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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Neutron Reconstruction via Blips in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers

Neutrons are important in the separation of neutrino and antineutrino in atmospheric neutrino oscillation and in reducing atmospheric-neutrino backgrounds in beyond-standard model searches, but they are not explicitly accounted for in most current LArTPC reconstruction. We present a phenomenological study of neutron activities in liquid argon time projection chamber using detector-response constraints from existing detectors. Leveraging energy deposits from neutron scattering, primarily low-energy localized ,blips, we demonstrate the capability to identify neutrons and to reconstruct neutron multiplicity in neutrino interactions. Including neutron information significantly improves neutrino-antineutrino separation and the identification of rare events against atmospheric-neutrino backgrounds, motivating neutron-aware reconstruction for future high-precision LArTPC analyses.

Hernandez Morquecho, Miguel Angel [Minnesota U.] (↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sensitivity of future liquid argon dark matter search experiments to core-collapse supernova neutrinos

Future liquid-argon DarkSide-20k and ARGO detectors, designed for direct dark matter search, will be sensitive also to core-collapse supernova neutrinos, via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. This interaction channel is flavor-insensitive with a high-cross section, enabling for a high-statistics neutrino detection with target masses of $\sim$50~t and $\sim$360~t for DarkSide-20k and ARGO, respectively. Thanks to the low-energy threshold of $\sim$0.5~keV$_{nr}$ achievable by exploiting the ionization channel, DarkSide-20k and ARGO have the potential to discover supernova bursts throughout our galaxy and up to the Small Magellanic Cloud, respectively, assuming a 11-M$_{\odot}$ progenitor star. We report also on the sensitivity to the neutronization burst, whose electron neutrino flux is suppressed by oscillations when detected via charged current and elastic scattering. Finally, the accuracies in the reconstruction of the average and total neutrino energy in the different phases of the supernova burst, as well as its time profile, are also discussed, taking into account the expected background and the detector response.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electromagnetic shower separation in LArTPCs: study of the calorimetric method at LArIAT

This thesis reports a study of the prospects of using calorimetry for separating photon- from electron-initiated electromagnetic (EM) showers in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs), a prevalent need for neutrino oscillation experiments based on the LArTPC technology as $\gamma$-initiated showers are a significant background to electron neutrino ($\nu_e$) events, whose signature is electron showers. From events simulated in the LArIAT (Liquid Argon In A Testbeam) experiment's detector, we quantitatively evaluated the dependence of the calorimetric separation on the initial momentum and position (along the beamline) of the primary particle. We could conclude that the separation is more efficient if the primary particle is created inside the chamber, whereas the impact of the momentum is not as significant. Furthermore, a first step was taken towards applying the calorimetric method to the showers measured in LArIAT. A convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on simulation was deployed to find EM showers among the events collected by the experiment. The charge deposition at the beginning of the showers found is centered at a plausible value, although the width of the distribution demands further inquiry.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A search for Heavy Neutral Leptons with masses up to 150 MeV and studies on scintillation light detection in SBND

Introduction Neutrino physics is one of today’s most promising fields in particle physics. The discovery of neutrino oscillations is an evidence of their mass not being null. However, the Standard Model of elementary particles (SM) does not contain a mechanism that generates them, so we have to search beyond the SM to find answers. Other unknowns remain open, such as the amount of CP symmetry violated in the lepton sector that could help explain the differences between matter and antimatter that formed the present universe. Nor is it understood why these particles are so light, more than six orders of magnitude below the next fermion, the electron. A possible explanation is the existence of heavier neutrino mass states usually referred as heavy neutral leptons (HNLs). One of the most advanced technologies for detecting neutrino interactions is the liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). LArTPC detectors form a 3D image of the ionized electrons in the interaction, producing a detailed description of each neutrino event. Argon is also a prolific scintillator (40k photons/MeV) with light signals indicating the interaction time. The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND), a 112-active mass LArTPC at Fermilab, will measure millions of neutrino interactions from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB). As the near (L=110 m) detector of the Short-Baseline neutrino program, SBND will search for a fourth light neutrino (∼ eV) in the coming years. This hypothesis could explain the anomalous data observed in the LSND and MiniBooNE experiments.

