Towards CP Violation in the Leptonic Sector: First Results from NOvA
| Date/Time: | Monday, 05 Oct 2015 from 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | Physics 0003 |
| Phone: | 515-294-5441 |
| Channel: | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
Neutrinos possibly hold the key to one of the most profound questions still to be answered: why is the Universe dominated only by matter and what role did neutrinos play in the evolution of the universe? The answers to these questions lie hidden within the yet to be known properties of neutrinos. NOvA, a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in the US, has begun probing the existence of charge-parity (CP) violation in the leptonic sector and other fundamental neutrino properties which might unravel the answers we seek. This experiment uses a powerful source of neutrinos from Fermilab directed towards northern Minnesota. By studying the most intense neutrino source in operation at two different locations, 500-miles apart, the NOvA experiment explores with unprecedented precision the neutrino properties that allow neutrinos to shift from flavor to another. In this talk, I will present the very first results of the NOvA experiment in the context of the current neutrino landscape and I will discuss how NOvA and other experiments will contribute to solving some of the Universe's deepest questions.