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DOE OSTI2026

Exploring AI/ML-based Real-time Anomaly Detection in DUNE for Supernova Burst Neutrinos

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is currently under construction with far detectors consisting of 4 liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) modules at SURF (South Dakota Underground Research Facility) and a near detector complex with neutrino beam production at Fermilab to unambiguously determine neutrino mass ordering, to discover and precisely measure Charge-Parity (CP) violation phase in leptonic sector, to search for Beyond Stand Model (BSM) physics, and to study solar and supernova burst neutrinos. Anomalies in this project are classified in three categories: new physics signals, supernova burst neutrinos, and detector malfunction. We report here on promising early studies toward an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning-based real-time anomaly detection system, using a prototype autoencoder model currently under development. Additionally, the current status of an improved model and its performance will be presented. The model will be evaluated not only for its sensitivity to supernova neutrinos, but also to BSM physics signals and detector malfunctions. We will also consider how such a real-time algorithm might be used in DUNE.

de Jonge, Anselm [Kirchhoff Inst. Phys.] (ORCID:00↗

DOE OSTI2026

Inclusive Search for Anomalous Single-Photon Production in MicroBooNE

The MicroBooNE experiment is an 85-ton active volume liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector situated in the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam. One of the main goals for MicroBooNE is to investigate the “low energy excess” (LEE) of electromagnetic events observed by the MiniBooNE experiment by leveraging the unique capabilities of the LArTPC technology to distinguish photons from electron electromagnetic showers. In this poster, we present an inclusive search for anomalous production of single-photon events from neutrino interactions in the MicroBooNE experiment, motivated by the MiniBooNE LEE. The analysis uses the Wire-Cell reconstruction framework to select a sample of inclusive single-photon final-state interactions and leverages simultaneous measurements of sidebands to constrain signal and background predictions and reduce uncertainties. We perform a blind analysis using a dataset collected from February 2016 to July 2018 from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab. In the full signal region, we observe agreement between the data and the prediction, with a goodness-of-fit p-value of 0.11. We then isolate a sub-sample of these events containing no visible protons, and observe 93 $/pm$ 22(stat.) $\pm$ 35(syst.) data events above prediction, corresponding to just above 2$\sigma$ local significance, concentrated at shower energies below 600 MeV.

Yandel, Erin [Los Alamos] (ORCID:0000000277123709)↗

DOE OSTI2026

MicroBooNE Electron Neutrino Cross Sections without Visible Pions

MicroBooNE is an 85-tonne liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) at Fermilab. It collected data from two different beam lines between 2015 and 2020 and has since released a large number of neutrino cross section results on argon. These inform neutrino interaction modelling in view of next generation LArTPCs such as the upcoming DUNE experiment. We present new measurements of the electron neutrino charged current pionless cross section on argon in the MicroBooNE detector. These measurements are essential to DUNE’s oscillation analysis as they impact the predicted interaction rate of the main flavor appearance signal. Two measurements are presented, one that leverages the full on-axis MicroBooNE Booster Neutrino Beam dataset while the other uses about 30% of the 8° off-axis Neutrino at the Main Injector beam dataset. Two channels can be considered: with or without a visible pion in the final state. Both measurements consider events with visible protons and the BNB measurement also measures electron neutrinos across the proton visibility threshold. Differential cross sections are extracted in proton and electron kinematics. The relationship between the hadronic and leptonic systems is explored through the angle between the proton and electron directions. The resulting cross sections are compared to a variety of generator predictions using different models of neutrino interactions. We find overall good agreement with most models, especially in lepton kinematics.

Mellet, Lucile [Michigan State U.]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for NC Delta Radiative Decay Single Photon Events In MicroBooNE

MicroBooNE, a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab, is investigating the MiniBooNE anomaly, which consists of an excess of low-energy electromagnetic showers in a neutrino beam. Recent results from MicroBooNE have ruled out a 3+1 sterile neutrino explanation of the anomaly, leaving the single photon-like explanation as the most likely possibility. In this poster, we describe results of a new expanded search for the neutral current Delta radiative decay topology, a rare type of event which is by far the largest expected source of neutrino-induced single photons. Using two different reconstruction paradigms simultaneously, we study in detail events both with and without visible hadronic activity; either category of event could explain the MiniBooNE anomaly, but the two could have very different implications for underlying physics. We find that events with visible protons are excluded as an explanation of the MiniBooNE anomaly, but events without visible protons remain a possible explanation requiring further study.

