Toward A Precision Era Of Neutrino Oscillation Physics: Liquid Argon Scintillation Detector Development for DUNE and Neutrino Oscillation Studies with NOvA
Abstract
NOvA is an accelerator-based high-energy particle physics experiment that studies oscillations in a beam of mostly muon (anti-)neutrinos, looking for the disappearance of muon (anti-)neutrinos and appearance of electron (anti-)neutrinos. This search is sensitive to several key neutrino oscillation parameters. After the completion of NOvA, DUNE will continue to study neutrino oscillations with a liquid argon time-projection chamber, which provides finer granularity of tracking than NOvA. Furthermore, the beam will be more powerful, the detector fiducial volume is approximately 3 times larger than the full NOvA detector, and the detector will be situated underground. DUNE is therefore expected to usher in a precision era of long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics. While the main signal from a liquid argon time-projection chamber is the ionization signal produced by the passage of charged particles, argon is also a copious source of scintillation. This light is useful for pro viding a precise event time. Scintillation light is potentially especially useful in non-beam studies in DUNE, such as atmospheric neutrinos, supernova neutrinos, and potential nucleon decay. In this dissertation, I will discuss both projects. In addition to a study of the drift in NOvA’s energy calibration, recent oscillation analysis is discussed, which finds a best fitmore »
- Authors:
-
- Indiana 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) (SC-25)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1599305
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-THESIS-2019-18
oai:inspirehep.net:1779797
- 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
Howard, Bruce Lynn. Toward A Precision Era Of Neutrino Oscillation Physics: Liquid Argon Scintillation Detector Development for DUNE and Neutrino Oscillation Studies with NOvA. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.2172/1599305.
Howard, Bruce Lynn. Toward A Precision Era Of Neutrino Oscillation Physics: Liquid Argon Scintillation Detector Development for DUNE and Neutrino Oscillation Studies with NOvA. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1599305
Howard, Bruce Lynn. Tue .
"Toward A Precision Era Of Neutrino Oscillation Physics: Liquid Argon Scintillation Detector Development for DUNE and Neutrino Oscillation Studies with NOvA". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1599305. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1599305.
@article{osti_1599305,
title = {Toward A Precision Era Of Neutrino Oscillation Physics: Liquid Argon Scintillation Detector Development for DUNE and Neutrino Oscillation Studies with NOvA},
author = {Howard, Bruce Lynn},
abstractNote = {NOvA is an accelerator-based high-energy particle physics experiment that studies oscillations in a beam of mostly muon (anti-)neutrinos, looking for the disappearance of muon (anti-)neutrinos and appearance of electron (anti-)neutrinos. This search is sensitive to several key neutrino oscillation parameters. After the completion of NOvA, DUNE will continue to study neutrino oscillations with a liquid argon time-projection chamber, which provides finer granularity of tracking than NOvA. Furthermore, the beam will be more powerful, the detector fiducial volume is approximately 3 times larger than the full NOvA detector, and the detector will be situated underground. DUNE is therefore expected to usher in a precision era of long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics. While the main signal from a liquid argon time-projection chamber is the ionization signal produced by the passage of charged particles, argon is also a copious source of scintillation. This light is useful for pro viding a precise event time. Scintillation light is potentially especially useful in non-beam studies in DUNE, such as atmospheric neutrinos, supernova neutrinos, and potential nucleon decay. In this dissertation, I will discuss both projects. In addition to a study of the drift in NOvA’s energy calibration, recent oscillation analysis is discussed, which finds a best fit at $\sin^2\theta_{23}=0.56^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$, $\Delta m^{2}_{32}=2.48^{+0.11}_{-0.06}\times10^{-3}\text{eV}^2$, $\delta_{CP}/\pi=0.0^{+1.3}_{-0.4}$, and prefers normal ordering at 1.9$\sigma$. Contributions to NOvA analysis will also be highlighted, especially methods used to perform separation of neutrinos and antineutrinos in the predominantly antineutrino beam for study. This wrong-sign component is initially used to provide further understanding of the beam components. Furthermore, characterization and prototype testing of photon detectors for DUNE is discussed. Finally, a study is performed with wrong-s ign separation techniques applied to the appearance signal i! n both NOvA and DUNE to create two samples: one enriched in signal and the other enriched in the wrong-sign oscillation appearance. Wrong-sign in the oscillation diminishes the sensitivity of the analysis, so this study aimed to determine if such a separation would enhance the sensitivity of the oscillation. Little benefit was found at the ultimate exposure with NOvA with the techniques currently available, but the study showed potential promise when applied to DUNE.},
doi = {10.2172/1599305},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1599305},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {1}
}