The CNGS project and OPERA experiment at LNGS

The OPERA (CNGS1) experiment will study neutrino oscillations; in particular it was designed to observe νμ→ντ oscillation signal via the direct observation of ντ interactions in a target of nuclear emulsions films and lead. The experiment will make use of a high energy νμ beam (CNGS) produced at CERN and of a detector placed in the Gran Sasso Underground laboratory (LNGS); the sub-micron spatial resolution provided by nuclear emulsions will allow to identify oscillation signal with a very low background level. In these months the OPERA collaboration is carrying out the detector assembly and the physical data acquisition is expected to start in August 2006. In order to cope with the expected neutrino interaction rate and allow a quasi-online analysis of the events, the emulsion read out have to be very fast; the limited number of signal events expected requires to the system high efficiency, purity and precision.