skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Latest results from the MINOS experiment

Conference · · PoS ICHEP2010:298,2010
OSTI ID:1015842

The MINOS experiment utilizes the NuMI neutrino beam to study the phenomenon of neutrino oscillations. Muon neutrinos are sent over a baseline of 735 km, with a detector near the production point at Fermilab and one at the Soudan underground laboratory in northern Minnesota. By observing the {nu}{sub {mu}} disappearance characteristic of oscillations, MINOS can measure the oscillation parameters. MINOS has previously made the best measurement of the atmospheric-regime mass splitting to date. New results are presented in which the data-set is doubled. Further analysis improvements, and the inclusion of additional event samples, further improve the sensitivity to the oscillation parameters. The mixing angle {theta}{sub 13} is currently not measured to differ from zero. By searching for {nu}{sub e} appearance in the {nu}{sub {mu}} beam, MINOS is able to set new limits on the value of {theta}{sub 13}. An observation of the neutral current interaction rate at the far detector allows limits to be placed on the existence of sterile neutrinos. From September 2009 to March 2010, MINOS has taken data with a dedicated {bar {nu}}{sub {mu}} beam, allowing the first direct precision measurement of the antineutrino oscillation parameters in the atmospheric regime.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1015842
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-CONF-10-595-E; TRN: US1102929
Journal Information:
PoS ICHEP2010:298,2010, Conference: Prepared for 35th International Conference on High Energy Physics: ICHEP 2010, Paris, France, 21-28 Jul 2010
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English