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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Early Career: Constraining the Electromagnetic Shower Energy Scale at LArTPC Neutrino Detectors Near and Far (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

This is the final scientific/technical report associated with the award "Early Career: Constraining the Electromagnetic Shower Energy Scale at LArTPC Neutrino Detectors Near and Far"; the primary research topics associated with the award are neutrino oscillation physics, reconstruction of neutrino interaction events using machine learning techniques, and detector calibration.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for Neutron-Antineutron Transition in Large Neutrino Detectors

Neutron-antineutron transition is a baryon number violation process with $\Delta B=2$, providing a unique insight into the potential explanation of the baryon asymmetry in our university, especially in the context of post-sphaleron baryogenesis. Studies have been conducted in various neutron-rich environment including free neutron sources, neutron stars, and bound neutrons in large neutrino detectors, among which the large neutrino experiments obtained the most stringent constraints.

Wan, Linyan [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000155246137)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Prong Segmentation using Point Set Transformers in Multiple View Neutrino Detectors

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino experiment studying neutrino oscillations by detecting neutrinos from the NuMI beam at Fermilab. Its physics analysis relies on accurate prong segmentation, which involves matching each hit to its source particle and identifying the particle type. This task has commonly been addressed using a combination of traditional clustering algorithms and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, NOvA’s detector design presents data as two sparse and decoupled 2D images (XZ and YZ views) rather than a native 3D representation, posing a significant challenge for traditional CNN-based models. In this talk, we propose a novel neural network based on the Point Set Transformer. By treating detector hits as sparse point clouds and implementing a cross-view attention mechanism, our model enables efficient information mixing between both views. Evaluated on NOvA simulated data, our model achieves superior accuracy while requiring significantly fewer computational resources compared to other models. Furthermore, the model demonstrates great performance when applied to Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) data, which shows its potential as a universal prong segmentation algorithm for multiple view neutrino detectors.

Liu, Jiaxi [UC, Irvine]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nucleon Decays into Light New Particles in Neutrino Detectors

Proton and neutron decays into light new particles 𝑋 can drastically change the experimental signatures and benefit from the complementarity of large water-Cherenkov neutrino detectors such as Super- and Hyper-Kamiokande and tracking detectors such as JUNO and DUNE. The proton decays 𝑝 → ℓ + ⁢𝑋 and 𝑝 → 𝜋 + ⁢𝑋 with 𝑚 𝑋 near phase-space closure lead to charged particles below the Cherenkov threshold, rendering them practically invisible in Super- and Hyper-Kamiokande but not in JUNO and DUNE, which are therefore uniquely positioned for these baryon-number-violating signatures despite their smaller size. As an additional signature, such nucleon decays in the Earth can produce a sizable flux of 𝑋 particles in underground detectors. We present a simple model in which nucleons decay into sub-GeV sterile neutrinos that subsequently decay through active-sterile neutrino mixing, with a promisingly large number of events in Super-Kamiokande even in the seesaw-motivated parameter space.

Baryon & lepton number symmetries↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutrino-detector design for safeguarding small modular reactors

Nuclear reactors have long been a favored source for antineutrino measurements for estimates of power and burnup. With appropriate detector parameters and background rejection, an estimate of the reactor power can be derived from the measured antineutrino event rate. Antineutrino detectors are potentially attractive as a safeguards technology that can monitor reactor operations and thermal power from a distance. Advanced reactors have diverse features that may present challenges for current safeguards methods. By comparison, neutrino detectors offer complementary features, including a remote, continuous, unattended, and near-real-time monitoring capability, that may make them useful for safeguarding certain classes of advanced reactors. This study investigates the minimum depth and size of an antineutrino detector for a small modular reactor to meet safeguards needs for advanced reactors. Furthermore, extrapolating performance from several prior reactor antineutrino experiments, this study uses an analytical approach to develop a possible design for a remote antineutrino-based monitoring device.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

SPY: a conceptual design study of a magnet system for a high-pressure gaseous TPC neutrino detector

Here, we present a novel conceptual design for a magnet system that provides the magnetic field necessary for the analysis of tracks in a high-pressure gaseous argon TPC while simultaneously serving as a pressure vessel to contain the TPC gas volume. The magnet was developed within a Near Detector proposal for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The high-pressure gaseous argon TPC is a component proposed to be one of the elements of an ensemble of near detectors that are needed for DUNE.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cryogenic electronics for noble liquid neutrino detectors

In this paper we present the general features of cryogenic (or “cold”) electronics for noble liquid time projection chambers, with design principles and details for neutrino physics, a brief history of the technology and details of recent research and development that is driving the design of the detectors under construction. Finally, some comments on future R&D envisioned and the impact of this work on other fields is described. “Cold” in the context of this work applies to CMOS devices operated at 77 K and above, at liquids temperatures of LAr (89 K), LKr (125 K) and LXe (165 K), with most of the tests performed in, or at LN 2 (77 K). Additionally, the paper is concentrated on the design of cold electronics for large liquid argon TPCs, those that have been successfully operated, MicroBooNE and ProtoDUNE, and those designed or under construction, such as SBND and DUNE first and second 10 kton modules. The high performance achieved with MicroBooNE and ProtoDUNE – a high signal-to-noise ratio combined with high stability of response – is mainly due to the integral approach to design and construction of sensing electrodes with cold readout electronics in a modular approach with the cryostat signal feed-throughs incorporating warm interface electronics into a Faraday cage with the cryostat. The integral concept is described in some detail in this paper.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