Álvarez Garrote, Rodrigo [Madrid U.] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neutrino-argon cross-section measurements from the MicroBooNE experiment

MicroBooNE is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector located along the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam and 8 degrees off-axis to the Neutrinos at the Main Injector beam. MicroBooNE collected data from both beams accumulating a large neutrino-argon scattering dataset containing hundreds of thousands of events. Understanding neutrino-argon interactions is crucial for the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiments including DUNE. MicroBooNE has developed pioneering methodologies and novel reconstruction tools in order to benchmark models at very high sensitivity across the interaction phase space, including for ultra-rare channels. This proceeding presents an overview of the most recent MicroBooNE neutrino interaction results. These measurements span inclusive, CC0$π$, and rare channels including $Λ$, $K^+$ and $η$ production, providing invaluable datasets for constraining backgrounds and improving the modeling of neutrino scattering critical for the broader LArTPC neutrino physics program.

Liu, Liang [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000026753925X)↗
DOE OSTI2025

First Measurement of Charged Current Muon Neutrino-Induced Kaon Production on Argon

The Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector with an 85-ton active volume, located on-axis to the Booster Neutrino Beamline (BNB) at Fermilab. The detector is exposed to a neutrino flux with average energy of 800 MeV and was designed to study neutrino interactions on argon, particularly in the 1 GeV energy range. Among its main goals is the investigation of neutrino-induced strange particle production at final-state, with a specific interest on charged kaons ($K^{+}$). The understanding of this neutrino interaction is crucial for refining background models in future nucleon decay searches on others LArTPCs experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Additionally, the techniques developed for the identification of neutrino-induced $K^{+}$ will contribute to improving particle identification methods in LArTPC-based detectors. This thesis is reporting the first-ever measurement of the flux-integrated cross section for charged-current muon neutrino-induced $K^{+}$ production on argon, determined to be $7.93 \pm 3.27(\text{stat.}) \pm 2.92(\text{syst.}) \times 10^{-42}$ cm$^2$/nucleon, based on the MicroBooNE dataset corresponding to $6.88 \times 10^{20}$ Protons on Target (POT).

Rodriguez Rondon, Jairo H. [South Dakota Sch. Mine↗
DOE OSTI2026

Industrial deposition of wavelength-shifting films for liquid argon photon detection systems

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Phase-II Far Detector is considering an approximately 2000 m 2 photon detection system to achieve a target mean light yield of 180 PE/MeV. Meeting this requirement demands scalable, cost-effective, and high-quality wavelength-shifter (WLS) coatings capable of converting 127 nm liquid-argon scintillation light into visible photons with controlled and reproducible optical performance. We report on the successful realization of an industrial physical vapor deposition (PVD) process forp-terphenyl (pTP) coatings, adapted from vacuum deposition techniques developed for OLED display manufacturing, to produce uniform WLS layers on large-area inorganic substrates, a task traditionally challenged by adhesion and uniformity issues at organic-inorganic interfaces. Surface characterization by profilometry and spectroscopic measurements demonstrates edge-region thickness variation below 10% and emission spectra consistent with high-quality pTP reference samples. The industrial process demonstrates reproducibility, scalability, and significantly reduced production time compared to laboratory-based methods, while maintaining optical characteristics consistent with established pTP reference samples. These results establish a viable pathway for mass production of high-performance pTP coatings for DUNE FD3 and future neutrino experiments, from a coating manufacturing and process standpoint. Detector-level performance validation, including quantitative VUV conversion efficiency measurements at 127 nm, is identified as future work.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Muon energy reconstruction for applications in neutrino astronomy in the DUNE far detector

Abstract DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is a proposed long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located in the United States. The main physics objectives of DUNE are to measure neutrino oscillations and interactions, search for nucleon decay, observe supernova neutrino bursts and beyond Standard Model (BSM) effects. The DUNE far detector will be located 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. It will house the world's largest liquid-argon time projection chambers (TPC). The DUNE far detector can detect high-energy leptons that arise from interactions of cosmogenic neutrinos and search for neutrinos originating from the decay of weakly-interactive massive particles (WIMPs) annihilations occurring inside the Sun. Selecting upward-going muons reduces the background from cosmic-ray muons. The muon energy is estimated from the electromagnetic showers accompanying the muon, a technique that allows energy reconstruction up to a few hundred TeV.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of high-purity germanium detectors with amorphous germanium contacts in cryogenic liquids

