Speaker: Lucio Ludovici (INFN Roma, Italy)
Title: THE HYPER-KAMIOKANDE PROJECT: PREPARING FOR DISCOVERY
Abstract: Hyper-Kamiokande is a next-generation neutrino experiment currently under construction in Japan. It will be the largest underground water Cherenkov detector ever built, with a fiducial volume eight times larger than its predecessor, Super-Kamiokande. The inner detector will be equipped with tens of thousands of new photosensors, including 50 cm diameter PMTs and multi-PMT modules, significantly enhancing sensitivity to Cherenkov radiation in water. The Hyper-Kamiokande observatory will investigate neutrinos from astrophysical sources, supernova burst neutrinos, supernova relic neutrinos, and rare processes such as nucleon decay. It will also serve as the far detector for a long-baseline neutrino experiment using a beam produced at the J-PARC accelerator, located 295 km away and currently used by the T2K experiment. A suite of near detectors, placed close to the accelerator, will characterize the beam and help reduce systematic uncertainties. With the upgraded 1.3 MW neutrino beam, Hyper-Kamiokande will achieve unprecedented precision in measuring neutrino oscillations, enabling the discovery of leptonic CP violation and the precise determination of atmospheric oscillation parameters. Data taking is expected to begin in 2028. Italian contributions to Hyper-Kamiokande include key components such as the multi-PMT modules, front-end electronics for the 50 cm diameter PMTs, and the near detectors.The seminar will provide an overview of the experiment, discussing its scientific goals, current status, and future outlook.
