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DOE OSTI2025

Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Precision Era

Current and future accelerator-based neutrino facilities, leveraging intense neutrino beams and advanced detectors, aim to precisely determine neutrino properties and probe signals of weakly interacting beyond the Standard Model physics. Achieving discovery-level precision and fully exploring the physics potential of these experiments critically depends on the accuracy of our understanding of fundamental underlying neutrino-nucleus interaction processes. This talk will focus on neutrino interactions spanning energies from tens of MeV to a few GeV a complex, multi-scale and multi-process domain spanning from low-energy nuclear physics to perturbative QCD, with no unified underlying framework currently known. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the field, discuss recent advancements, and share examples of ongoing cross-community efforts addressing these challenges.

Pandey, Vishvas [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000230827987↗
DOE OSTI2020

Retrieval of energy spectra for all flavours of neutrinos from core-collapse supernova with multiple detectors

ABSTRACT We present a new method by which to retrieve energy spectrum for all falvours of neutrinos from core-collapse supernova (CCSN). In the retrieval process, we do not assume any analytic formulas to express the energy spectrum of neutrinos but rather take a direct way of spectrum reconstruction from the observed data; the singular value decomposition algorithm with a newly developed adaptive energy-gridding technique is adopted. We employ three independent reaction channels having different flavour sensitivity to neutrinos. Two reaction channels, inverse beta decay on proton and elastic scattering on electrons, from a water Cherenkov detector such as Super-Kamiokande (SK) and Hyper-Kamiokande (HK), and a charged current reaction channel with Argon from the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) are adopted. Given neutrino oscillation models, we iteratively search the neutrino energy spectra at the CCSN source until they provide the consistent event counts in the three reaction channels. We test the capability of our method by demonstrating the spectrum retrieval to a theoretical neutrino data computed by our recent three-dimensional CCSN simulation. Although the energy spectrum with either electron-type or electron-type antineutrinos at the CCSN source has relatively large error compared to that of other species, the joint analysis with HK + DUNE or SK + DUNE will provide precise energy spectrum of all flavours of neutrinos at the source. Finally, we discuss perspectives for improvements of our method by using neutrino data of other detectors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reactor antineutrino directionality measurement with the PROSPECT-I detector

The PROSPECT-I detector has several features that enable measurement of the direction of a compact neutrino source. Here, in this paper, a detailed report on the directional measurements made on electron antineutrinos emitted from the High Flux Isotope Reactor is presented. With an estimated true neutrino (reactor to detector) direction of φ = 40.8° ± 0.7° and θ= 98.6° ± 0.4°, the PROSPECT-I detector is able to reconstruct an average neutrino direction of φ = 39.4° ± 2.9° and θ = 97.6° ± 1.6°. This measurement is made with approximately 48 000 Inverse Beta Decay signal events and is the most precise directional reconstruction of reactor antineutrinos to date.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Non-thermal neutrinos created by shock acceleration in successful and failed core-collapse supernova

ABSTRACT We present a comprehensive study of neutrino shock acceleration in core-collapse supernova (CCSN). The leading players are heavy leptonic neutrinos, νμ and ντ; the former and latter potentially gain the energy up to ∼100 and ∼200 MeV, respectively, through the shock acceleration. Demonstrating the neutrino shock acceleration by Monte Carlo neutrino transport, we make a statement that it commonly occurs in the early post-bounce phase (≲50 ms after bounce) for all massive stellar collapse experiencing nuclear bounce and would reoccur in the late phase (≳100 ms) for failed CCSNe. This opens up a new possibility to detect high energy neutrinos by terrestrial detectors from Galactic CCSNe; hence, we estimate the event counts for Hyper(Super)-Kamiokande, DUNE, and JUNO. We find that the event count with the energy of ≳80 MeV is a few orders of magnitude higher than that of the thermal neutrinos regardless of the detectors, and muon production may also happen in these detectors by νμ with the energy of ≳100 MeV. The neutrino signals provide a precious information on deciphering the inner dynamics of CCSN and placing a constraint on the physics of neutrino oscillation; indeed, the detection of the high energy neutrinos through charged current reaction channels will be a smoking gun evidence of neutrino flavour conversion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Improved Limits on Millicharged Particles Using the ArgoNeuT Experiment at Fermilab

A search for millicharged particles, a simple extension of the standard model, has been performed with the ArgoNeuT detector exposed to the Neutrinos at the Main Injector beam at Fermilab. The ArgoNeuT liquid argon time projection chamber detector enables a search for millicharged particles through the detection of visible electron recoils. We search for an event signature with two soft hits (MeV-scale energy depositions) aligned with the upstream target. For an exposure of the detector of 1.0×10 20 protons on target, one candidate event has been observed, compatible with the expected background. This search is sensitive to millicharged particles with charges between 10 -3 $e$ and 10 -1 $e$ and with masses in the range from 0.1 to 3 GeV. This measurement provides leading constraints on millicharged particles in this large unexplored parameter space region.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reconstruction of atmospheric neutrinos in DUNE’s horizontal-drift far-detector module

