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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

The Quantum Nature of the Neutrino

Over the last 100 years we have learned much about the neutrino, but there remain interesting questions about this weakly interacting particle. In particular, at LLNL we are developing an experiment to measure the quantum nature of the neutrino. The 2015 long range plan recom mended tonne-scale neutrinoless double beta decay experiments as the top new project priority and this experiment will target the quantum nature of the neutrino. The LLNL team is motivated and focused on developing the best technology for this experiment which is a liquid xenon time projection chamber called nEXO. Work on nEXO at LLNL started in 2015 with an LDRD and program development funds to de velop the nEXO concept, publish sensitivity predictions, explore alternatives and risks, and to build a credible project team and this effort is on going. In addition, we received research funding from DOE-SC NP and LLNL manages pre-conceptual R&D for the nEXO collaboration a portion of which is executed at LLNL. LLNL has a long history of building large projects, science projects and time projection chambers, but nEXO is in fact the first project of this scale that LLNL is prepared to lead for DOE-SC NP. We have the tools, skills, people and motivation to make nEXO a reality. The current program devel opment dollars are used to prepare the nEXO concept for down select and CD1. These internal LLNL dollars pay for a number of things including project staff to organize the nEXO collaboration for the various reviews, to develop the draft plans and structure to manage the project as well as setting up external advisory committees. The DOE-SC NP base funding is targeted at simulation and analysis of the nEXO concept in preparation for the down select and refinement of the under standing of the detector as well as scientific effort on the large xenon test stand (LXTS) that will burn down one of the largest risks to the nEXO project. Lastly, LLNL is leading the pre-conceptual R&D effort and managing the funds for the nEXO collaboration. LLNL continues to build the best scientific team for nEXO and this year that includes adding Ethan Bernard to lead the efforts on the LXTS. We will also soon add a new postoc, Samuel Hedges, in the fall to the LLNL nEXO team. The effort this year was influenced by the portfolio review, and there were a number of scientific activities led by LLNL to prepare for this review. In addition, we again took a lead role on the new sensitivity paper as well as publishing a paper based analyzing the effects of skin xenon in nEXO. LLNL leads the software and analysis for the project and we continued work in this area as well. High voltage remains a significant risk for the project and we continue to make progress on the LXTS that will mitigate this risk. Lastly we remain active in looking at how to scale the technology to larger scales, and expect to produce a paper on this topic in the near future.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Event Selection in the MicroBooNE Deep Learning Based Low Energy Excess Analysis Using Two-Body Scattering Criteria

The uniquely detailed neutrino event information from liquid argon time projection chambers allows reconstruction of a set of kinematic quantities that over-constrain the expectations for charged current quasielastic scattering (CCQE). MicroBooNE makes use of the CCQE consistency requirements in a deep-learning-based search for the MiniBooNE low energy excess analysis. This requirement rejects backgrounds as well as events with poorly reconstructed neutrino energy due to final state interactions of the outgoing proton. The results presented here demonstrate the quality of the selection of $\nu_e$ and $\nu_µ$ events. We show excellent agreement between the data and the simulation across many data sets. This positions us to be ready to unblind the MicroBooNE low energy excess analysis in the very near future.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
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↗
DOE OSTI2025

Harnessing the Quantum Zeno Effect in superconducting qubits for particle detection

Superconducting qubits, originally developed for quantum computing, are emerging as a potentially powerful tool for detecting low-energy particle interactions, such as dark matter and neutrinos. These devices can register energy deposits as small as a few meV, dramatically lowering the detection threshold compared to conventional sensors. However, their deployment in rare-event searches is hampered by a critical and unresolved background: Two-Level Systems (TLSes). TLSes are material defects that can scramble qubit frequencies and coherence times in a way that resembles particle energy deposits. Such false signals can critically limit the sensitivity and extend experimental runtimes for qubit-based sensors by years. This talk introduces a novel method to eliminate TLSes as a background source in superconducting qubit-based detectors. By harnessing the Quantum Zeno Effect (QZE), a well-established quantum phenomenon where frequent observation inhibits system evolution, I will discuss the possibility of “freezing” these TLS defects in place. This effectively suppresses their interference, stabilizes qubit behavior, and opens the door to using TLSes themselves as auxiliary sensors. I have already identified target TLSes and observed early signs of QZE-like dynamics in Fermilab-fabricated devices. The method builds on my existing collaborations at Fermilab’s Quantum Information Testbed (QUIET), with access to low muon flux cryogenic facilities 100 meters underground, control electronics, and expert mentors across multiple institutions. By removing a key bottleneck to superconducting sensor deployment, this research targets advancing the development of a general-purpose technique to enhance sensitivity, reduce false positives, and accelerate discovery in searches for dark matter, neutrinos, and other rare phenomena.

