Exploring Proton Decay and HyperKamiokande Experiments

In summary, the Kamiokande-collaboration is planning to release new results on proton decay bounds in the near future, but it is unknown how "fast" the lifetime bound will grow. The Accident may have had a corruption effect on the data already collected. It is unknown if you can still get data for proton decay if you run all those neutrino experiments, but it is possible that new techniques are required. There are currently no concrete plans for a larger detector like HyperKamiokande, but it is possible that they could achieve this in the future. The current status of the project is unknown, but it is possible that the project has been slow due to budgetary constraints.
  • #1
murray92
21
0
I am not quite sure wheather this is the appropriate section. (since the question is about an experiment).

I wondered about the following
-when the Kamiokande-colaboration is going to release new results on proton decay bounds- since their last new bounds where in 2009 (Judging from their website)
-How "fast" does the lifetime bound grow. i.e. when will we reach the next order of magnitude.
-Do the accindent(s) have a corruption effect on the date already collected (i.e. bc. the new photomultiplier have different specifications or something like that?)
- Can you still get data for proton decay if you run all those neutrino experiments?!
( I mean the Collider ones- obviously you can't do anyting about background)
( or does the cherenkov radiation render the time useless for for whatever reason I can't think of.)
- Can anything be done to improve the bounds (appart from waiting and building a larger detector like hyperkamiokande)



There have been some proposals of a larger detector to be called HyperKamiokande
- I am aware of the bugetary constrains imposed on particle physics in recent years in Japan- How do they affect the Hyperkamiokande experiment?
-Are there any "extraordinary" engineering challenges.
- (What I mean to ask is whether we can just "scale up" the existing experiment or if new
techniques are required.
- What's the current status of the project?
- Are there concrete plans.
- And how fast would Hyperkamiokande improve the Proton lifetime bounds.

Oh and a last one
Kamiokande observatory is the only active proton-decay experiment-right?

Are Photomultiplier Costs still roughly the same as some years ago when the accident happened (the quoted at 3000$)?
http://neutrino.kek.jp/jhfnu/workshop2/ohp/shiozawa.pdf
 
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  • #2


murray92 said:
I am not quite sure wheather this is the appropriate section. (since the question is about an experiment).

I wondered about the following
-when the Kamiokande-colaboration is going to release new results on proton decay bounds- since their last new bounds where in 2009 (Judging from their website)
-How "fast" does the lifetime bound grow. i.e. when will we reach the next order of magnitude.
-Do the accindent(s) have a corruption effect on the date already collected (i.e. bc. the new photomultiplier have different specifications or something like that?)
- Can you still get data for proton decay if you run all those neutrino experiments?!
( I mean the Collider ones- obviously you can't do anyting about background)
( or does the cherenkov radiation render the time useless for for whatever reason I can't think of.)
- Can anything be done to improve the bounds (appart from waiting and building a larger detector like hyperkamiokande)



There have been some proposals of a larger detector to be called HyperKamiokande
- I am aware of the bugetary constrains imposed on particle physics in recent years in Japan- How do they affect the Hyperkamiokande experiment?
-Are there any "extraordinary" engineering challenges.
- (What I mean to ask is whether we can just "scale up" the existing experiment or if new
techniques are required.
- What's the current status of the project?
- Are there concrete plans.
- And how fast would Hyperkamiokande improve the Proton lifetime bounds.

Oh and a last one
Kamiokande observatory is the only active proton-decay experiment-right?

Are Photomultiplier Costs still roughly the same as some years ago when the accident happened (the quoted at 3000$)?
http://neutrino.kek.jp/jhfnu/workshop2/ohp/shiozawa.pdf

maybr no decay, no at least like higgs boson.
like magnetic monopoles, well no magnetic monoploes observed to the moment, x bosons ?
positron mode decay ? maybe.


.


.
 
  • #3


Of coures but several GUT's give livetimes about 10^36 years (or no decay).
Anyway discovering decay would probably be the most exiting discovery in a long time (much more than a vanilla standard model higgs).
But "eating up" the parameter space is also enomrmous progress- And I wondered how long it will take.
Oh and in the presentation above it is mentioned that construction oh HyperK should have started in 2011 acording to some plans from 2002. Any news on that?
 
