Neutrino physics in the spotlight

Following on from the Council recommendation made in Lisbon in 2006 and responding to the needs of a large community of scientists, CERN will organize the European Strategy for Future Neutrino Physics workshop on 1-3 October. One of the main goals of the workshop is to start establishing a roadmap for the coherent participation of Europe in neutrino physics.

"The format of the workshop will consist of invited talks to present the current situation and future possibilities; unlike other workshops, 30% of the time will be reserved for discussion", explains Ewa Rondio from the organising committee. "Resources for future neutrino experiments will be difficult to acquire. A coordinated approach and the participation of a large community of interested scientists are undoubtedly crucial factors".

The workshop will be the opportunity to highlight the areas where substantial research and development activities are required in order to design the facilities of the next decade. "The workshop is an important tool to bring to light the synergies existing between neutrino physics and other areas of physics, such as cosmology and nuclear physics", adds Rondio. A poster session will be included, particularly to encourage the participation of younger members of the neutrino community.

"The next steps in neutrino physics will require a very large effort both on the accelerators and the detectors, which demands coordination of efforts at a global level, in terms of R&D and resources planning. The coming workshop will constitute a significant step to towards defining a consistent European strategy and the role of CERN in the future development of the field", says Sergio Bertolucci, CERN Director for Research and Scientific Computing.

Full information about the workshop