First double-differential measurement of kinematic imbalance in neutrino interactions with the MicroBooNE detector

We report the first measurement of flux-integrated double-differential quasielastic-like neutrino-argon cross sections, which have been made using the Booster Neutrino Beam and the MicroBooNE detector at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data are presented as a function of kinematic imbalance variables which are sensitive to nuclear ground state distributions and hadronic reinteraction processes. We find that the measured cross sections in different phase-space regions are sensitive to different nuclear effects. Therefore, they enable the impact of specific nuclear effects on the neutrino-nucleus interaction to be isolated more completely than was possible using previous single-differential cross section measurements. Our results provide precision data to help test and improve neutrino-nucleus interaction models. They further support ongoing neutrino-oscillation studies by establishing phase-space regions where precise reaction modeling has already been achieved

Multi-Differential Cross Section Measurements of Muon-Neutrino-Argon Quasielastic-like Reactions with the MicroBooNE Detector

We report on a flux-integrated multi-differential measurement of charged-current muon neutrino scattering on argon with one muon and one proton in the final state using the Booster Neutrino Beam and MicroBooNE detector at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data are studied as a function of various kinematic imbalance variables and of a neutrino energy estimator, and are compared to a number of event generator predictions. We find that the measured cross sections in different phase-space regions are sensitive to nuclear effects. Our results provide precision data to test and improve the neutrino-nucleus interaction models needed to perform high-accuracy oscillation analyses. Specific regions of phase-space are identified where further model refinements are most needed

Measurement of nuclear effects in neutrino-argon interactions using generalized kinematic imbalance variables with the MicroBooNE detector

We present a set of new generalized kinematic imbalance variables that can be measured in neutrino scattering. These variables extend previous measurements of kinematic imbalance on the transverse plane, and are more sensitive to modeling of nuclear effects. We demonstrate the enhanced power of these variables using simulation, and then use the MicroBooNE detector to measure them for the first time. We report flux-integrated single- and double-differential measurements of charged-current muon neutrino scattering on argon using a topolgy with one muon and one proton in the final state as a function of these novel kinematic imbalance variables. These measurements allow us to demonstrate that the treatment of charged current quasielastic interactions in GENIE version 2 is inadequate to describe data. Further, they reveal tensions with more modern generator predictions particularly in regions of phase space where final state interactions are important

First study of neutrino angle reconstruction using quasielastic-like interactions in MicroBooNE

We investigate the expected precision of the reconstructed neutrino direction using a νμ-argon quasielastic-like event topology with one muon and one proton in the final state and the reconstruction capabilities of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber. This direction is of importance in the context of DUNE sub-GeV atmospheric oscillation studies. MicroBooNE allows for a data-driven quantification of this resolution by investigating the deviation of the reconstructed muon-proton system orientation with respect to the well-known direction of neutrinos originating from the Booster Neutrino Beam with an exposure of 1.3 × 1021 protons on target. Using simulation studies, we derive the expected sub-GeV DUNE atmospheric-neutrino reconstructed simulated spectrum by developing a reweighting scheme as a function of the true neutrino energy. We further report flux-integrated single- and double-differential cross section measurements of charged-current νμ quasielastic-like scattering on argon as a function of the muon-proton system angle using the full MicroBooNE data sets. We also demonstrate the sensitivity of these results to nuclear effects and final state hadronic reinteraction modeling

First measurement of inclusive electron-neutrino and antineutrino charged current differential cross sections in charged lepton energy on argon in MicroBooNE

