36 research outputs found
Inclusive measurements with MINER nu A
MINER nu A is a neutrino scattering experiment in the NuMI beamline at Fermilab designed to measure neutrino cross-sections, final states and nuclear effects on a variety of targets in the few-GeV region. MINER nu A is currently running in the NuMI low energy configuration and will continue in medium energy. We present a preliminary neutrino energy spectra in three beam configurations and a preliminary comparison of iron and lead event rates
Detecting matter effects in long baseline experiments
Experiments strongly suggest that the flavour mixing responsible for the
atmospheric neutrino anomaly is very close to being maximal. Thus, it is of
great theoretical as well as experimental importance to measure any possible
deviation from maximality. In this context, we reexamine the effects of matter
interactions in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. Contrary to
popular belief, the muon neutrino survival probability is shown to be quite
sensitive to matter effects. Moreover, for moderately long baselines, the
difference between the survival probilities for and is
shown to be large and sensitive to the deviation of from
maximality. Performing a realistic analysis, we demonstrate that a muon-storage
ring -source alongwith an iron calorimeter detector can measure such
deviations. (Contrary to recent claims, this is not so for the NuMI--{\sc
minos} experiment.) We also discuss the possible correlation in measuring
and in such experiment.Comment: 18 pages, LaTe
Explaining LSND by a decaying sterile neutrino
We propose an explanation of the LSND evidence for electron antineutrino
appearance based on neutrino decay. We introduce a heavy neutrino, which is
produced in pion and muon decays because of a small mixing with muon neutrinos,
and then decays into a scalar particle and a light neutrino, predominantly of
the electron type. We require values of few eV, being the
neutrino--scalar coupling and the heavy neutrino mass, e.g. in the
range from 1 keV to 1 MeV and . Performing a fit to
the LSND data as well as all relevant null-result experiments, we show that all
data can be explained within this decay scenario. In the minimal version of the
decay model, we predict a signal in the upcoming MiniBooNE experiment
corresponding to a transition probability of the same order as seen in LSND. In
addition, we show that extending our model to two nearly degenerate heavy
neutrinos it is possible to introduce CP violation in the decay, which can lead
to a suppression of the signal in MiniBooNE running in the neutrino mode. We
briefly discuss signals in future neutrino oscillation experiments, we show
that our scenario is compatible with bounds from laboratory experiments, and we
comment on implications in astrophysics and cosmology.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, minor improvements, matches published versio
Status and perspectives of short baseline studies
The study of flavor changing neutrinos is a very active field of research. I
will discuss the status of ongoing and near term experiments investigating
neutrino properties at short distances from the source. In the next few years,
the Double Chooz, RENO and Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiments will start
looking for signatures of a non-zero value of the mixing angle
with much improved sensitivities. The MiniBooNE experiment is investigating the
LSND anomaly by looking at both the and
appearance channels. Recent results on
cross section measurements will be discussed briefly.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 11th
International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics
(TAUP 2009), Rome, Italy, 1-5 July 200
Scintillator detectors with long WLS fibers and multi-pixel photodiodes
We have studied the possibility of using Geiger mode multi-pixel photodiodes
to read out long scintillator bars with a single wavelength-shifting fiber
embedded along the bar. This detector configuration can be used in large volume
detectors in future long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. Prototype
bars of 0.7 cm thickness and different widths have been produced and tested
using two types of multi-pixel photodiodes: MRS APD (CPTA, Moscow) and MPPC
(Hamamatsu). A minimum light yield of 7.2 p.e./MeV was obtained for a 4 cm wide
bar
On the impact of systematical uncertainties for the CP violation measurement in superbeam experiments
Superbeam experiments can, in principle, achieve impressive sensitivities for
CP violation in neutrino oscillations for large . We study how
those sensitivities depend on assumptions about systematical uncertainties. We
focus on the second phase of T2K, the so-called T2HK experiment, and we
explicitly include a near detector in the analysis. Our main result is that
even an idealised near detector cannot remove the dependence on systematical
uncertainties completely. Thus additional information is required. We identify
certain combinations of uncertainties, which are the key to improve the
sensitivity to CP violation, for example the ratio of electron to muon neutrino
cross sections and efficiencies. For uncertainties on this ratio larger than
2%, T2HK is systematics dominated. We briefly discuss how our results apply to
a possible two far detector configuration, called T2KK. We do not find a
significant advantage with respect to the reduction of systematical errors for
the measurement of CP violation for this setup.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures, version accepted for publication in JHE
Measurement of Total and Differential Cross Sections of Neutrino and Antineutrino Coherent Production on Carbon
Neutrino induced coherent charged pion production on nuclei,
, is a rare inelastic interaction in
which the four-momentum squared transfered to the nucleus is nearly zero,
leaving it intact. We identify such events in the scintillator of MINERvA by
reconstructing |t| from the final state pion and muon momenta and by removing
events with evidence of energetic nuclear recoil or production of other final
state particles. We measure the total neutrino and antineutrino cross sections
as a function of neutrino energy between 2 and 20 GeV and measure flux
integrated differential cross sections as a function of , and
. The dependence and equality of the neutrino and
anti-neutrino cross-sections at finite provide a confirmation of Adler's
PCAC hypothesis
Measurement of Partonic Nuclear Effects in Deep-Inelastic Neutrino Scattering using MINERvA
The MINERvA collaboration reports a novel study of neutrino-nucleus
charged-current deep inelastic scattering (DIS) using the same neutrino beam
incident on targets of polystyrene, graphite, iron, and lead. Results are
presented as ratios of C, Fe, and Pb to CH. The ratios of total DIS cross
sections as a function of neutrino energy and flux-integrated differential
cross sections as a function of the Bjorken scaling variable x are presented in
the neutrino-energy range of 5 - 50 GeV. Good agreement is found between the
data and predicted ratios, based on charged-lepton nucleus scattering, at
medium x and low neutrino energies. However, the data rate appears depleted in
the vicinity of the nuclear shadowing region, x < 0.1. This apparent deficit,
reflected in the DIS cross-section ratio at high neutrino energy , is
consistent with previous MINERvA observations and with the predicted onset of
nuclear shadowing with the the axial-vector current in neutrino scattering
MINERvA neutrino detector response measured with test beam data
The MINERvA collaboration operated a scaled-down replica of the solid
scintillator tracking and sampling calorimeter regions of the MINERvA detector
in a hadron test beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. This article reports
measurements with samples of protons, pions, and electrons from 0.35 to 2.0
GeV/c momentum. The calorimetric response to protons, pions, and electrons are
obtained from these data. A measurement of the parameter in Birks' law and an
estimate of the tracking efficiency are extracted from the proton sample.
Overall the data are well described by a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of
the detector and particle interactions with agreements better than 4%, though
some features of the data are not precisely modeled. These measurements are
used to tune the MINERvA detector simulation and evaluate systematic
uncertainties in support of the MINERvA neutrino cross section measurement
program.Comment: as accepted by NIM