This paper reports on the capabilities in reconstructing and identifying atmospheric neutrino interactions in one of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment’s (DUNE) far detector modules, a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) with horizontal drift (FD-HD) of ionization electrons. The reconstruction is based upon the workflow developed for DUNE’s long-baseline oscillation analysis, with some necessary machine-learning models’ retraining and the addition of features relevant only to atmospheric neutrinos such as the neutrino direction reconstruction. Where relevant, the impact of the detection of the charged particles of the hadronic system is emphasized, and comparisons are carried out between the case when lepton-only information is considered in the reconstruction (as is the case for many neutrino oscillation experiments), versus when all particles identified in the LArTPC were included. Three neutrino direction reconstruction methods have been developed and studied for the atmospheric analyses: using lepton-only information, using all reconstructed particles, and using only correlations from reconstructed hits. The results indicate that incorporating more than just lepton information significantly improves the resolution of both neutrino direction and energy reconstruction. The angle reconstruction algorithms developed in this work result in no strong dependence on particle direction for reconstruction efficiencies or neutrino flavor identification. This comprehensive review of the reconstruction of atmospheric neutrinos in DUNE’s FD-HD LArTPC is the first step towards developing a first neutrino oscillation sensitivity analysis, which will ready DUNE for its first measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Neutrons in MINERvA and the Antineutrino Multi-Neutron Production Cross Section

Neutrinos are among a handful of particles in the Standard Model of particle physics whose properties have not yet been fully measured. Neutrino oscillations, discovered in the late 1990s, still have yet to be fully characterized. Early evidence suggests that neutrinos and antineutrinos may undergo neutrino oscillations differently. So, multiple collaborations are building and operating kTon-scale particle detectors to try to measure this CP violation in the neutrino sector of the Standard Model. Measuring neutrino and antineutrino energies is essential to characterizing oscillation phenomena. But neutrons interfere with (anti)neutrino energy measurements because they are hard to detect in (anti)neutrino detectors. Furthermore, there are very few measurements of neutrons produced by (anti)neutrinos in the energy range of interest to accelerator-based oscillation experiments. The MINERvA collaboration initially tried to fill this gap by measuring the rate of neutron-induced activity i n plastic. The data deviated significantly from leading model predictions, but it could not be determined which models needed to be tuned. MINERvA’s first neutron counting result also cannot be compared to future models because it was not suitable for unsmearing. This thesis first expands upon MINERvA’s first foray into neutron detection at higher antineutrino energy. Neutron detection efficiency is enhanced by advances in analysis algorithms. Then, an unsmeared cross section for producing two or more neutrons is measured. Existing antineutrino interaction models again over-predict the rate of neutron production by antineutrinos. Preliminary neutron production rate measurements in MINERvA’s iron and lead targets suggest that models are also over-predicting neutron production in heavier nuclei.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Final Search for Short-Baseline Neutrino Oscillations with the PROSPECT-I Detector at HFIR

The PROSPECT experiment is designed to perform precise searches for antineutrino disappearance at short distances (7–9 m) from compact nuclear reactor cores. This Letter reports results from a new neutrino oscillation analysis performed using the complete data sample from the PROSPECT-I detector operated at the High Flux Isotope Reactor in 2018. The analysis uses a multiperiod selection of inverse beta decay neutrino interactions with reduced backgrounds and enhanced statistical power to set limits on electron neutrino disappearance caused by mixing with sterile neutrinos with 0.2–20 eV 2 mass splittings. Inverse beta decay positron energy spectra from six different reactor-detector distance ranges are found to be statistically consistent with one another, as would be expected in the absence of sterile neutrino oscillations. The data excludes at 95% confidence level the existence of sterile neutrinos in regions above 3 eV 2 previously unexplored by terrestrial experiments, including all space below 10 eV 2 suggested by the recently strengthened Gallium Anomaly. The best-fit point of the Neutrino-4 reactor experiment’s claimed observation of short-baseline oscillation is ruled out at more than 5 standard deviations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Elementary Particle Interactions (Final Technical Report)