This document was prepared by the MicroBooNE collaboration using the resources of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, HEP User Facility. Fermilab is managed by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), acting under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359. MicroBooNE is supported by the following: the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics; the U.S. National Science Foundation; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation; and The Royal Society (United Kingdom). Additional support for the laser calibration system and CR tagger was provided by the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Bern, Switzerland.We present the first measurement of the single-differential νe þ ν¯e charged-current inclusive cross sections on argon in electron or positron energy and in electron or positron scattering angle over the full range. Data were collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located off axis from the Fermilab neutrinos at the main injector beam over an exposure of 2.0 × 1020 protons on target. The signal definition includes a 60 MeV threshold on the νe or ν¯e energy and a 120 MeV threshold on the electron or positron energy. The measured total and differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the GENIE, NuWro, and GiBUU neutrino generators.Fermi Research Alliance, LLC DE-AC02-07CH11359High Energy Physics and Nuclear PhysicsUnited Kingdom Research and InnovationNational Science FoundationU.S. Department of EnergyOffice of ScienceScience and Technology Facilities CouncilRoyal SocietySchweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschun

First demonstration of O(1 ns) timing resolution in the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber

This document was prepared by the MicroBooNE collaboration using the resources of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, HEP User Facility. Fermilab is managed by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), acting under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359. MicroBooNE is supported by the following: the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics; the U.S. National Science Foundation; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation; the Royal Society (United Kingdom); and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship. Additional support for the laser calibration system and cosmic ray tagger was provided by the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Bern, Switzerland. We also acknowledge the contributions of technical and scientific staff to the design, construction, and operation of the MicroBooNE detector as well as the contributions of past collaborators to the development of MicroBooNE analyses, without whom this work would not have been possible.MicroBooNE is a neutrino experiment located in the Booster Neutrino Beamline (BNB) at Fermilab, which collected data from 2015 to 2021. MicroBooNE’s liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) is accompanied by a photon detection system consisting of 32 photomultiplier tubes used to measure the argon scintillation light and determine the timing of neutrino interactions. Analysis techniques combining light signals and reconstructed tracks are applied to achieve a neutrino interaction time resolution of O(1  ns). The result obtained allows MicroBooNE to access the nanosecond beam structure of the BNB for the first time. The timing resolution achieved will enable significant enhancement of cosmic background rejection for all neutrino analyses. Furthermore, the ns timing resolution opens new avenues to search for long-lived-particles such as heavy neutral leptons in MicroBooNE, as well as in future large LArTPC experiments, namely the SBN program and DUNE.Fermi Research Alliance, LLC DE-AC02-07CH11359High Energy Physics and Nuclear PhysicsUnited Kingdom Research and InnovationNational Science Foundation NSFU.S. Department of Energy USDOEOffice of Science SCUK Research and Innovation UKRIScience and Technology Facilities Council STFCRoyal SocietySchweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung SN

Vertex-Finding and Reconstruction of Contained Two-track Neutrino Events in the MicroBooNE Detector

This material is based upon work supported by the following: the U.S. Department of Energy,Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics; the U.S. National ScienceFoundation; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Science and Technology Facilities Councilof the United Kingdom; and The Royal Society (United Kingdom). Additional support for thelaser calibration system and cosmic ray tagger was provided by the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics. Fermilab is operated by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No.DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy.We describe algorithms developed to isolate and accurately reconstruct two-track events that are contained within the MicroBooNE detector. This method is optimized to reconstruct two tracks of lengths longer than 5cm. This code has applications to searches for neutrino oscillations and measurements of cross sections using quasi-elastic-like charged current events. The algorithms we discuss will be applicable to all detectors running in Fermilab's Short Baseline Neutrino program (SBN), and to any future liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) experiment with beam energies ~ 1 GeV. The algorithms are publicly available on a GITHUB repository [1]. This reconstruction offers a complementary and independent alternative to the Pandora reconstruction package currently in use in LArTPC experiments, and provides similar reconstruction performance for two-track events.The U.S. Department of Energy,Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear PhysicsU.S. National Science FoundationSwiss National Science FoundationScience and Technology Facilities Councilof the United KingdomThe Royal Society (United Kingdom)Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics. Fermilab is operated by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy

First Measurement of Quasielastic Λ Baryon Production in Muon Antineutrino Interactions in the MicroBooNE Detector

