NUFACT2014, XVIth International Workshop on Neutrino Factories and Future Neutrino Beam Facilities

Progress towards COMET Phase-I

Not scheduled

20m

Western Infirmary Lecture Theatre (University of Glasgow)

Description

The COMET experiment is designed to search for flavour violation in the charged lepton sector, via the coherent neutrinoless process $\mu + A \rightarrow e + A$, which can probe a wide variety of BSM physics. Using the new high-power proton beam at J-PARC, the sensitivity of the final COMET experiment is substantially better than previous experiments. In order to better understand the beam and ordinary muon decay backgrounds that are relevant at this sensitivity, an initial Phase-I of the experiment will use just the upstream $90^\circ$ bend of the final COMET beam transport. In addition to studying the beam characteristics, the Phase-I experiment will also search for $\mu$–$e$ conversions with sensitivity 2 orders of magnitude better than the current limit. The Phase-I experiment is in the final stages of design, and construction of the COMET facility has already begun.