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First measurement of electron- and muon-neutrino interaction rates at the highest energy ever detected from an artificial source

First measurement of electron- and muon-neutrino interaction rates at the highest energy ever detected from an artificial source

Researchers obtain the first direct observation of electron and muon neutrino interactions at the Large Hadron Collider using the FASERν detector

Associate Professor Tomoko Ariga

Faculty of Arts and Science

2024.08.05

Research ResultsPhysics & Chemistry

Understanding neutrino interactions is crucial for obtaining a complete picture of particle physics and the universe. To date, neutrino interaction cross sections have not been measured at high energy above some hundred gigaelectronvolts at particle colliders. Now, researchers have obtained the first direct observation of electron and muon neutrino interactions in the Teraelectronvolt range at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, using the FASERν detector. This study marks a significant step for particle physics research, enhancing our understanding of the universe.

In a groundbreaking study, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Akitaka Ariga from the Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Japan, also affiliated with the Laboratory for High Energy Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland, and Associate Professor Tomoko Ariga from the Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Japan, utilized the Forward Search Experiment (FASER) at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), to achieve the first direct observation of high energy electron and muon neutrino interactions at a particle collider. The team included Dr. Ken Ohashi from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern, Dr. Hiroaki Kawahara from the Faculty of Arts and Science at Kyushu University, and Project-specific Assistant Professor Daiki Hayakawa from the Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, along with other members of the FASER collaboration. Their findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters on July 11, 2024.

Fig 1. An electron neutrino detected by the FASERν detector at the LHC, the most energetic ever observed from a human source. This study marks the first direct observation of electron and muon neutrino interactions at a particle collider, providing crucial insights into particle physics and the fundamental nature of the universe. (FASER Collaboration, CC BY 4.0)

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For more information about this research, see “First Measurement of the nu_e and nu_mu Interaction Cross Sections at the LHC with FASER's Emulsion Detector," Roshan Mammen Abraham et al. (FASER Collaboration: Akitaka Ariga, Tomoko Ariga (corresponding author), Daiki Hayakawa, Tomohiro Inada, Hiroaki, Kawahara, Toshiyuki Nakano, Ken Ohashi, Hidetoshi Otono, Hiroki Rokujo, Osamu Sato, Yosuke Takubo, et al. (alphabetically)) Physical Review Letters, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.021802

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Tomoko Ariga, Associate Professor
Faculty of Arts and Science
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