Seidel, Olivia [Texas U., Arlington]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Looking for New Particle Physics with Astrophysical Origin

In this thesis, I explore the consequences of introducing new particles into astrophysical environments, and place constraints on these particles using available data. I first consider Heavy Neutral Leptons (a proposed particle which has important implications for neutrinos) in the context of atmospheric interactions, the Sun, and supernovae. I then turn my focus to various models of dark matter, considering the reach of both the terrestrial and astronomical observables. A special focus is given to cases where dark matter clusters around Supermassive Black Holes.

Gustafson, Robert Andrew [Virginia Tech., Blacksbu↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chiral effective field theory calculation of neutrino reactions in warm neutron-rich matter

Neutrino scattering and absorption rates of relevance to supernovae and neutron star mergers are obtained from nuclear matter dynamical structure functions that encode many-body effects from nuclear mean fields and correlations. In this study, we employ nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory to calculate the density, spin, isospin, and spin-isospin response functions of warm β-equilibrium nuclear matter. We include corrections to the single-particle energies in the mean field approximation as well as vertex corrections resummed in the random phase approximation (RPA), including both direct and exchange diagrams. We find that correlations included through the RPA redistribute the strength of the response to higher energy for neutrino absorption and lower energy for antineutrino absorption. This tends to suppress the absorption rate of electron neutrinos across all relevant energy scales. In contrast, the inclusion of RPA correlations enhances the electron antineutrino absorption rate at low energy and suppresses the rate at high energy. These effects are especially important at high-density and in the vicinity of the neutrino decoupling region. Implications for heavy element nucleosynthesis, electromagnetic signatures of compact object mergers, supernova dynamics, and neutrino detection from galactic supernovae are discussed briefly.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

One- and two-body current contributions to lepton-nucleus scattering

Modeling lepton-nucleus scattering with the accuracy required to extract neutrino-oscillation parameters from long- and short-baseline experiments necessitates retaining most quantum-mechanical effects. One such effect is the interference between one- and two-body current operators in the transition currents, which has been known to enhance the cross sections, especially in transverse kinematics. Here, we incorporate such interference in the spectral function formalism, which combines relativistic currents and kinematics with an accurate description of the initial target state. Our analysis of lepton-scattering off 12 C demonstrates that interference effects appreciably enhance the transverse electromagnetic response functions and the flux-folded neutrino-nucleus cross section, in both cases, improving the agreement with experimental data. We discuss the impact on the neutrino-oscillation program and the determination of nucleon axial form factors.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1979

The high-energy neutrino background - Limitations on models of deuterium production

It is pointed out that Epstein's (1977) model for deuterium production via high-energy spallation reactions produces high-energy neutrinos in sufficient quantity to stand out above those that are produced by cosmic-ray interactions in earth's atmosphere. That the Reines experiment detected neutrinos of atmospheric origin without detecting any cosmic component restricts deuterium production by spallation reactions to very high redshifts (z at least about 300). Improved neutrino experiments may be able to push these limits back to recombination.

Eichler, D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Cross-correlation Study between IceCube Neutrino Events and the FERMI Unresolved Gamma-Ray Sky

With the coincident detections of electromagnetic radiation together with gravitational waves (GW170817) or neutrinos (TXS 0506+056), the new era of multimessenger astrophysics has begun. Of particular interest are the searches for correlation between the high-energy astrophysical neutrinos detected by the IceCube Observatory and gamma-ray photons detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). So far, only sources detected by the LAT have been considered in correlation with IceCube neutrinos, neglecting any emission from sources too faint to be resolved individually. Here we present the first cross-correlation analysis considering the unresolved gamma-ray background (UGRB) and IceCube events. We perform a thorough sensitivity study, and, given the lack of identified correlation, we place upper limits on the fraction of the observed neutrinos that would be produced in proton–proton or proton–$γ$ interactions from the population of sources contributing to the UGRB emission and dominating its spatial anisotropy (aka blazars). Our analysis suggests that, under the assumption that there is no intrinsic cutoff and/or hardening of the spectrum above Fermi-LAT energies, and that all gamma rays from the unresolved blazars dominating the UGRB fluctuation field are produced by neutral pions from $p–p$ ($p–γ$) interactions, up to 60% (30%) of such a population may contribute to the total neutrino events observed by IceCube. This translates into an O (1%) maximum contribution to the astrophysical high-energy neutrino flux observed by IceCube at 100 TeV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Longer-lived mediators from charged mesons and photons at neutrino experiments

