Unraveling neutrino parameters with a magical beta-beam experiment at INO

We expound in detail the physics reach of an experimental set-up in which the proposed large magnetized iron detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) would serve as the far detector for a so-called beta-beam. If this pure νe and/or ν̄e beam is shot from some source location like CERN such that the source-detector distance L ≃ 7500 km, the impact of the CP phase δCP on the oscillation probability and associated parameter correlation and degeneracies are almost negligible. This “magical” beta-beam experiment would have unprecedented sensitivity to the neutrino mass hierarchy and θ13, two of the missing ingredients needed for our understanding of the neutrino sector. With Lorentz boost γ = 650 and irrespective of the true value of δCP , the neutrino mass hierarchy could be determined at 3σ C.L. if sin 2θ13(true) > 5.6×10−4 and we can expect an unambiguous signal for θ13 at 3σ C.L. if sin 2 2θ13(true) > 5.1× 10 independent of the true neutrino mass hierarchy. a email: [email protected] b email: [email protected] c email: [email protected]