Hagaman, Lee [Nevis Labs, Columbia U.] (ORCID:0000↗

DOE OSTI2026

MIP dQ/dx Calibration in DUNE ND-LAr Prototypes with Pixelated Charge Readout

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be a next-generation long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment that will employ LArTPC technology in a near detector placed at Fermilab and a far detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, at a baseline of 1300 km. The DUNE Liquid Argon Near Detector (ND-LAr) design takes into account the high neutrino intensity expected from the beam at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF): 35 modules, each containing two optically separated time projection chambers, are instrumented with a pixel-based, true 3D charge readout alongside scintillation light traps to disentangle the O(100) interactions expected per 10us beam spill. A robust prototyping program supports ND-LAr’s design: the 2x2 Demonstrator consists of four scaled-down ND-LAr modules exposed to the NuMI beam at Fermilab, and the Full Scale Demonstrator (FSD) is a single ND-LAr module tested with cosmic rays at the University of Bern. We present here an analysis of minimum ionizing particle (MIP) tracks selected from 2x2 beam data and FSD cosmic ray data used to benchmark the pixel-based charge readout simulation and calibration in both detectors, with the ultimate goal of validating the design of DUNE ND-LAr as well as informing future calibration methods. This poster will showcase the dependence of the charge response on track inclination as well as a per-pixel dQ/dX extraction.

Mandujano, Roberto [UC, Irvine]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Towards searches for heavy neutral leptons with the Short-Baseline Near Detector experiment

Heavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs) are hypothetical long-lived particles that extend the Standard Model and provide a natural explanation for the origin of neutrino masses, the generation of the baryon asymmetry through leptogenesis, and the nature of dark matter. The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a 112-ton liquid argon time projection chamber located 110 m away from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) target at Fermilab (Illinois, USA). The close location to the BNB origin makes the experiment sensitive to HNLs produced from meson decays in the beam. These heavy particles arrive at the detector later than neutrinos and decay into observable final states such as 𝜈e+e- or 𝜈π0, generating isolated electromagnetic showers. Thanks to SBND’s advanced scintillation light detection system, a timing resolution at the nanosecond level further boosts the experiment capabilities. In this poster, we present ongoing reconstruction efforts towards HNLs as well as expected sensitivities factoring in the reconstruction improvements.

Romeo Araujo, Jorge [Madrid, CIEMAT]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Data Driven Correlated Noise Simulation for the ICEBERG LArTPC

Accurate electronic-noise simulation is essential for low-energy physics in liquid-argon TPCs. More realistic noise modeling allows us to better tune reconstruction algorithms and more reliably assess and optimize signal-detection thresholds. We present a data-driven noise simulation framework developed for the ICEBERG test stand for DUNE that generates synthetic noise waveforms that reproduce both (i) the measured per-channel magnitude of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and (ii) frequency-dependent channel-to-channel correlations observed in ICEBERG noise data. Using a dedicated noise-only dataset, we build a compact noise model containing per-channel FFT-magnitude targets together with a small set of band-wise cross-wire color matrices. White noise is generated in the frequency domain by drawing circular-symmetric complex Gaussian coefficients with random phases and scaling them to match the measured FFT-magnitude targets, and cross-wire correlations are subsequently imposed using the stored color matrices. The model and algorithm were integrated into the LArSoft + Wire-Cell Toolkit simulation chain and validated by comparing waveform structure, frequency-domain spectra, and band-limited correlation matrices from simulated noise and ICEBERG data. This approach can be extended to other LArTPC operating conditions.

Ghosh, Avik [Iowa State U.]↗

DOE OSTI2026

X-ARAPUCA Photon Detectors in SBND

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) for detecting neutrinos from Fermilab's Booster Neutrino Beam. Located 110 m downstream of the beam target, SBND collects both ionization electrons and scintillation photons from particle interactions within the detector volume. The photon detection system (PDS) consists of both PMTs and X-ARAPUCAs, a novel technology featuring large area cost-effective coverage with single photo-electron resolution at cryogenic temperatures. SBND utilizes two types of X-ARAPUCAs: one sensitive to vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) scintillation light produced and one sensitive to visible light for the light reflected off TPB-coated reflective foils. SBND is the only experiment currently testing the X-ARAPUCA technology in a neutrino beam over a period of several years, and will provide critical information for deployment in future detectors like DUNE. This poster will cover the calibration and early performance of X-ARAPUCAs in SBND.

Dalager, Olivia [Fermilab]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Inclusive Charged-Current Electron Neutrino Interactions in SBND

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND), a 112 ton liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC), is the near detector of the Short- Baseline Neutrino Program at Fermilab. Due to its proximity to the Booster Neutrino Beam target, SBND has already seen a record-breaking number of electron neutrino interactions on argon. We present preliminary results from SBND’s differential inclusive electron neutrino charged-current analysis from our first year of beam data, selecting over 2,000 interactions. This analysis will present the largest sample of electron neutrinos on argon to date, as well as the first differential cross section measurement of electron neutrinos. This poster will give an overview of the selection, cross-section extraction, and demonstrate SBND’s detector and electromagnetic shower reconstruction performance through data/MC comparisons.

