Proposal to perform a high-statistics neutrino scattering experiment using a fine-grained detector in the NuMI beam

The NuMI facility at Fermilab will provide an extremely intense beam of neutrinos for the MINOS neutrino-oscillation experiment. The spacious and fully-outfitted MINOS near detector hall will be the ideal venue for a high-statistics, high-resolution ν and ν–nucleon/nucleus scattering experiment. The experiment described here will measure neutrino cross-sections and probe nuclear effects essential to present and future neutrino-oscillation experiments. Moreover, with the high NuMI beam intensity, the experiment will either initially address or significantly improve our knowledge of a wide variety of neutrino physics topics of interest and importance to the elementary-particle and nuclear-physics communities. The MINERνA Collaboration D. Drakoulakos, P. Stamoulis, G. Tzanakos, M. Zois University of Athens; Athens, Greece D. Casper University of California, Irvine; Irvine, California, USA E. Paschos University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany D. Harris, M. Kostin, J.G. Morfin∗, P. Shanahan Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Batavia, Illinois, USA M.E. Christy, W. Hinton, C.E. Keppel1 Hampton University; Hampton, Virginia, USA R. Burnstein, A. Chakravorty2 , O. Kamaev, N. Solomey Illinois Institute of Technology; Chicago, Illinois, USA S. Kulagin Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow, Russia W.K. Brooks, A. Bruell, R. Ent, D. Gaskell, W. Melnitchouk, S.A. Wood Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility; Newport News, Virginia, USA I. Niculescu, G. Niculescu James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA G. Blazey, M.A.C. Cummings, V. Rykalin Northern Illinois University; DeKalb, Illinois, USA S. Boyd, D. Naples, V. Paolone University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA A. Bodek, H. Budd, J. Chvojka, P. deBarbaro, S. Manly, K. McFarland∗, I. Park, W. Sakumoto, R. Teng University of Rochester; Rochester, New York, USA R. Gilman, C. Glashausser, X. Jiang, G. Kumbartzki, K. McCormick, R. Ransome Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA H. Gallagher, T. Kafka, W.A. Mann, W. Oliver Tufts University; Boston, Massachusetts, USA 1 Also at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility 2 Also at Saint Xavier College, Chicago, Illinois, USA ∗ Co-spokespersons