Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA

(The NOvA Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006

Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA

(The NOvA Collaboration)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

69 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05×1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5±9.7(stat)±9.4(syst) events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ→νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3+1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24<20.8° and θ34<31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2≤Δm412≤0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.

Original language	English
Article number	072006
Journal	Physical Review D
Volume	96
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006
State	Published - Oct 30 2017
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The NOvA collaboration uses 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. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy; the U.S. National Science Foundation; the Department of Science and Technology, India; the European Research Council; the MSMT CR, GA UK, Czech Republic; the RAS, RMES, and RFBR, Russia; CNPq and FAPEG, Brazil; and the State and University of Minnesota. We are grateful for the contributions of the staff at Fermilab and the NOvA Far Detector Laboratory.

Funders	Funder number
Not added	ST/N000307/1, ST/N000285/1
Department of Science and Technology
Fermi Research Alliance, LLC	DE-AC02-07CH11359
GA UK, Czech Republic
MSMT
RMES
National Science Foundation	1607381, 1506309
U.S. Department of Energy
Science and Technology Facilities Council	1698510, MINOS/MINOS+
Royal Astronomical Society
European Research Council
Russian Foundation for Basic Research
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás

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10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006

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@article{3eb84a50bde54455beab7b206e9d2e72,

title = "Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA",

abstract = "We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05×1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5±9.7(stat)±9.4(syst) events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ→νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3+1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24<20.8° and θ34<31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2≤Δm412≤0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.",

author = "{(The NOvA Collaboration)} and P. Adamson and L. Aliaga and D. Ambrose and N. Anfimov and A. Antoshkin and E. Arrieta-Diaz and K. Augsten and A. Aurisano and C. Backhouse and M. Baird and Bambah, {B. A.} and K. Bays and B. Behera and S. Bending and R. Bernstein and V. Bhatnagar and B. Bhuyan and J. Bian and T. Blackburn and A. Bolshakova and C. Bromberg and J. Brown and G. Brunetti and N. Buchanan and A. Butkevich and V. Bychkov and M. Campbell and E. Catano-Mur and S. Childress and Choudhary, {B. C.} and B. Chowdhury and Coan, {T. E.} and Coelho, {J. A.B.} and M. Colo and J. Cooper and L. Corwin and L. Cremonesi and D. Cronin-Hennessy and Davies, {G. S.} and Davies, {J. P.} and Derwent, {P. F.} and R. Dharmapalan and P. Ding and Z. Djurcic and Dukes, {E. C.} and H. Duyang and S. Edayath and R. Ehrlich and Feldman, {G. J.} and Tognini, {S. C.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 American Physical Society.",

year = "2017",

month = oct,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006",

language = "English",

volume = "96",

journal = "Physical Review D",

issn = "2470-0010",

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T1 - Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA

AU - (The NOvA Collaboration)

AU - Adamson, P.

AU - Aliaga, L.

AU - Ambrose, D.

AU - Anfimov, N.

AU - Antoshkin, A.

AU - Arrieta-Diaz, E.

AU - Augsten, K.

AU - Aurisano, A.

AU - Backhouse, C.

AU - Baird, M.

AU - Bambah, B. A.

AU - Bays, K.

AU - Behera, B.

AU - Bending, S.

AU - Bernstein, R.

AU - Bhatnagar, V.

AU - Bhuyan, B.

AU - Bian, J.

AU - Blackburn, T.

AU - Bolshakova, A.

AU - Bromberg, C.

AU - Brown, J.

AU - Brunetti, G.

AU - Buchanan, N.

AU - Butkevich, A.

AU - Bychkov, V.

AU - Campbell, M.

AU - Catano-Mur, E.

AU - Childress, S.

AU - Choudhary, B. C.

AU - Chowdhury, B.

AU - Coan, T. E.

AU - Coelho, J. A.B.

AU - Colo, M.

AU - Cooper, J.

AU - Corwin, L.

AU - Cremonesi, L.

AU - Cronin-Hennessy, D.

AU - Davies, G. S.

AU - Davies, J. P.

AU - Derwent, P. F.

AU - Dharmapalan, R.

AU - Ding, P.

AU - Djurcic, Z.

AU - Dukes, E. C.

AU - Duyang, H.

AU - Edayath, S.

AU - Ehrlich, R.

AU - Feldman, G. J.

AU - Tognini, S. C.

PY - 2017/10/30

Y1 - 2017/10/30

N2 - We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05×1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5±9.7(stat)±9.4(syst) events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ→νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3+1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24<20.8° and θ34<31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2≤Δm412≤0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.

AB - We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05×1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5±9.7(stat)±9.4(syst) events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ→νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3+1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24<20.8° and θ34<31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2≤Δm412≤0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.

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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85033584507

SN - 2470-0010

VL - 96

JO - Physical Review D

JF - Physical Review D

IS - 7

M1 - 072006

ER -

Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA

Abstract

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