Underground operation of the ICARUS T600 LAr-TPC: first results

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Published 29 July 2011 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
, , Citation C Rubbia et al 2011 JINST 6 P07011 DOI 10.1088/1748-0221/6/07/P07011

1748-0221/6/07/P07011

Abstract

Important open questions are still present in fundamental Physics and Cosmology, like the nature of Dark Matter, the matter-antimatter asymmetry and the validity of the Standard Model of particle interactions. Addressing these questions requires a new generation of massive particle detectors to explore the subatomic and astrophysical worlds. ICARUS T600 is the first large mass (760 tons) example of a new generation of detectors able to combine the imaging capabilities of the old famous ``bubble chamber'' with the excellent energy measurement of huge electronic detectors. ICARUS T600 now operates at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory and is used to study cosmic rays, neutrino oscillations and the proton decay. The potential for doing physics of this novel telescope is presented through a few examples of neutrino interactions reconstructed with unprecedented detail. Detector design and early operation are also reported.

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10.1088/1748-0221/6/07/P07011