Search for Active-Sterile Antineutrino Mixing Using Neutral-Current Interactions with the NOvA Experiment

Creators: Acero, M. A.; Adamson, P.; Aliaga, L.; Anfimov, N.; Antoshkin, A.; Arrieta-Diaz, E.; Asquith, L.; Aurisano, A.; Back, A.; Backhouse, C.; Baird, M.; Balashov, N.; Baldi, P.; Bambah, B. A.; Bashar, S.; Bays, K.; Bernstein, R.; Bhatnagar, V.; Bhuyan, B.; Bian, J.; Blair, J.; Booth, A. C.; Bowles, R.; Bromberg, C.; Buchanan, N.; Butkevich, A.; Calvez, S.; Carroll, T. J.; Catano-Mur, E.; Choudhary, B. C.; Christensen, A.; Coan, T. E.; Colo, M.; Cremonesi, L.; Davies, G. S.; Derwent, P. F.; Ding, P.; Djurcic, Z.; Dolce, M.; Doyle, D.; Dueñas Tonguino, D.; Dukes, E. C.; Duyang, H.; Edayath, S.; Ehrlich, R.; Elkins, M.; Ewart, E.; Feldman, G. J.; Filip, P.; Franc, J.; Frank, M. J.; Gallagher, H. R.; Gandrajula, R.; Gao, F.; Giri, A.; Gomes, R. A.; Goodman, M. C.; Grichine, V.; Groh, M.; Group, R.; Guo, B.; Habig, A.; Hakl, F.; Hall, A.; Hartnell, J.; Hatcher, R.; Hausner, H.; Heller, K.; Hewes, J.; Himmel, A.; Holin, A.; Huang, J.; Jargowsky, B.; Jarosz, J.; Jediny, F.; Johnson, C.; Judah, M.; Kakorin, I.; Kalra, D.; Kalitkina, A.; Kaplan, D. M.; Keloth, R.; Klimov, O.; Koerner, L. W.; Kolupaeva, L.; Kotelnikov, S.; Kralik, R.; Kullenberg, Ch.; Kubu, M.; Kumar, A.; Kuruppu, C. D.; Kus, V.; Lackey, T.; Lasorak, P.; Lang, K.; Lesmeister, J.; Lin, S.; Lister, A.; Liu, J.; Lokajicek, M.; Magill, S.; Manrique Plata, M.; Mann, W. A.; Marshak, M. L.; Martinez-Casales, M.; Matveev, V.; Mayes, B.; Méndez, D. P.; Messier, M. D.; Meyer, H.; Miao, T.; Miller, W. H.; Mishra, S. R.; Mislivec, A.; Mohanta, R.; Moren, A.; Morozova, A.; Mu, W.; Mualem, L.; Muether, M.; Mulder, K.; Naples, D.; Nayak, N.; Nelson, J. K.; Nichol, R.; Niner, E.; Norman, A.; Norrick, A.; Nosek, T.; Oh, H.; Olshevskiy, A.; Olson, T.; Ott, J.; Paley, J.; Patterson, R. B.; Pawloski, G.; Petrova, O.; Petti, R.; Phan, D. D.; Plunkett, R. K.; Porter, J. C. C.; Rafique, A.; Raj, V.; Rajaoalisoa, M.; Ramson, B.; Rebel, B.; Rojas, P.; Ryabov, V.; Samoylov, O.; Sanchez, M. C.; Sánchez Falero, S.; Shanahan, P.; Sheshukov, A.; Singh, P.; Singh, V.; Smith, E.; Smolik, J.; Snopok, P.; Solomey, N.; Sousa, A.; Soustruznik, K.; Strait, M.; Suter, L.; Sutton, A.; Swain, S.; Sweeney, C.; Tapia Oregui, B.; Tas, P.; Thakore, T.; Thayyullathil, R. B.; Thomas, J.; Tiras, E.; Tripathi, J.; Trokan-Tenorio, J.; Tsaris, A.; Torun, Y.; Urheim, J.; Vahle, P.; Vallari, Z.; Vasel, J.; Vokac, P.; Vrba, T.; Wallbank, M.; Warburton, T. K.; Wetstein, M.; Whittington, D.; Wickremasinghe, D. A.; Wojcicki, S. G.; Wolcott, J.; Wu, W.; Xiao, Y.; Yallappa Dombara, A.; Yonehara, K.; Yu, S.; Yu, Y.; Zadorozhnyy, S.; Zalesak, J.; Zhang, Y.; Zwaska, R.; NOvA Collaboration

Style

An error occurred while generating the citation.

Abstract

This Letter reports results from the first long-baseline search for sterile antineutrinos mixing in an accelerator-based antineutrino-dominated beam. The rate of neutral-current interactions in the two NOvA detectors, at distances of 1 and 810 km from the beam source, is analyzed using an exposure of 12.51×10²⁰ protons-on-target from the NuMI beam at Fermilab running in antineutrino mode. A total of 121 of neutral-current candidates are observed at the far detector, compared to a prediction of 122±11(stat.)±15(syst.) assuming mixing only between three active flavors. No evidence for ν̄_μ → ν̄_s oscillation is observed. Interpreting this result within a 3+1 model, constraints are placed on the mixing angles θ₂₄ < 25° and θ₃₄ < 32° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV² ≤ Δm²₄₁ ≤ 0.5 eV², the range of mass splittings that produces no significant oscillations at the near detector. These are the first 3+1 confidence limits set using long-baseline accelerator antineutrinos.

Additional Information

© 2021 Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3. Received 10 June 2021; accepted 30 September 2021; published 11 November 2021. This document was prepared by the NOvA 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. This work 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, MSHE, and RFBR, Russia; CNPq and FAPEG, Brazil; UKRI, STFC and the Royal Society, United Kingdom; and the state and University of Minnesota. We are grateful for the contributions of the staffs of the University of Minnesota at the Ash River Laboratory, and of Fermilab.

Attached Files

Published - PhysRevLett.127.201801.pdf

Submitted - 2106.04673.pdf

Files

2106.04673.pdf

Files (812.8 kB)

Name	Size	Download all
2106.04673.pdf md5:4329c089b1ec158da269e8359ded0dc6	415.4 kB	Preview Download
PhysRevLett.127.201801.pdf md5:660d801821d28ab7997580472a67d958	397.4 kB	Preview Download

Additional details

	All versions	This version
Views	0	0
Downloads	0	0
Data volume	0 Bytes	0 Bytes