Eur. Phys. J. C (2012) 72: 2191
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-2191-y

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Clock-transport synchronisation for neutrino time-of-flight measurements

Département de Physique Nucléaire et Corpusculaire, Université de Genève, 24, quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211, Genève 4, Switzerland

^* e-mail: john.field@cern.ch

Received: 24 July 2012
Revised: 24 September 2012
Published online: 8 November 2012

Abstract

A method to synchronise, at the sub-nanosecond level, clocks used for neutrino time-of-flight measurements is proposed. Clocks situated near the neutrino source and target are compared with a moveable clock that is transported between them. The general-relativistic theory of the procedure was tested and verified in an experiment performed by Hafele and Keating in 1972. It is suggested that use of such a synchronisation method may contribute to a precise test of the Sagnac effect—a measured velocity greater than c—for neutrinos of the proposed LBNE beam between Fermilab and the Homestake mine.