MicroBooNE: A New Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Experiment

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber detectors are well suited to study neutrino interactions, and are an intriguing option for future massive detectors capable of measuring the parameters that characterize neutrino oscillations. These detectors combine fine-grained tracking with calorimetry, allowing for excellent imaging and particle identification ability. In this talk the details of the MicroBooNE experiment, a 175 ton LArTPC which will be exposed to Fermilab's Booster Neutrino Beamline starting in 2011, will be presented. The ability of MicroBooNE to differentiate electrons from photons gives the experiment unique capabilities in low energy neutrino interaction measurements.Comment: Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region (NuInt09

First Measurement of Muon Neutrino Charged Current Quasielastic (CCQE) Double Differential Cross Section

Using a high statistics sample of muon neutrino charged current quasielastic (CCQE) events, we report the first measurement of the double differential cross section as a function of muon energy and angle for this process. The result features reduced model dependence and supplies the most complete information on neutrino CCQE scattering to date. Measurements of the absolute cross section as a function of neutrino energy and the single differential cross section as a function of 4-momentum transfer squared are also provided, largely to facilitate comparison with prior measurements. This data is of particular use for understanding the axial-vector form factor of the nucleon as well as improving the simulation of low energy neutrino interactions on nuclear targets, which is of particular relevance for experiments searching for neutrino oscillations.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region (NuInt09

Challenges in Extracting Charged Current Quasi-Elastic Model Information in MiniBooNE's Anti-Neutrino Data

Using a high-statistics sample of anti-neutrino charged current quasi-elastic (CCQE) events, MiniBooNE reports the challenges in measuring parameters within the Relativistic Fermi Gas model. As the CCQE analysis has been completed in MiniBooNE's neutrino data, particular attention is paid to the differences in CCQE interactions between the two running modes.Comment: NuInt '09 conference proceedings. Four pages, five figure

PCAC and coherent pion production by neutrinos

Coherent pion production in low energy neutrino reactions is discussed in the framework of the partially conserved axial vector current theory (PCAC). The role of lepton mass effects in suppressing production of positively charged pions is discussed. Instead of using models of pion nucleus scattering, the available data on pion carbon scattering are implemented for an analysis of the PCAC prediction. Our results agree well with the published upper limits for positively charged production but are much below the recent MiniBooNE result for neutral pion production.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, writeup of talk presented at NUINT 200

Advancing the performance of one-dimensional photonic crystal/photonic wire micro-cavities in silicon-on-insulator

We present new results that demonstrate advances in the performance achievable in photonic crystal/photonic wire micro-cavities. In one example, a quality-factor value as high as 147,000 has been achieved experimentally at a useful transmission level

Can a 3+2 Oscillation Model Explain the NuTeV Electroweak Results?

The weak mixing angle result from NuTeV falls three standard deviations above the value determined by global electroweak fits. It has been suggested that one possible explanation for this result could be the oscillation of electron neutrinos in the NuTeV beam to sterile neutrinos. This article examines several cases of masses and mixings for 3+2 neutrino oscillation models which fit the current oscillation data at 99% CL. We conclude that electron to sterile neutrino oscillations can account for only up to a third of a standard deviation between the NuTeV determination of the weak mixing angle and the standard model.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Brief Report

Search for neutrino charged current coherent pion production at SciBooNE

SciBooNE is a neutrino experiment measuring the neutrino cross sections on carbon in the one GeV region. We have performed a search for charged current coherent pion production from muon neutrinos scattering on carbon, \nu_\mu 12^C \to \mu 12^C \pi^+. No evidence for coherent pion production is observed. We set 90% confidence level upper limits on the cross section ratio of charged current coherent pion production to the total charged current cross section at 0.67\times 10^{-2} at mean neutrino energy 1.1 GeV and 1.36 \times 10^{-2} at mean neutrino energy 2.2 GeV. The kinematic distributions of the final data sample are also presented.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region (NuInt09

Overview of progress in neutrino scattering measurements

Recent progress in neutrino scattering experiments with few GeV neutrino beams is reviewed, focusing on new experimental input since the beginning of the NuInt workshop series in 2001. Progress in neutrino quasi-elastic scattering, resonance production, coherent pion production, scattering in the transition region between the resonance and deep inelastic regimes, and nuclear effects in neutrino-nucleus scattering, is discussed.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 5th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region (NuInt07), Batavia, Illinois, 30 May - 3 Jun 2007. Submitted to AIP Conf.Pro