Neutrinos provide a promising window to probe a wide range of fundamental physics. The past two decades have brought several remarkable neutrino-related discoveries indicating that one may answer the most sought after question of our matter dominated universe from within the neutrino sector. The global neutrino physics program is currently focused on studying neutrino oscillations, and to understand the implications of this phenomena on the evolution of the universe. Addressing all of these open questions and completing the story of neutrino oscillations requires technological advances in neutrino detection. Liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) are imaging detectors that offer fine-grained tracking, calorimetry and scalability, and are increasingly favored for the next generation of large neutrino detectors. Through leading technical and scientific roles on MicroBooNE, Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) LArTPC neutrino experiments, the research program supported through this funding has significantly advanced the understanding of neutrino properties along with technical development of LArTPCs for both short- and long-baseline neutrino oscillations physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analysis of the µ-2p Final State with SBND

The neutrino remains an enigma within the Standard Model. The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) at Fermilab aims to probe these peculiar particles by examining essential regions of neutrino research, including oscillation measurement and searches for sterile neutrinos. As liquid Argon (LAr) neutrino detectors such as SBND gain relevancy, it is necessary to understand neutrino interactions pertinent within LAr detectors, namely ν-nucleon interactions, to reduce the substantial uncertainties from said interactions. This research intends to probe the ν interaction signature of one muon and two protons within SBND. Few studies have examined the µ-2p final state. The lack of research on the µ-2p signature suggests the need for further examination.

Talbi, Nadia↗
DOE OSTI2024

Three-Flavor Neutrino Oscillations at NOvA

NOvA, is a two-detector, long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located at Fermilab, Batavia, IL, USA. It is designed primarily to constrain neutrino oscillation parameters such as the atmospheric mass squared splitting, $\Delta m^2_{32}$, the mixing angle, $\theta_{23}$, neutrino mass hierachy, and the CP-violating phase, $\delta_{CP}$, using $\nu_\mu \ (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ disappearance and $\nu_e \ (\bar{\nu}_e)$ appearance data. NOvA receives a high purity 900 KW instense beam of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos from Fermilab's Neutrinos at Main Injector (NuMI) beamline. NOvA used functionally identical finely granulated liquid scintillation detectors, both situated 14.6 mrad off-axis to the beam direction. The NOvA near detector observes un-oscillated $\nu_\mu \ (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and beam $\nu_e \ (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events, while the far detector, which is situated 809 km away from the near detector, records un-oscillated $\nu_\mu \ (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and oscillated $\nu_e \ (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events. We will discuss the neutrino oscillation analysis strategy at NOvA and the latest three-flavor oscillation results from 10 years of NOvA data in this talk.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of the muon neutrino charged-current mesonless cross section in the NOvA near detector

NOvA is a long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiment at Fermilab. Its physics goals include precision neutrino oscillation measurements, neutrino interaction cross-section measurements and beyond Standard Model explorations. We present a measurement of muon neutrino charged-current cross section with zero mesons in the final state at the NOvA near detector. This measurement is performed as a function of the kinematics of the final state muon. Our chosen interaction channel is especially sensitive to quasielastic and meson exchange current interactions and it provides handles for constraining the cross section systematic uncertainties in oscillation analyses in present and future experiments. For particle identification, we use a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on individual particles simulated in the NOvA Near detector. This allows us to select the desired signal while reducing the potential bias from neutrino interaction modeling. We study strategies for constraining the remaining charged-pion background via Michel electron information in a template fitting approach. The main experimental result is a two-dimensional differential cross section as a function of final-state muon kinetic energy and polar angle. The parameters of this measurement, including binning and unfolding, were optimized to reduce the expected systematic uncertainty in the total cross section. The final result shows good agreement with the main GENIE-based simulation framework that was independently fine-tuned in NOvA. We finally propose improvements and subsequent steps that build on this analysis and further dissect the final states of neutrino interactions. This work has been supported by US DOE grant DE-SC0015684.

Sánchez Falero, Sebastián Jesús [Iowa State U.]↗
DOE OSTI2022

Scintillator ageing of the T2K near detectors from 2010 to 2021

The T2K experiment widely uses plastic scintillator as a target for neutrino interactions and an active medium for the measurement of charged particles produced in neutrino interactions at its near detector complex. Over 10 years of operation the measured light yield recorded by the scintillator based subsystems has been observed to degrade by 0.9–2.2% per year. Extrapolation of the degradation rate through to 2040 indicates the recorded light yield should remain above the lower threshold used by the current reconstruction algorithms for all subsystems. This will allow the near detectors to continue contributing to important physics measurements during the T2K-II and Hyper-Kamiokande eras. Additionally, work to disentangle the degradation of the plastic scintillator and wavelength shifting fibres shows that the reduction in light yield can be attributed to the ageing of the plastic scintillator. The long component of the attenuation length of the wavelength shifting fibres was observed to degrade by 1.3–5.4% per year, while the short component of the attenuation length did not show any conclusive degradation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expanding the physics reach of DUNE in the near and far detectors

