Skip to main content


Super-Kamiokande, image from LBL.

Durham Neutrino Journal Club

This is a copy of the old Durham Neutrino Journal Club webpage from 2008. I helped organize the club while I was with the IPPP. Unfortunately, it seems to have gone defunct.

[Description] [Schedule] [Format] [Tools] [Reviews] [Dues]

Description

We have organised a student-oriented neutrino/astroparticle journal club with Dr. Pascoli. Meetings will be every two weeks and will highlight interesting papers from the arXiv. These are meant to be informal meetings where students can get together to discuss and share interesting ideas over lunch. The level of the club will be aimed at postgraduates who have taken (or are taking) Dr. Pascoli's neutrino course.

Please e-mail Flip (philip.tanedo@) if you'd like to be added to the club mailing list.

Schedule

Meetings will be roughly every two weeks, at lunchtime perhaps on Wednesday or Friday. We're still trying to find a stable ground state compatible with the seminar schedule. I'll do my best to keep this updated, but keep track of your e-mail.

Discussion topics will be announced (at least) few days ahead of each meeting.

  • Wed, 12 March; 1pm @ OC218: See-saw Mechanism, 15 min presentation by Tracey Li. Discussion of `Observation of Non-Exponential Orbital Electron Capture Decays of Hydrogen-Like $^{140}$Pr and $^{142}$Pm Ions.' (arXiv:0801.2079), presented by Tracey Li. One might also consider the related paper by Giunti (arXiv:0801.4639), which references an earlier paper by Lipkin (arXiv:0801.1465). Update: The Lipkin and Giunti papers contain the heart of the theoretical/phenomenological discussion. Post-facto Update: Our discussion found its way to Phys. Rev. D 45, 2414, discussing problems with the definition of weak eigenstates. Post^2-facto Update: Another paper has been put up refuting neutrino oscillations in the GSI anomaly: arXiv:0804.109.
  • Wed, 19 March; 1pm @ OC218: Discussion of `How can we test seesaw experimentally?' (hep-ph/0606088), presented by Flip Tanedo. Please bring your respective expertise in SUSY, grand unification, dark matter cosmology, and collider physics! Some useful auxilliary reading: SUSY GUTs, SSI05: GUTs
  • During our break: Tracey and Flip had a lively discussion about the basics of flavour oscillation. A good (and surprisingly recent) reference that follows the discussion can be found in Akhmedov, arXiv:0706.1216.
  • Wed, 23 April; 1pm @ OC218: Discussion of `Cosmological Signatures of the Interaction between Dark-Energy and Massive Neutrinos' (arXiv:0803.3142), presented by Elise Jennings. A longer version of the paper is available at arXiv:0803.2274 for further reading.
  • Wed, 7 May; 1pm @ OC103: Discussion of `Experimental investigation of geologically produced antineutrinos with KamLAND' (Nature 436, 499-503), presented by Chris Orme. For further reference a longer review is available at 0707.3203.
  • Next Meeting... TBA: Possible topics include: Neutrinos in RS1, Quantisation of Weak Eigenstates, neutrino mass at the LHC, dark matter, ...

Format and Topics

Papers will be selected according to student interests in the areas of neutrino physics, dark matter, and astroparticle physics. You will be expected to have read the paper before the journal club meeting. One member will present a paper (s/he will be expected to have made an extra effort to examine the paper) for discussion to the rest of the group. You will not have to understand every detail in the paper (even if you're presenting)! The purpose of this club is for us to learn through discussion with one another.

Data, tools, links

Here are some related links that may be helpful.

Review Literature

Aimed at a postgraduate level. Please e-mail Flip if you have any recommendations for review literature. .

CPT Course Lecture Notes 07-08

Caveat: These lecture notes are provided `as is' by Dr. Pascoli and may contain errors! They are meant as a guide and have not been proof-read.

General Physics of Massive Neutrinos

Astroparticle Physics: Neutrinos, Dark Matter, Leptogenesis

Neutrino Experiments

  • Neutrino Experiments [TASI], Conrad (arXiv:0708.2446)
  • Neutrino physics [Trieste], Akhmedov (hep-ph/0001264) (See ch. 7-8 for a pedagogical discussion of neutrino oscillations.)
  • Laboratory Neutrino Mass Experiments [SSI video, writeup], Bonn
  • Accelerator-based Neutrino Mass Experiments [SSI video], Feldman
  • Reactor-based Neutrino Oscillation Experiments [SSI video, writeup], Gratta
  • Feasibility Study of a Neutrino Source Based on a Muon Storage Ring [SSI video, writeup], Holtkamp
  • Atmospheric Neutrino Studies [SSI video], Kearns
  • Solar Neutrinos [SSI video], Wilkerson

Model-building with neutrino masses

Membership dues

We use a graded membership scheme like the IOP. Membership is free for Maths/Physics/CPT postgraduates. Faculty asked to bring pastries/sweets as a per-meeting membership fee.


From: PhD Comics, 9 Jan 08. See also Part II and Part III.