Beta Beams for Neutrino Production

This paper gives an overview of the work done so far to produce sufficient neutrino fluxes for neutrino oscillation physics using beta beams. The design study on a beta beam scenario, the EURISOL (European Isotope Separation On-Line Radioactive Ion Beam Facility) Design Study, a project funded by the European Commission (EC), is now ready to be published. The study is based on the acceleration of 6He and 18Ne ions to produce the (anti-)neutrino beam using the existing CERN infrastructure for acceleration of the ions. We will here briefly describe the work with emphasis on how potential showstoppers, in particular radiation safety and equipment damage, have been dealt with. New results for the production of 6He show very encouraging results. We are now confident that this ion is a good choice to produce antineutrinos. However, the ion production needed for the physics experiments could not, up to now, be reasonably satisfied for 18Ne. Therefore, studies of alternative beta emitters, 8Li and 8B, with properties interesting for physics reach, have been proposed. The production of these ions is studied within the EC funded EUROnu project, ''A High Intensity Neutrino Oscillation Facility for Europe.'' This project will end in 2012. A small storage ring, in which the beam traverses a target, creating the 8Li and 8B isotopes that will be collected and accelerated, is studied in this proposal. We present the latest developments for the production of these ions, including a production ring lattice. Extensive Geant4 simulations have been done with the aim of developing a model of the production target that can be used for simulations of the necessary cooling system. In this paper we present the status of the work performed and an overview of ongoing and planned activities to make the beta beam project a solid proposal for neutrino production within the EUROnu project.