Dr. Patricia Sanchez Luca – The neutrino experiment DUNE: current status and future R&D

The neutrino experiment DUNE, currently under construction in the US, has a broad physics program that covers oscillation physics at the GeV scale, the search for the proton decay and the observation of supernova and solar neutrinos. The DUNE far detector is based on the technology of the liquid argon time projection chamber m(LArTPC), that allows for a 3D real-time position reconstruction of the events and their energy thanks to the collection of both electrons and scintillation photons. The DUNE detector will be developed following a two-phase strategy. The Phase-I features the first two far detector modules, a 1.2 MW neutrino beam and a near detector complex.

This phase is fully funded and its construction well underway. The Phase-II consists of two more far detector modules, an enhanced beam and an upgraded near detector. The design of the Phase-II detectors is under consideration, focusing on enhancing performance and reducing costs, with an ambitious R&D program ahead. We describe here the DUNE detector, its physics goals, the latest results from test facilities as well as some of the R&D activities ongoing.