The design and construction of the Chips water Cherenkov neutrino detector

Chips (CHerenkov detectors In mine PitS) was a prototype large-scale water Cherenkov detector located in northern Minnesota. The main aim of the R&D project was to demonstrate that construction costs of neutrino oscillation detectors could be reduced by at least an order of magnitude compared to other equivalent experiments. This article presents design features of the Chips detector along with details of the implementation and deployment of the prototype. While issues during and after the deployment of the detector prevented data taking, a number of key concepts and designs were successfully demonstrated.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing new analysis tools for near surface radio-based neutrino detectors

The ARIANNA experiment is an Askaryan radio detector designed to measure high-energy neutrino induced cascades within the Antarctic ice. Ultra-high-energy neutrinos above 10 16 eV have an extremely low flux, so experimental data captured at trigger level need to be classified correctly to retain as much neutrino signal as possible. We first describe two new physics-based neutrino selection methods, or "cuts", (the updown and dipole cut) that extend the previously published analysis to a specialized ARIANNA station with 8 antenna channels, which is double the number used in the prior analysis. For a standard trigger with a threshold signal to noise ratio at 4.4, the new cuts produce a neutrino efficiency of > 95% per station-year of operation, while rejecting 99.93% of the background (corresponding to 53 remaining experimental background events). When the new cuts are combined with a previously developed cut using neutrino waveform templates, all background is removed at no change of efficiency. In addition, the neutrino efficiency is extrapolated to 1,000 station-years of operation, obtaining 91%. This work then introduces a new selection method (the deep learning cut) to augment the identification of neutrino events by using deep learning methods and compares the efficiency to the physics-based analysis. The deep learning cut gives 99% signal efficiency per station-year of operation while rejecting 99.997% of the background (corresponding to 2 remaining experimental background events), which are subsequently removed by the waveform template cut at no significant change in efficiency. Here the results of the deep learning cut were verified using measured cosmic rays which shows that the simulations do not introduce artifacts with respect to experimental data. The paper demonstrates that the background rejection and signal efficiency of near surface antennas meets the requirements of a large scale future array, as considered in baseline design of the radio component of IceCube-Gen2.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Low-latency NuMI Trigger for the CHIPS-5 Neutrino Detector

The CHIPS R&D project aims to develop affordable water Cherenkov detectors for large-scale underwater installations. In 2019, a 5kt prototype detector CHIPS-5 was deployed in northern Minnesota to study neutrinos generated by the nearby NuMI beam. This contribution presents a dedicated low-latency time distribution system for CHIPS-5 that delivers timing signals from the Fermilab accelerator to the detector with sub-nanosecond precision. Exploiting existing NOvA infrastructure, the time distribution system achieves this only with open-source software and conventional network elements. In a time-of-flight study, the presented system has reliably offered a time budget of $610 \pm 330\text{ ms}$ for on-site triggering. This permits advanced analysis in real-time as well as a novel hardware-assisted active triggering mode, which reduces DAQ computing load and network bandwidth outside triggered time windows.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Searching for Short-Lived Particles Using the FASER Neutrino Detector

Short-lived particles such as $\tau$ leptons and charm hadrons produced from high-energy neutrino interactions can provide key insights into the Standard Model and beyond. In this study, initial results of the performance of dedicated search tools developed for FASERν are presented. For charged charm searches, all daughter tracks are identified for ~3/4 of the events. Advanced yet reliable machine learning tools are used for D0 detection. For $\tau$ searches, a signal / background ratio of 3.8 is achieved. These results are a major step towards discovering the first charm hadrons and $\tau$ leptons produced from collider neutrinos.

Thor, Simon [CERN] (ORCID:000000029183526X)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhanced Ionization Charge Identification in the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program Neutrino Detectors with Deep Neural Networks

We present a deep neural net-based region of interest detection method (DNN ROI) for signal processing in the liquid argon time projection chambers of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program, SBND and ICARUS. DNN ROI addresses limitations of the traditional wire-by-wire thresholding algorithm by leveraging the full two-dimensional detector readout and cross-plane matching information. To account for detector performance variations, we explore training with augmented samples. We find that DNN ROI outperforms the traditional method in both low-level ROI identification performance and high-level reconstruction metrics for high-energy cosmic and accelerator neutrino interaction products, while also being more robust against detector variations, with or without sample augmentation.

Abratenko, P. [Tufts U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutrino Detectors

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72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Directional response of several geometries for reactor-neutrino detectors

Here we have modeled six abstracted detector designs, with the goal of determining their ability to resolve the direction to an antineutrino source, including two for which we have operational data for validating our computer modeling and analytical processes. We have found that the most promising options, regardless of scale and range, have angular resolutions on the order of a few degrees, which is better than any yet achieved in practice by a factor of at least two. We examine and compare several approaches to detector geometry for their ability not only to detect the inverse beta decay (IBD) reaction, but also to determine the source direction of incident antineutrinos. The information from these detectors provides insight into reactor power and burning profile, which is especially useful in constraining the clandestine production of weapons material. In a live deployment, a nonproliferation detector must be able to isolate the subject reactor, possibly from a field of much-larger power reactors; directional sensitivity can help greatly with this task. We also discuss implications for using such detectors in longer-distance observation of reactors, from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