For the first time, planar high-purity germanium detectors with thin amorphous germanium contacts were successfully operated directly in liquid nitrogen and liquid argon in a cryostat at the Max-Planck-Institut für Physics in Munich. The detectors were fabricated at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of South Dakota, using crystals grown at the University of South Dakota. They survived long-distance transportation and multiple thermal cycles in both cryogenic liquids and showed reasonable leakage currents and spectroscopic performance. Also discussed are the pros and cons of using thin amorphous semiconductor materials as an alternative contact technology in large-scale germanium experiments searching for physics beyond the Standard Model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A New Concept for Kilotonne Scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers

We develop a novel Time Projection Chamber (TPC) concept suitable for deployment in kilotonne-scale detectors, with a charge-readout system free from reconstruction ambiguities, and a robust TPC design that reduces high-voltage risks while increasing the coverage of the light-collection system and maximizing the active volume. This novel concept could be used as a far detector module in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). For the charge-readout system, we used the charge-collection pixels and associated application-specific integrated circuits currently being developed for the liquid argon (LAr) component of the DUNE Near Detector design, ArgonCube. In addition, we divided the TPC into a number of shorter drift volumes, reducing the total voltage used to drift the ionization electrons, and minimizing the stored energy per TPC. Segmenting the TPC also contains scintillation light, allowing for precise trigger localization and a more expansive light-readout system. Furthermore, the design opens the possibility of replacing or upgrading components. These augmentations could substantially improve the reliability and the sensitivity, particularly for low-energy signals, in comparison to traditional monolithic LArTPCs with projective-wire charge readouts.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Experimental Neutrino Physics Research with Liquid Argon TPCs (Final Technical Report)

In this report, we present the accomplishments, products, impact, and outcomes of the project funded by the DOE award DE-SC0024095. The research accomplishments are making important contributions to achieving the physics goals, demonstrating the robustness and potential of software-level event reconstruction algorithms, and ensuring high-quality detector operation for relevant US accelerator neutrino experiments using liquid argon time projection chamber technology.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy calibration of the ProtoDUNE-SP TPC

The single-phase liquid argon prototype at CERN (ProtoDUNE-SP) acts as a validation of the design for the DUNE single-phase far detector. With a total mass of 770 tons, it is the largest monolithic liquid argon single-phase time projection chamber in the world. ProtoDUNE-SP collected test-beam in autumn of 2018 and has been collecting cosmic and special calibration data since the end of 2018. To analyze data from the test-beam, a calibration plan using cosmic muons passing through the detector was developed. An outline of this plan and its impact on the calorimetric measurements of the detector will be discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measurement of space charge effects and energy calibration in ProtoDUNE-SP

The single-phase liquid argon prototype at CERN (ProtoDUNE-SP) acts as a validation of the design for the DUNE single-phase far detector. With a total mass of 770 tons, it is the largest monolithic liquid argon single-phase time projection chamber in the world. ProtoDUNE-SP collected test-beam in autumn of 2018 and has been collecting cosmic and special calibration data since the end of 2018.The accumulation of positive ions in a LArTPC located on the surface can distort the electric field and the reconstructed particle trajectories. It is critical to understand and correct for the space charge effects in order to achieve the desired spatial and calorimetric resolutions in the LArTPC. This talk will present the measurement of space charge effects and the calorimetric measurements of the detector in ProtoDUNE-SP.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Calibration sources for the LEGEND-200 experiment