  • #4
murray92 said:
How "fast" does the lifetime bound grow. i.e. when will we reach the next order of magnitude.

Not very fast, at least not without new apparatus. Check out slide 32 in
http://www-conf.slac.stanford.edu/icfa2008/kearns081028.pdf

The plot there shows the SuperK proton lifetime sensitivity hitting 10^34 years around 2007, and 2x10^34 around 2017. The 2009 press release you mention on their http://www-sk.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/whatsnew/new-20091125-e.html says that it actually took data through 2008 to reach 10^34.

Slide 34 in the ICFA pdf claims that a plausible schedule for future detectors (perhaps at DUSEL?) might reach 10^35 around 2035. I guess the bottom line is: don't hold your breath.

Right now SuperK is focusing on neutrino oscillations, but their neutrino source was damaged in the earthquake.
http://physics.aps.org/articles/v4/57
 
  • #5


Thanks for all the info- I really appreciate it.
So it seems we need a new detector and 20 mton years to even reach 10^35,
well that's bad news...

I found a presentation from 2002 which gave 2011 as the planed start date for HyperK Construction any news on this? or an updated shelude?
 
  • #6


murray92 said:
I found a presentation from 2002 which gave 2011 as the planed start date for HyperK Construction any news on this? or an updated shelude?

This 45MB pdf is the most recent information I was able to find about HyperK, from the 2010 International Workshop on Next generation Nucleon Decay and Neutrino Detectors (NNN10) last December, which estimates construction from 2014 until 2019.

There may be updates at NNN11 coming up this November, or possibly this year's ICFA seminar in October. (ICFA is only held once every three years; the slides I linked to in my previous post were presented at the previous ICFA seminar in 2008.)

There are also other options being explored in Europe and North America. Of these, I'm most familiar with DUSEL, where proposals are in the air for either an 0.5MTon water Cherenkov detector, or a ~100kTon liquid argon detector. (There are a lot of slides about this in Ed Kearns's ICFA2008 presentation I linked to in my previous post.)
 
  • #7


murray92 said:
Anyway discovering decay would probably be the most exiting discovery in a long time (much more than a vanilla standard model higgs).


...lol... a vanilla higgs ...lol...
best yet

...the tutti frutti higgs

------------
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/08/hints-of-higgs-boson-appear-weaker.html?ref=hp
..."And at the rate the two experiments are collecting data, working together they should be able to spot the particle or rule it out by year's end. "If the Higgs exists, is has to be there," Sharma says. "And if it's not there, it will be known to be science-fiction by December"...



.
 
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1. What is proton decay and why is it important to study?

Proton decay refers to the hypothetical process in which a proton, one of the fundamental building blocks of matter, decays into lighter particles. This phenomenon is predicted by certain theories in particle physics, and its detection would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the fundamental laws of physics.

2. What is HyperKamiokande and how does it relate to proton decay?

HyperKamiokande is a large underground neutrino observatory located in Japan. Its main goal is to detect proton decay and study other rare events such as neutrino interactions and supernova explosions. HyperKamiokande is able to detect these events by using a large tank filled with ultra-pure water and surrounded by sensitive light detectors.

3. How do scientists search for proton decay?

Scientists search for proton decay by observing large quantities of matter, such as water, and looking for signs of particles that are produced when a proton decays. These particles, such as photons and electrons, can be detected by sensitive instruments like the ones used in HyperKamiokande. Scientists also use advanced theoretical models to predict the possible signatures of proton decay.

4. Has proton decay ever been observed?

No, proton decay has never been observed or confirmed. However, there have been several experiments, including those at HyperKamiokande, that have placed limits on the rate at which proton decay could occur. These experiments have ruled out certain theories and have helped to guide further research in this area.

5. What are the potential implications of detecting proton decay?

If proton decay is detected, it would be a groundbreaking discovery that would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the fundamental laws of physics. It could help to unify theories of particle physics and gravity, and provide insights into the origins and evolution of the universe. It could also have practical applications, such as in developing new technologies related to energy and space travel.

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