Search for: All records

The flux of cosmic ray muons at the Earth’s surface exhibits seasonal variations due to changes in the temperature of the atmosphere affecting the production and decay of mesons in the upper atmosphere. Using 1473 live days of data collected by the NuMI Off-axis ${\nu }_e$Appearance (NOvA) Near Detector during 2018–2022, we studied the seasonal pattern in the multiple-muon event rate. The data confirm an anticorrelation between the multiple-muon event rate and effective atmospheric temperature, consistent across all the years of data. Previous analyses from MINOS and NOvA saw a similar anticorrelation but did not include an explanation. We find that this anticorrelation is driven by altitude–geometry effects as the average muon production height changes with the season. This has been studied with a CORSIKA cosmic ray simulation package by varying atmospheric parameters, and provides an explanation to a longstanding discrepancy between the seasonal phases of single and multiple-muon events. 

This Letter reports measurements of muon-neutrino disappearance and electron-neutrino appearance and the corresponding antineutrino processes between the two NOvA detectors in the NuMI neutrino beam. These measurements use a dataset with double the neutrino mode beam exposure that was previously analyzed, along with improved simulation and analysis techniques. A joint fit to these samples in the three-flavor paradigm results in the most precise single-experiment constraint on the atmospheric neutrino mass splitting, $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{32}^2=2.431_{-0.034}^{+0.036}(-2.479_{-0.036}^{+0.036})\times {10}^{-3}{\mathrm{eV}}^2$if the mass ordering is normal (inverted). In both orderings, a region close to maximal mixing with ${\sin }^2{\theta }_{23}=0.55_{-0.06}^{+0.02}$is preferred. The NOvA data show a mild preference for the normal mass ordering with a Bayes factor of 2.4 (corresponding to 70% of the posterior probability), indicating that the normal ordering is 2.4 times more probable than the inverted ordering. When incorporating a 2D $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{32}^2-{\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}$constraint based on Daya Bay data, this preference strengthens to a Bayes factor of 6.6 (87%). 

Double- and single-differential cross sections for inclusive charged-current ${\nu }_{\mu }$-nucleus scattering are reported for the kinematic domain 0 to $2\mathrm{GeV}/c$in three-momentum transfer and 0 to 2 GeV in available energy, at a mean ${\nu }_{\mu }$energy of 1.86 GeV. The measurements are based on an estimated 995,760 ${\nu }_{\mu }$charged-current (CC) interactions in the scintillator medium of the NOvA Near Detector. The subdomain populated by 2-particle-2-hole (2p2h) reactions is identified by the cross section excess relative to predictions for ${\nu }_{\mu }$-nucleus scattering that are constrained by a data control sample. Models for 2-particle-2-hole processes are rated by ${\chi }^2$comparisons of the predicted-versus-measured ${\nu }_{\mu }$CC inclusive cross section over the full phase space and in the restricted subdomain. Shortfalls are observed in neutrino generator predictions obtained using the theory-based València and SuSAv2 2p2h models. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

We report a search for neutrino oscillations to sterile neutrinos under a model with three active and one sterile neutrinos ( $3+1$model). This analysis uses the NOvA detectors exposed to the NuMI beam, running in neutrino mode. The data exposure, $13.6\times {10}^{20}$protons on target, doubles that previously analyzed by NOvA, and the analysis is the first to use ${\nu }_{\mu }$charged-current interactions in conjunction with neutral-current interactions. Neutrino samples in the near and far detectors are fitted simultaneously, enabling the search to be carried out over a $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{41}^2$range extending 2 (3) orders of magnitude above (below) $1{\mathrm{eV}}^2$. NOvA finds no evidence for active-to-sterile neutrino oscillations under the $3+1$model at 90% confidence level. New limits are reported in multiple regions of parameter space, excluding some regions currently allowed by IceCube at 90% confidence level. We additionally set the most stringent limits for anomalous ${\nu }_{\tau }$appearance for $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{41}^2\le 3{\mathrm{eV}}^2$. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

Abstract Measuring observables to constrain models using maximum-likelihood estimation is fundamental to many physics experiments. Wilks' theorem provides a simple way to construct confidence intervals on model parameters, but it only applies under certain conditions. These conditions, such as nested hypotheses and unbounded parameters, are often violated in neutrino oscillation measurements and other experimental scenarios. Monte Carlo methods can address these issues, albeit at increased computational cost. In the presence of nuisance parameters, however, the best way to implement a Monte Carlo method is ambiguous. This paper documents the method selected by the NOvA experiment, the profile construction. It presents the toy studies that informed the choice of method, details of its implementation, and tests performed to validate it. It also includes some practical considerations which may be of use to others choosing to use the profile construction. 

