray Research), The University of Tokyo

    Hyper-Kamiokande

    Hyper-Kamiokande (HyperK) is the next generation of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment which will be the successor of the T2K experiment. The IFAE Neutrino group joined HyperK in September 2021. Currently, a new Water Cherenkov detector for HyperK is under construction with a mass of roughly 9 times the one used for the T2K experiment. The previously mentioned upgraded ND280 detector will serve as the near detector of HyperK. An additional detector, the Intermediate Water Cherenkov Detector (IWCD) serving as a near detector complementary to ND280 is being under study.

    The Spanish Neutrino community has important commitments to HyperK as defined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was signed in September 2022 between the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the University of Tokyo/KEK. As defined in the MOU, the IFAE group has significant commitments related to the transfer and operation of ND280 for HyperK as also as the development of new event reconstruction algorithms for the Water Cherenkov detectors.

    Illustration of Hyper-Kamiokande detector
  • Group Members

    Neutrinos Group

    Staff Researchers

    Postdoc Researchers

    • Balint Radics

      Balint Radics

    PhD Students

    • Annalisa De Lorenzis

      Annalisa De Lorenzis

    • Loris Martínez

      Loris Martínez

    • Merlin Varghese

      Merlin Varghese

  • International Collaborations

    Neutrinos Group

    T2K

    T2K

    T2K is a neutrino experiment designed to investigate how neutrinos change from one flavour to another as they travel (neutrino oscillations).

      J-Parc (Tokai), Super-Kamiokande (Kamioka), Japan

    HK

    Hyper-Kamiokande

    The Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) detector is to be located 650m underground in the Kamioka mine, Hida city, Gifu prefecture, Japan. The detector fiducial volume of Hyper-K is planned to be 10 times larger than that of Super-Kamiokande, which will make it thr world’s largest underground water tank.

      Hida, Japan
  • Research Projects

    Neutrinos Group

    Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, 2019

    ND280 MEJORA PARA T2K-II

    This project aims to answer unanswered questions in particle physics, specifically related to neutrino experiments, which may provide insight into the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. The T2K experiment, with an upgraded near detector complex (ND280), will help reduce systematic uncertainties and increase statistics, making it one of the leading neutrino oscillation experiments in the world, with support from CERN and a Spanish company.

      JENNIFER2 Logo

      H2020-MSCA-RISE, 2018

      Japan and Europe Network for Neutrino and Intensity Frontier Experimental Research 2 (JENNIFER2)

      JENNIFER2 is the evolution and development of the research and communication activities currently being carried on by the JENNIFER MSCA-RISE project, which will be concluded at the end of march 2019.

      JENNIFER2 Logo

      H2020-MSCA-RISE, 2014

      Japan and Europe Network for Neutrino and Intensity Frontier Experimental Research (JENNIFER)

      he new challenges of fundamental physics require to use different complementary approaches and to design experiments able to test different “messengers” of the new physics world. The JENNIFER project is actually implementing this requirement

      • Publications

        Neutrinos Group

      • Group News

        Instrumentation

        T2K ND280 Upgrade Milestone: Cosmic Tracks Recorded as New Detectors Installed

        October 18, 2023

        The T2K ND280 Upgrade project achieved a significant milestone as the first of the new Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) recorded cosmic tracks inside the ND280 pit.

        Patents

        Three new IFAE patents

        October 9, 2023

        IFAE filed a new medical imaging technology patent application: “Proton CT System with Improved Proton Energy Detector” and a patent application was granted named “Devices, Systems, and Methods for Mammography with a Detector Having Reduced Dimensions.” The third is a PET technology based new patent application filed in the European Patent Office.

        Instrumentation

        Time Projection Chambers (TPC) installation completed at J-PARC

        September 13, 2023

        The detector is already connected to the gas system and first cosmics in this configuration are expected to be recorded in about 4 weeks. First data taking with a neutrino beam is planned for the 2nd half of November and December.

        Instrumentation

        New ND280 Upgrade milestone achieved

        May 8, 2023

        At CERN, the first cosmic tracks with the first of the final TPC field cages have been recorded. An important milestone towards shipping the first TPC to Japan this summer.

        New Publication

        New Neutrinos group paper

        January 25, 2023

        The IFAE Neutrino group has a new publication: SuperFGD prototype time resolution studies ( I. Alekseev et al 2023 JINST 18 P01012) related to the T2K ND280 Upgrade project.

        New Position

        Pilar Casado accepted as a new member in the T2K collaboration

        January 12, 2023

        Pilar Casado has been accepted by the T2K collaboration as a new member.