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. Its primary goal is the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy and the CP-violating phase. The DUNE physics programme also includes the detection of astrophysical neutrinos and the search for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) phenomena. DUNE will consist of a near detector (ND) complex placed at Fermilab, and a modular Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) far detector (FD) to be built in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), approximately 1300 km away from the neutrino production point. This thesis describes three different projects within DUNE. First, a novel strategy to improve the triggering capabilities of the DUNE FD is proposed. It uses matched filters to enhance the production of online hits across all charge collection planes. Next, the possibility of detecting neutrinos coming from dark matter (DM) annihilations in the Sun with the FD is explored. The complementarity of DUNE to this kind of DM searches is shown. Finally, the simulation and reconstruction framework of ND-GAr, the gas argon ND proposed for Phase II of DUNE, is presented. A number of additions to this are described, particularly focused on the development of the particle identification (PID) capabilities of the detector. These are then used to perform the first event selection studies with an end-to-end simulation in ND-GAr, in particular the selection of pion exclusive samples in $\nu_{\mu}$ CC interactions. All three of these projects share the common goal of enhancing the physics programme of DUNE.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Searches for baryon number violation in neutrino experiments: a white paper

Abstract Baryon number conservation is not guaranteed by any fundamental symmetry within the standard model, and therefore has been a subject of experimental and theoretical scrutiny for decades. So far, no evidence for baryon number violation has been observed. Large underground detectors have long been used for both neutrino detection and searches for baryon number violating processes. The next generation of large neutrino detectors will seek to improve upon the limits set by past and current experiments and will cover a range of lifetimes predicted by several Grand Unified Theories. In this White Paper, we summarize theoretical motivations and experimental aspects of searches for baryon number violation in neutrino experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neutron Cross Section Measurement In The Protodune-SP Experiment

Understanding the detector response to neutrons will be critical for performing neutrino oscillation analyses in the next-generation Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The DUNE physics program is centered around measuring the neutrino flavor composition as a function of their energy both at the near and the far detector. Neutrinos in the DUNE beam will have energies ranging between 100~MeV and 10~GeV, which is significant, because individual neutrino energies will not be known beforehand and will have to be reconstructed. Neutrino interactions in DUNE will produce leptons and hadrons -- including protons, pions, and neutrons. Neutrons can transport energy away from their origin and sometimes go undetected. In addition to the primary neutrons produced by the neutrino, subsequent interactions of the charged hadrons can result in secondary neutrons. Neutrons are a source of missing energy and will bias the neutrino energy measurement. Currently, there is also a 20\% energy scale uncertainty and a 40\% uncertainty on the energy resolution for neutrons in DUNE, which must be addressed. ProtoDUNE Single-Phase (ProtoDUNE-SP) is a 770-ton prototype for the DUNE far detector and was designed to both validate the technology that will be employed in DUNE and to measure cross sections for the charged hadrons (pions, protons, and kaons) at the relevant energies for DUNE. The ProtoDUNE-SP experiment, therefore, is in a unique position to characterize the secondary neutron component for DUNE. This is achieved by searching for candidate neutron interactions in ProtoDUNE-SP events and using these to facilitate a measurement of the neutron inelastic cross section as well as an estimate of the neutron energy and number. The cross section measurement presented here is based on neutrons produced in 1~GeV, $\pi^+$ events captured in 2018 by ProtoDUNE-SP in accordance with the production and cross section models in the GEANT4 simulation toolkit, version 4.1 0.6p1. T he best-fit neutron inelastic cross section, in the kinetic energy range of 114 to 314~MeV, is $1.24_{-0.08}^{+0.10}$~(stat.~$\oplus$~syst.)~barns.

Rivera, David Orlando↗
DOE OSTI2024

Latest Results from the NOvA Experiment

NOvA, is a two-detector, long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment located at Fermilab, Batavia, IL, USA. The NOvA experiment was designed primarily to constrain neutrino oscillation parameters by analyzing $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ disappearance and $\nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ appearance data observed at the far detector. The Neutrinos at Main Injector (NuMI) beamline at Fermilab provides a high purity beam of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos to the experiment. The NOvA experiment consists of two functionally identical, finely granulated liquid tracking calorimeters, both situated 14.6 mrad off-axis to the beam direction. The NOvA near detector, situated 100 meters underground and 1 kilometer from the beam source, detects the non-oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and beam $\nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events. The far detector, located in Ash River, MN, USA, 810 kilometers from the beam source, records the non-oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu)$ and the oscillated $\nu_\mu (\bar{\nu}_\mu) \to \nu_e (\bar{\nu}_e)$ events. The latest results on standard 3-flavor neutrino oscillations, joint NOvA-T2K analysis, active-to-sterile neutrino mixing, and non-standard interactions will be presented in this talk.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