[News-releases] Neutrino Experiment in Japan Starts Operation: Canada a Key Contributor

[Tim Meyer]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2009

Neutrino Experiment in Japan Starts Operation -- Canada a Key Contributor

(Vancouver, B.C.) — At 19:09 (JST) on April 23, the Tokai to Kamioka (T2K)
long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment confirmed the first production
of neutrino beams by observing the muons produced by the proton beam in the
neutrino facility at Japan Proton Accelerator Complex (J-PARC).  Canada is a
key contributor to this premier international science project. 

“I am extremely happy to announce the commencement of T2K,” said KEK
Professor Takashi Kobayashi, the acting spokesperson of the experiment. “The
idea of T2K to search for muon neutrinos to electron neutrinos appearance
originated from Totsuka-san and Nishikawa-san in 1999 and the history of the
T2K collaboration dates back to 2001, when the first Letter of Intent was
published. Today marks the start of our journey to a new realm of neutrino
oscillation observations.”

Canadian scientists have been involved with T2K since its inception and are
making key contributions to the experiment which will send a beam of muon
neutrinos 295 km across Japan to see how their properties evolve.  The T2K
experiment is mounted by an international team of 400 physicists from 12
countries.  The Canadian contributions to the T2K beam line include the
off-axis beam design concept (a trick to get higher beam intensities at the
correct energies), the proton beam transport scheme from the accelerator to
the target, and the beam monitoring device which monitors critical
properties of the incoming proton beam just before it strikes the target.
Also, TRIUMF-based technology was used to provide remote handling systems
for the maintenance of the final focus beam monitors, the target, and the
horn system. 

Canada is also making a making a major contribution to the near-detector
complex of the experiment which will analyze the properties of the neutrinos
prior to their journey across Japan.  Currently, the T2K-Canada
collaboration includes about 25 scientists, 25 technical staff, and 10
students from the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia,
University of Regina, University of Toronto, York University, and TRIUMF who
are funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the
National Research Council. 

“The neutrino is perhaps the most elusive particle in the universe,” said
Nigel S. Lockyer, director of TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for
nuclear and particle physics.  “This project moves us one step closer to
understanding the role of the neutrino in the early universe.  This is a
great success for the international community and for Canada and it builds
upon the tremendous achievements of SNO in the study of neutrinos.” 

Neutrinos are elementary particles that belong to a category called leptons.
Three types of neutrinos are known: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos, and
tau neutrinos. In 1998, the late Professor Yoji Totsuka, along with the
Super-Kamiokande collaboration, first discovered a phenomenon called
neutrino oscillation. They measured the ratio of muon neutrinos to electron
neutrinos produced in the upper atmosphere by high energy cosmic rays. The
ratio of the two types of neutrino varied as a function of the length of the
flight path from their generation, which matched with a theoretical
calculation of neutrino oscillation with finite masses.

J-PARC is a world-class high intensity proton accelerator research complex,
which is jointly built by KEK and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The
main ring of J-PARC successfully accelerated proton beams to 30 GeV in
December.

--ends—


MEDIA CONTACTS 

T2K-Canada
Jean-Michel Poutissou
Division Head, TRIUMF
Phone: + 1 604 222 7351
E-mail: jmp at triumf.ca

J-PARC
Youhei Morita
Head of Public Relations Office, KEK
Phone: +81-29-879-6047
E-mail: youhei.morita at kek.jp

FOR EDITORS:

TRIUMF is Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics.
Physically located on the south campus of the University of British
Columbia, TRIUMF is owned and operated as a joint venture by a consortium of
the following Canadian universities, via a contribution through National
Research Council Canada and supported by the Province of British Columbia:
University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, Carleton University,
University of Manitoba, l’Université de Montréal, Simon Fraser University,
University of Toronto, and University of Victoria.  See
http://www.triumf.ca. 

T2K-Canada is a collaboration of about 50 scientific and technical members
from across Canada and 10 students.  The collaboration includes the
University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Regina,
University of Toronto, York University, and TRIUMF.  Their work is funded by
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the National
Research Council.  See http://t2k-canada.nd280.org/. 



********************************************************
Timothy I. Meyer, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Planning and Communications
TRIUMF
4004 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3
Tel: 604-222-7674
E-mail: tmeyer at triumf.ca
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