About us
The CIEMAT neutrino group is currently composed by 5 researchers, 4 engineers, 1 physicist, 3 PhD students and 2 technicians. The research activities of the group are focused on the study of neutrino oscillations, participating in four main projects: the Double Chooz reactor neutrino experiment, the WA105/protoDUNE-DP detector, the Short-Baseline Nar Detector (SBND) and the future DUNE long-baseline neutrino experiment.
The group did a major contribution in the design, construction and operation of both far and near Double Chooz detectors. We strongly participate in the Double Chooz detector analysis leading several studies on the accidental background events, neutrino selection, detection efficiency uncertainties and developed a new method based on the different reactor power conditions to provide a background-independent θ13 measurement.
Together with the IFAE neutrino group, CIEMAT is in charge of the WA105/ProtoDUNE-DP light detection system. The ProtoDUNE-DP consists in a 6x6x6 m3 double-phase liquid-argon (LAr) time-projection chamber (TPC) located at the CERN Neutrino Platform. As a first step towards the development of future large scale neutrino LAr detectors, a 3x1x1 m3 double-phase LAr TPC took data at CERN in 2017 and the data analysis in ongoing.
From 2019, the CIEMAT neutrino group is working on the analysis of the SBND experiment, one of three LAr part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program.
The CIEMAT neutrino group is also involved in the DUNE long-baseline experiment at Fermilab, working on the Dual Phase Photon Detection System consortium for the DUNE Far Detector and in the Supernova and Low Energy Neutrino Physics Working Group.
We also work on R&D for large scale cryogenic liquid detectors, participating in the AIDA-2020 European Project (Advanced European Infrastructures for Detectors and Accelerators), funded by the Horizon 2020 European Programme.
News
ProtoDUNE-DP Light Acquisition and Calibration Software, D Belver et al., arXiv:2103.02415 (2021).
Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Near Detector Conceptual Design Report, DUNE Collaboration (A. Abed Abud et al.), arXiv:2103.13910 (2021).
Experiment Simulation Configurations Approximating DUNE TDR, DUNE Collaboration (B. Abi et al.), arXiv:2103.04797 (2021).
Study of scintillation light collection, production and propagation in a 4 tonne dual-phase LArTPC, WA105 Collaboration (B. Aimard et al.), JINST 16 (2021) P03007.
Clara Cuesta received the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award in 2020 recognizing her work as women scientist in Spain.
New doctor in the group! Chiara Lastoria defended her thesis "Analysis of the scintillation light production and propagation in the WA105 Dual-Phase demonstrator" at Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Clara Cuesta named new co-convener of the DUNE Low-Energy Physics Working Group.
Long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics potential of the DUNE experiment, DUNE Collaboration, The European Physical Journal C, 80 (2020) 978.
Neutrino interaction classification with a convolutional neural network in the DUNE far detector, DUNE Collaboration, Phys. Rev. D, 102, 092003 (2020).