The MEMPHYS project: a large scale water-Cherenkov detector in Europe

MEMPHYS (MEgaton Mass PHYSics) is a proposed megaton-scale water Cherenkov experiment to be performed deep underground. It is dedicated to nucleon decay searches, neutrinos from supernovae, solar and atmospheric neutrinos, as well as neutrino from a future Super-Beam or Beta-Beam to measure the mixing angle θ13, the CP violating phase δCP and mass hierarchy. New photo detection and data acquisition solution, such as grouped readout systems, are mandatory for very large scale detectors, to improve their feasibility and cost effectiveness. One Rand D item currently being carried out is MEMPHYNO, a small-scale prototype with the main purpose of serving as a test bench for a new detection and data acquisition devices.