ORKA, The Golden Kaon Experiment: Precision measurement of K+ -> pi+nunubar and other rare processes

Abstract

ORKA is a proposed experiment to measure the K+ -> pi+nunubar branching ratio with 5% precision using the Fermilab Main Injector high-intensity proton source. The detector design is based on the BNL E787/E949 experiments, which detected seven K+ -> pi+nunubar candidate events. ORKA is expected to acheive two orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity relative to the BNL experiments as a result of enhancements to the beam line and the detector acceptance. Precise measurement of the K+ -> pi+nunubar branching ratio with the same level of uncertainty as the well-understood Standard Model prediction allows for sensitivity to new physics at and beyond the LHC mass scale. Detector R&D, simulation-based optimization of the experiment design, and preparation of the experiment location are underway.