Hyper-Kamiokande Physics Opportunities

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2013
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We propose the Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) detector as a next generation underground water Cherenkov detector [1]. It will serve as a far detector of a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment envisioned for the upgraded J-PARC beam, and as a detector capable of observing, far beyond the sensitivity of the Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) detector, proton decays, atmospheric neutrinos, and neutrinos from astro- physical origins. The current baseline design of Hyper-K is based on the highly suc- cessful Super-K detector, taking full advantage of a well-proven technology. Hyper-K consists of two cylindrical tanks lying side-by-side, the outer dimensions of each tank being 48(W) 54(H) 250(L) m3. The total (fiducial) mass of the detector is 0.99 (0.56) million metric tons, which is about 20 (25) times larger than that of Super-K. A proposed location for Hyper-K is about 8 km south of Super-K (and 295 km away from J-PARC) at an underground depth of 1,750 meters water equivalent (m.w.e.). The inner detector region of the Hyper-K detector is viewed by 99,000 20-inch PMTs, corresponding to the PMT density of 20% photo-cathode coverage (one half of that of Super-K).

The Hyper-K project is envisioned to be completely open to the international community. The current working group contains members from Canada, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The United States physics community has a long history of making contributions to the neutrino physics program in Japan. In Kamiokande, Super-Kamiokande, K2K and T2K, US physicists have played important roles building and operating beams, near detectors, and large underground water Cherenkov detectors. This set of three one- page whitepapers prepared for the US Snowmass process describes the opportunities for future physics discoveries at the Hyper-K facility with beam, atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos.

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