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Title: Measurement of $$\Delta m^2_{32}$$ and $$\sin^2\!\theta_{23}$$ using Muon Neutrino and Antineutrino Beams in the NOvA Experiment

Abstract

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located in the mid-west United States. It consists of two functionally identical tracking calorimeters, known as the near and far detector, that measure neutrino interactions induced by the NuMI beam at baselines of 1~km and 810~km. NuMI can be configured to provide a muon neutrino or antineutrino beam. Analysis of \numu~+~\numubar disappearance allows constraint of the $$|\Delta m^2_{32}|$$ and \sint oscillation parameters. This thesis presents the first NOvA disappearance results using both neutrino and antineutrino data - previous NOvA analyses have only used neutrino beam data. Two analysis improvements are delineated in dedicated chapters - the design of selection criteria to identify events that are fully contained in the far detector and the optimization of particle identification selection criteria in a multi-dimensional parameter space. The full-detector equivalent beam exposures used for this thesis are $$8.85\ti mes 10^{20}$$ and $$6.91\times 10^{20}$$~protons~on~target for neutrino and antineutrino data respectively. Under the assumption of a normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, analysis of the data gives $$\Delta m^2_{32}=+2.49^{+0.09}_{-0.07}\times10^{-3}~\text{eV}^2$$ ($$\Delta m^2_{32}=-2.54\pm0.08\times10^{-3}~\text{eV}^2$$) and $$\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.59\pm0.03$$ ($$\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.44\pm0.03$$). Maximal mixing ($$\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.5$$) is disfavoured at the 1.7~\sig level.

Authors:
 [1]
  1. Sussex U.
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
OSTI Identifier:
1502822
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-THESIS-2019-03
1726090
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-07CH11359
Resource Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS

Citation Formats

Blackburn, Tristan. Measurement of $\Delta m^2_{32}$ and $\sin^2\!\theta_{23}$ using Muon Neutrino and Antineutrino Beams in the NOvA Experiment. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.2172/1502822.
Blackburn, Tristan. Measurement of $\Delta m^2_{32}$ and $\sin^2\!\theta_{23}$ using Muon Neutrino and Antineutrino Beams in the NOvA Experiment. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1502822
Blackburn, Tristan. 2019. "Measurement of $\Delta m^2_{32}$ and $\sin^2\!\theta_{23}$ using Muon Neutrino and Antineutrino Beams in the NOvA Experiment". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1502822. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1502822.
@article{osti_1502822,
title = {Measurement of $\Delta m^2_{32}$ and $\sin^2\!\theta_{23}$ using Muon Neutrino and Antineutrino Beams in the NOvA Experiment},
author = {Blackburn, Tristan},
abstractNote = {NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located in the mid-west United States. It consists of two functionally identical tracking calorimeters, known as the near and far detector, that measure neutrino interactions induced by the NuMI beam at baselines of 1~km and 810~km. NuMI can be configured to provide a muon neutrino or antineutrino beam. Analysis of \numu~+~\numubar disappearance allows constraint of the $|\Delta m^2_{32}|$ and \sint oscillation parameters. This thesis presents the first NOvA disappearance results using both neutrino and antineutrino data - previous NOvA analyses have only used neutrino beam data. Two analysis improvements are delineated in dedicated chapters - the design of selection criteria to identify events that are fully contained in the far detector and the optimization of particle identification selection criteria in a multi-dimensional parameter space. The full-detector equivalent beam exposures used for this thesis are $8.85\ti mes 10^{20}$ and $6.91\times 10^{20}$~protons~on~target for neutrino and antineutrino data respectively. Under the assumption of a normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, analysis of the data gives $\Delta m^2_{32}=+2.49^{+0.09}_{-0.07}\times10^{-3}~\text{eV}^2$ ($\Delta m^2_{32}=-2.54\pm0.08\times10^{-3}~\text{eV}^2$) and $\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.59\pm0.03$ ($\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.44\pm0.03$). Maximal mixing ($\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.5$) is disfavoured at the 1.7~\sig level.},
doi = {10.2172/1502822},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1502822}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

Thesis/Dissertation:
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