Tung, Lynn [Chicago U.]↗

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 OSTI2026

Measurement of charged-current quasi elastic-like and inclusive muon (anti-) neutrino interactions using NuMI beam the ICARUS detector

The ICARUS experiment, utilizing Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) technology, has been successfully taking physics data at Fermilab since June 2022. The experiment's primary objective is to function as the far detector of the Short Baseline Neutrino program (SBN), searching for hints of physics beyond three-flavour PMNS neutrino oscillations. ICARUS also offers other diverse physics capabilities, including searches beyond the standard model and measurements of cross-sections. In addition to being exposed to the Booster Neutrino (BNB) beamline of the SBN experiment, ICARUS sits 795 m downstream and 5.75 degrees off-axis from the NuMI beam line. Due to the off-axis angle between NuMI and ICARUS, coupled with contributions from both pion and kaon decays to neutrino fluxes, interactions of NuMI neutrinos within ICARUS can be detected over a range of several GeV in energy. Measurements of these interactions present unique opportunities to infer neutrino interaction cross sections on an argon nuclear target within an energy range that overlaps both the SBN oscillation search and a significant portion of the DUNE spectrum. This poster will summarize the current status of muon-neutrino and muon-antineutrino charged current inclusive cross section measurements in ICARUS using the FHC and RHC NuMI sample respectively. Such inclusive measurements provide robust benchmarks for the overall interaction rate and muon kinematics, with reduced dependence on hadronic final-state modeling. The measurement of the muon-antineutrino Argon charged current inclusive cross section is particularly exciting and highly relevant for DUNE, given the scarcity of antineutrino-Argon cross section measurements in the literature. In addition, this poster will highlight ICARUS's first measurement of muon-neutrino Argon charged current mesonless final states using both transverse kinematic imbalance (TKI) variables and muon-proton kinematic variables. These measurements provide sensitivity to nuclear effects, final-state interactions, and nucleon correlations in argon, offering important constraints for improving neutrino interaction modeling for upcoming DUNE.

Roy, Promita [Fermilab; Virginia Tech.]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Toward Muon Neutrino Charged-Current Neutral Pion Cross Section Measurements at ICARUS

At ICARUS and the broader Short-Baseline Neutrino Program, few neutrino interaction channels offer as much utility as those producing neutral pions, which are an important background to electron neutrino searches and provide a standard candle for calibrating the electromagnetic shower energy scale. Beyond this, measurements of neutrino-induced neutral pions offer a probe of resonant interactions that are relevant to future accelerator neutrino experiments like the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. In this document, a measurement of charged-current muon neutrino interactions in liquid argon with a single neutral pion in the final state is presented, making use of neutrino interaction events recorded with the ICARUS T600 detector at Fermilab while exposed to the Booster Neutrino Beam. Event selection is carried out with a fully-automated machine learning reconstruction framework, allowing for the extraction of single-differential cross section measurements as a function of muon and neutral pion kinematic observables.

Carber, Dan [Colorado State U.]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Event Selection at the DUNE Near Detector

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next generation long-baseline experiment designed with a primary goal of providing definitive measurements of the neutrino mass ordering and the Charge Parity (CP)-violating phase. A key component in reaching these goals is the DUNE Near Detector (ND) complex, placed 574 m from the beam target, and tasked with characterising the neutrino beam and constraining systematic uncertainties before oscillation effects occur. We will present primary findings from the development of an event selection for $\nu_\mu$ CC interactions within the ND liquid argon time projection chamber (ND-LAr). These findings will include a discussion of the importance of defining metrics, such as efficiency and purity, such that we can meet the required sensitivity for DUNE's physics measurements.

Sabater Andres, Eva [Sussex U.] (ORCID:00090001748↗

DOE OSTI2026

Probing BSM Oscillatory Signals with the DUNE Detectors and the LBNF Neutrino Beam: NSI and Sterile Neutrino Sensitivities

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a flagship long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiment under construction in the U.S. With a 1,300 km distance between its Near Detector (ND) and Far Detector (FD), the world’s most intense LBNF (Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility) neutrino beam, and high-resolution LArTPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) detectors, DUNE will measure the neutrino oscillation parameters with unprecedented precision. In addition to the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the potential discovery of Charge-Parity violation in the leptonic sector, DUNE's capabilities present a unique opportunity for probing Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics signals with neutrinos. Examples of BSM physics manifestations include the presence of Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) of neutrinos with matter, or the existence of sterile neutrinos that mix with 3-Flavor neutrinos. In this study, we present a joint ND+FD fit to simulated data assessing DUNE's sensitivity to probing neutrino NSI, as well as scenarios including sterile neutrino mixing.

