  The Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) will utilize a neutrino beamline
facility located at Fermilab to carry out a compelling research program in
neutrino physics. The facility will aim a beam of neutrinos toward a detector
placed at the Homestake Mine in South Dakota. The neutrinos are produced in a
three-step process. First, protons from the Main Injector (60-120 GeV) hit a
solid target and produce mesons. Then, the charged mesons are focused by a set
of focusing horns into the decay pipe, towards the far detector. Finally, the
mesons that enter the decay pipe decay into neutrinos. The parameters of the
facility were determined taking into account several factors including the
physics goals, the Monte Carlo modeling of the facility, spacial and
radiological constraints and the experience gained by operating the NuMI
facility at Fermilab. The initial beam power is expected to be ~700 kW, however
some of the parameters were chosen to be able to deal with a beam power of 2.3
MW. We discuss here the status of the conceptual design and the associated
challenges.