This document was prepared by the MicroBooNE collaboration using the resources of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, HEP User Facility. Fermilab is managed by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), acting under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359. MicroBooNE is supported by the following: the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics; the U.S. National Science Foundation; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation; the Royal Society (United Kingdom); and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship. Additional support for the laser calibration system and cosmic ray tagger was provided by the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Bern, Switzerland. We also acknowledge the contributions of technical and scientific staff to the design, construction, and operation of the MicroBooNE detector as well as the contributions of past collaborators to the development of MicroBooNE analyses, without whom this work would not have been possible.We present the first measurement of the cross section of Cabibbo-suppressed Λ baryon production, using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector when exposed to the neutrinos from the main injector beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data analyzed correspond to 2.2×10^{20} protons on target running in neutrino mode, and 4.9×10^{20} protons on target running in anti-neutrino mode. An automated selection is combined with hand scanning, with the former identifying five candidate Λ production events when the signal was unblinded, consistent with the GENIE prediction of 5.3±1.1 events. Several scanners were employed, selecting between three and five events, compared with a prediction from a blinded Monte Carlo simulation study of 3.7±1.0 events. Restricting the phase space to only include Λ baryons that decay above MicroBooNE's detection thresholds, we obtain a flux averaged cross section of 2.0_{-1.7}^{+2.2}×10^{-40}  cm^{2}/Ar, where statistical and systematic uncertainties are combined.U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, HEP User Facility: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA) DE-AC02-07CH11359U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear PhysicsU.S. National Science FoundationSwiss National Science FoundationUnited Kingdom Research and Innovation, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)Royal SocietyUK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders FellowshipCentro Albert Einstein de Física Fundamental, Berna, Suiza.MicroBooN

Measurement of the flux-averaged inclusive charged-current electron neutrino and antineutrino cross section on argon using the NuMI beam and the MicroBooNE detector

This document was prepared by the MicroBooNE Collaboration using the resources of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, HEP User Facility. Fermilab is managed by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), acting under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359. MicroBooNE is supported by the following: the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Offices of High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics; the U.S. National Science Foundation; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation; and The Royal Society (United Kingdom). Additional support for the laser calibration system and cosmic-ray tagger was provided by the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Bern, Switzerland.We present a measurement of the combined nu(e) + (nu) over bar (e) flux-averaged charged-current inclusive cross section on argon using data from the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) at Fermilab. Using the off-axis flux from the NuMI beam, MicroBooNE has reconstructed 214 candidate nu(e) + (nu) over bar (e) interactions with an estimated exposure of 2.4 x 10(20) protons on target. Given the estimated purity of 38.6%, this implies the observation of 80 nu(e) + (nu) over bar (e) events in argon, the largest such sample to date. The analysis includes the first demonstration of a fully automated application of a dE/dx-based particle discrimination technique of electron- and photon-induced showers in a LArTPC neutrino detector. The main background for this first nu(e) analysis is cosmic ray contamination. Significantly higher purity is expected in underground detectors, as well as with next-generation reconstruction algorithms. We measure the nu(e) + (nu) over bar (e) flux-averaged charged-current total cross section to be 6.84 +/- 1.51(stat) +/- 2.33(sys) x 10(-39) cm(2)/nucleon, for neutrino energies above 250 MeVand an average neutrino flux energy of 905 MeV when this threshold is applied. The measurement is sensitive to neutrino events where the final state electron momentum is above 48 MeV/c, includes the entire angular phase space of the electron, and is in agreement with the theoretical predictions from GENIE and NuWro. This measurement is also the first demonstration of electron-neutrino reconstruction in a surface LArTPC in the presence of cosmic-ray backgrounds, which will be a crucial task for surface experiments like those that comprise the short-baseline neutrino program at Fermilab.Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA) DE-AC02-07CH11359United States Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Foundation (NSF)Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)European CommissionScience and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), United Kingdom Research and InnovationRoyal Society of Londo