<b>High Energy-Astrophysics</b><br><i>Development of Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers in the U.S.</i>

Speaker: Mitchell Soderberg (Yale University)

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) detectors are well suited to study neutrino interactions, and are an intriguing option for future massive detectors capable of measuring the parameters that describe neutrino oscillations. These detectors combine fine-grained tracking with calorimetry, allowing for excellent imaging and particle identification ability. After a short introduction to the LAr TPC technique, recent U.S. based work in the development of this technology for massive kiloton size detectors will be presented, including details of the ArgoNeuT (Argon Neutrino Test) test-beam project, which is a 175 liter LAr TPC exposed to Fermilab's NuMI neutrino beamline. The first neutrino interactions observed in ArgoNeuT will be presented, along with discussion of the various physics analyses to be performed on this data sample. The details of the proposed MicroBooNE experiment, a 175 ton LAr TPC that will be exposed to Fermilab's Booster neutrino beamline, will also be presented. Finally, preliminary ideas for a massive LAr TPC at an underground location, such as DUSEL, will be discussed.