In the search for a monochromatic peak as the signature of neutrinoless double beta decay an excellent energy resolution and an ultra-low background around the Q-value of the decay are essential. The LEGEND-200 experiment performs such a search with high-purity germanium detectors enriched in 76 Ge immersed in liquid argon. To determine and monitor the stability of the energy scale and resolution of the germanium diodes, custom-made, low-neutron emission 228 Th sources are regularly deployed in the vicinity of the crystals. Here we describe the production process of the 17 sources available for installation in the experiment, the measurements of their alpha- and gamma- activities, as well as the determination of the neutron emission rates with a low-background LiI(Eu) detector operated deep underground. With a flux of ( 4.27 ± 0.60 stat ± 0.92 syst ) × 10 -4 n / (kBq·s), approximately one order of magnitude below that of commercial sources, the neutron-induced background rate, mainly from the activation of 76 Ge, is negligible compared to other background sources in LEGEND-200.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Search for Electron Neutrino Anomalies with the MicroBooNE Detector

The Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) located in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The experiment was devised to investigate a series of observed anomalies concerning short-baseline neutrino oscillation physics. The LArTPC technology enables the experiment to study neutrino-argon scattering with unprecedented detail.This thesis presents a cosmic-ray characterisation and rate measurement. The understanding of cosmic activity in the detector - MicroBooNE's dominant background - is then used to develop cosmic rejection tools. A flavour-agnostic neutrino selection is constructed, which forms the cornerstone of this and further analyses. Inclusive muon and electron charged-current neutrino interaction selections with unprecedented purity and efficiency are presented.The first fully-automated characterisation of electron neutrinos in a muon neutrino beam with the LArTPC detector technology is performed. The Booster Neutrino Beam has an energy peaking around 1GeV and an intrinsic electron content of approximately 0.5%. The analysis investigates electrons produced in charged-current electron neutrino interactions. The kinematics of the electrons are measured along with comparisons to simulation. Most of the systematic uncertainties are constrained using a data-driven sample of charged-current muon neutrino events. The measurement of electron neutrinos originating from the Booster Neutrino Beam is a crucial component towards understanding the nature of the observed excess of low-energy electromagnetic-like events at its predecessor, MiniBooNE.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Doping liquid argon with xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: effects on scintillation light

Doping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 720 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. A 5.4 ppm nitrogen contamination was present during the xenon doping campaign. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non-uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electron Neutrino Selection for Neutrino Oscillation Searches in the SBN Program

The Short- Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Pprogram at Fermilab employs a near detector, SBND, and a far detector, ICARUS, to search for baseline-dependent changes to the measure muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance and disappearance from the muon neutrino-dominated Booster Neutrino Beam flux. The use of the same liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) technology in both detectors and the same neutrino beam enables a systematically well-constrained oscillation measurement, by leveraging the high statistics of O(10 million) neutrino interactions expected at SBND through 2027 to constrain flux and cross-section systematics. In this poster, we present high-statistics, high-purity electron neutrino selections in SBND and ICARUS and related electron shower energy calibration measurements in SBND enabled by the SPINE deep learning-based particle reconstruction framework. Furthermore, we discuss how these samples can enable high sensitivity to '3+1' sterile neutrino oscillations in a combined fit accounting for systematic uncertainties and correlations.

Oza, Nupur [Nevis Labs, Columbia U.; Columbia U.]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Predicting Missing Regions in Charged Particle Tracks Using a Sparse 3D Convolutional Neural Network

The 2x2 Demonstrator is a prototype of ND-LAr, the liquid argon time-projection chamber of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment’s Near Detector complex. Both the 2x2 Demonstrator and ND-LAr are modular detectors that will have pixelated charge readouts and inactive regions wherein there is no sensitivity to charge deposition and light signals that arise from charged particle interactions with liquid argon. In the 2x2, these inactive regions are located in between the active detector modules, which introduces the challenge of inferring what charge signals ought to look like in these regions. This study explores the use of a Sparse 3D Convolutional Neural Network (ConvNet) to infer missing regions in charged particle tracks. Hits corresponding to energy depositions are voxelized into a three-dimensional grid for each track. Voxels that fall into predefined inactive regions are removed to simulate the lack of detector output. The model is trained to infer the topology of the missing track voxels, with the ultimate goal of inferring the missing charge or energy values in these voxels as well. Results indicate that this approach shows promise in prediction of missing track regions with some accuracy.

Utaegbulam, Hilary↗