Abstract The landmark discovery that neutrinos have mass and can change type (or flavour) as they propagate—a process called neutrino oscillation^1–6—has opened up a rich array of theoretical and experimental questions being actively pursued today. Neutrino oscillation remains the most powerful experimental tool for addressing many of these questions, including whether neutrinos violate charge-parity (CP) symmetry, which has possible connections to the unexplained preponderance of matter over antimatter in the Universe^7–11. Oscillation measurements also probe the mass-squared differences between the different neutrino mass states (Δm²), whether there are two light states and a heavier one (normal ordering) or vice versa (inverted ordering), and the structure of neutrino mass and flavour mixing¹². Here we carry out the first joint analysis of datasets from NOvA¹³and T2K¹⁴, the two currently operating long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments (hundreds of kilometres of neutrino travel distance), taking advantage of our complementary experimental designs and setting new constraints on several neutrino sector parameters. This analysis provides new precision on the$$\Delta {m}_{32}^{2}$$ $\Delta m_{32}^2$mass difference, finding$$2.4{3}_{-0.03}^{+0.04}\times 1{0}^{-3}\,{{\rm{eV}}}^{2}$$ $2.43_{-0.03}^{+0.04}\times 10^{-3}{\mathrm{eV}}^2$in the normal ordering and$$-2.4{8}_{-0.04}^{+0.03}\times 1{0}^{-3}\,{{\rm{eV}}}^{2}$$ $-2.48_{-0.04}^{+0.03}\times 10^{-3}{\mathrm{eV}}^2$in the inverted ordering, as well as a 3σinterval onδ_CPof [−1.38π, 0.30π] in the normal ordering and [−0.92π, −0.04π] in the inverted ordering. The data show no strong preference for either mass ordering, but notably, if inverted ordering were assumed true within the three-flavour mixing model, then our results would provide evidence of CP symmetry violation in the lepton sector. 

This Letter reports a search for charge-parity ( $CP$) symmetry violating nonstandard interactions (NSI) of neutrinos with matter using the NOvA Experiment, and examines their effects on the determination of the standard oscillation parameters. Data from ${\nu }_{\mu }\left({\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\right)\to {\nu }_{\mu }\left({\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\right)$and ${\nu }_{\mu }\left({\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\right)\to {\nu }_e\left({\overline{\nu }}_e\right)$oscillation channels are used to measure the effect of the NSI parameters ${ϵ}_{e\mu }$and ${ϵ}_{e\tau }$. With 90% CL the magnitudes of the NSI couplings are constrained to be $\left|{ϵ}_{e\mu }\right|\lesssim 0.3$and $\left|{ϵ}_{e\tau }\right|\lesssim 0.4$. A degeneracy at $\left|{ϵ}_{e\tau }\right|\approx 1.8$is reported, and we observe that the presence of NSI limits sensitivity to the standard $CP$phase ${\delta }_{CP}$. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment that measures oscillations in charged-current ${\nu }_{\mu }\to {\nu }_{\mu }$(disappearance) and ${\nu }_{\mu }\to {\nu }_e$(appearance) channels, and their antineutrino counterparts, using neutrinos of energies around 2 GeV over a distance of 810 km. In this work we reanalyze the dataset first examined in our previous paper [] using an alternative statistical approach based on Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo. We measure oscillation parameters consistent with the previous results. We also extend our inferences to include the first NOvA measurements of the reactor mixing angle ${\theta }_{13}$, where we find $0.071\le {\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}\le 0.107$, and the Jarlskog invariant, where we observe no significant preference for the $CP$-conserving value $J=0$over values favoring $CP$violation. We use these results to examine the effects of constraints from short-baseline measurements of ${\theta }_{13}$using antineutrinos from nuclear reactors when making NOvA measurements of ${\theta }_{23}$. Our long-baseline measurement of ${\theta }_{13}$is shown to be consistent with the reactor measurements, supporting the general applicability and robustness of the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata framework for neutrino oscillations. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

This Letter reports the first measurement of the oscillation amplitude and frequency of reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay via neutron capture on hydrogen using 1958 days of data. With over 3.6 million signal candidates, an optimized candidate selection, improved treatment of backgrounds and efficiencies, refined energy calibration, and an energy response model for the capture-on-hydrogen sensitive region, the relative ${\overline{\nu }}_e$rates and energy spectra variation among the near and far detectors gives ${\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}=0.0759_{-0.0049}^{+0.0050}$and $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{32}^2=\left(2.72_{-0.15}^{+0.14}\right)\times {10}^{-3}{\mathrm{eV}}^2$assuming the normal neutrino mass ordering, and $\mathrm{\Delta }{m}_{32}^2=(-2.83_{-0.14}^{+0.15})\times {10}^{-3}{\mathrm{eV}}^2$for the inverted neutrino mass ordering. This estimate of ${\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}$is consistent with and essentially independent from the one obtained using the capture-on-gadolinium sample at Daya Bay. The combination of these two results yields ${\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}=0.0833\pm 0.0022$, which represents an 8% relative improvement in precision regarding the Daya Bay full 3158-day capture-on-gadolinium result. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

The determination of the direction of a stellar core collapse via its neutrino emission is crucial for the identification of the progenitor for a multimessenger follow-up. A highly effective method of reconstructing supernova directions within the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is introduced. The supernova neutrino pointing resolution is studied by simulating and reconstructing electron-neutrino charged-current absorption on ${}^{40}\mathrm{Ar}$and elastic scattering of neutrinos on electrons. Procedures to reconstruct individual interactions, including a newly developed technique called “brems flipping,” as well as the burst direction from an ensemble of interactions are described. Performance of the burst direction reconstruction is evaluated for supernovae happening at a distance of 10 kpc for a specific supernova burst flux model. The pointing resolution is found to be 3.4 degrees at 68% coverage for a perfect interaction-channel classification and a fiducial mass of 40 kton, and 6.6 degrees for a 10 kton fiducial mass respectively. Assuming a 4% rate of charged-current interactions being misidentified as elastic scattering, DUNE’s burst pointing resolution is found to be 4.3 degrees (8.7 degrees) at 68% coverage. Published by the American Physical Society2025