Prais, Luiz [Cincinnati U.] (ORCID:000000018224947↗

DOE OSTI2026

Pandora-based muon neutrino disappearance search in the SBN program with 1muonNp quasi-elastic like channel

The Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab aims to perform a definitive search for light sterile neutrinos using multiple liquid argon time projection chamber detectors. We present the status of an analysis of muon neutrino charged-current interactions in two SBN detectors (SBND and ICARUS), selecting fully contained events with one muon and at least one proton in the final state, inspired by the recent ICARUS standalone results. This topology-driven selection reduces dependence on neutrino interaction cross-section modeling while preserving high statistics and good neutrino energy resolution, enabled by robust reconstruction and particle identification. Fully contained events enable precise kinematic reconstruction and support relative measurements between detectors, directly addressing the core goals of the SBN program. A detailed evaluation of systematic uncertainties is currently underway, with the objective of reducing the dominant systematics to the percent level. The current status of this analysis, with a particular focus on the event selection performance, will be presented in this poster.

Artero Pons, Maria [Padua U.; INFN, Padua]↗

DOE OSTI2026

SBND Shower Reconstruction with SPINE

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector in the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab. SBND is designed to investigate the Low-Energy Excess (LEE), an unexplained excess of electron-like events observed by previous short-baseline neutrino experiments that may point to physics beyond the Standard Model. In LArTPC detectors, precise shower reconstruction is essential for distinguishing electrons from photons, a key requirement for testing possible explanations of the LEE and improving $\nu_e$ event selection. In this poster, the reconstruction studies using the Scalable Particle Imaging with Neural Embeddings (SPINE), a machine learning based reconstruction framework for particle imaging detectors will be presented. SPINE combines sparse convolutional neural networks (CNN) and graph neural networks (GNN) to enable detailed reconstruction and characterization of neutrino interactions in LArTPC detectors. Shower calorimetry and kinematic reconstruction are performed in dedicated post-processing stages. Strong agreement between data and Monte Carlo simulation will be demonstrated, indicating high-precision detector calibration and reconstruction performance. The agreement between reconstructed and true electron shower energy will also be discussed, emphasizing the robustness of the shower reconstruction performance. These results demonstrate the unprecedented precision achievable with SPINE in SBND, highlighting their potential for future high-resolution neutrino measurements.

Fan, Castaly [Florida U.; Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000↗

DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of mean excitation energies of neutrino-relevant materials

Modern neutrino experiments require precision reconstruction of events. A crucial component of this reconstruction is the stopping power for charged particles, calculated using the Bethe equation. The main free parameter of the Bethe equation is the mean excitation energy (the "I-value"), which in most cases cannot be calculated, but must be measured for each substance. In many cases, the values are derived from very old experiments with large quoted uncertainties, or worse, small quoted uncertainties and inadequate treatment of systematics. Even if the tabulated values were reliable to the necessary degree, the I-value is affected by the phase of the substance and by chemical bonding, and only rough heuristics have been developed to convert measurements of single elements into I-values for compounds or from one phase to another. Modern neutrino experiments which need to measure an absolute energy scale, while lacking calibration sources, suffer the most from uncertainties in the I-value. DUNE is a primary example. We are performing measurements with the 400MeV Fermilab LINAC beam at the Irradiation Test Facility. We describe our efforts to measure the I-value of liquid argon, as well as those for several other materials used in past, present and potential future neutrino experiments, including water, NOvA scintillator, MINOS steel, zirconium, and molybdenum. These measurements use a set of degraders to scan the beam energy around the Bragg peak for each substance to determine the proton range. Experimental results are compared to results from Geant4 and FLUKA to determine the I-value.

Strait, Matthew L. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000157088↗

DOE OSTI2026

Neutron-Antineutron Transition Search at DUNE

Neutron-antineutron transition is a baryon number violating process with ΔB=2, providing a unique insight into potential explanations of the baryon asymmetry in our universe, especially in the context of post-sphaleron baryogenesis. Studies have been conducted across various neutron-rich environments, including free neutron sources, neutron stars, and bound neutrons in large underground neutrino detectors, among which large neutrino experiments have historically obtained the most stringent constraints. The forthcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will offer especially strong prospects for this search, enabled by the high spatial resolution of its liquid argon time projection chamber. This poster presents a recent study on neutron-antineutron transition at DUNE using machine-learning based event classification.

Yu, Kaiwen [UC, Irvine (main)]↗