Since many of the dark-sector particles interact with Standard Model (SM) particles in multiple ways, they can appear in experimental facilities where SM particles appear in abundance. In this study, we explore a particular class of longer-lived mediators that are dominantly produced from photons and charged mesons that arise in proton-beam fixed-target-type neutrino experiments. This class of mediators encompasses light scalars that appear in theories like extended Higgs sectors, muon(electro)philic scalars, etc. We evaluate the sensitivities of these mediators at beam-based neutrino experiments such as the finished ArgoNeuT, ongoing MicroBooNE, SBND, ICARUS, and the upcoming DUNE experiment. We find that muonphilic scalars are more enhanced while produced from three-body decay of charged mesons. The above-mentioned experiments can probe unexplored regions of parameter space that can explain the current discrepancy in the anomalous magnetic moment of muons. We further find that Compton-like scattering of photons is the largest source of electrophilic scalars. By utilizing this, the DUNE Near Detector can explore new regions in the sensitivity space of electrophilic scalars. We also show that Bethe-Heitler scattering processes can be used to probe flavor-specific lepton final states even for the mediator masses below twice the lepton mass. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bulk viscosity from Urca processes: n p e μ matter in the neutrino-transparent regime

We study the bulk viscosity of moderately hot and dense, neutrino-transparent relativistic npeμ matter arising from weak-interaction direct Urca processes. This work parallels our recent study of the bulk viscosity of npeμ matter with a trapped neutrino component. The nuclear matter is modeled in a relativistic density functional approach with two different parametrizations—DDME2 (which does not allow for the low-temperature direct-Urca process at any density) and NL3 (which allows for low-temperature direct-Urca process above a low-density threshold). Here, we compute the equilibration rates of Urca processes of neutron decay and lepton capture, as well as the rate of the muon decay, and find that the muon decay process is subdominant to the Urca processes at temperatures T ≥ 3 MeV in the case of DDME2 model and T ≥ 1 MeV in the case of NL3 model. Thus, the Urca-process-driven bulk viscosity is computed with the assumption that pure leptonic reactions are frozen. As a result the electronic and muonic Urca channels contribute to the bulk viscosity independently and at certain densities the bulk viscosity of npeμ matter shows a double-peak structure as a function of temperature instead of the standard one-peak (resonant) form. In the final step, we estimate the damping timescales of density oscillations by the bulk viscosity. We find that, e.g., at a typical oscillation frequency f = 1~kHz, the damping of oscillation is most efficient at temperatures 3 ≤ T ≤ 5~MeV and densities n B ≤ 2n 0 where they can affect the evolution of the post-merger object.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Quantum Nature and Mass of the Neutrino. FY20 Annual Laboratory Continuation Progress Report

Over the last 100 years we have learned a much about the neutrino, but there remain interesting questions about this weakly interacting particle. In particular, at LLNL we are developing experiments to measure the mass and the quantum nature of the neutrino. The 2015 long range plan recommended tonne-scale neutrinoless double beta decay experiments as the top new project priority and this experiment will target the quantum nature of the neutrino. The LLNL team is motivated and focused on developing the best technology for this experiment which is a liquid xenon time project chamber called nEXO. On a longer time scale, LLNL is also developing technology to measure the neutrino mass with tritium decay experiments. Work on nEXO at LLNL started in 2015 with an LDRD and program development funds to develop the nEXO concept, publish sensitivity predictions, explore alternatives and risks, and to build a credible project team and this effort is on going. In addition, we received research funding from DOE-SC NP and LLNL manages pre-conceptual R&D for the nEXO collaboration a portion of which is executed at LLNL. The Project 8 effort is solely funded by LLNL LDRD, and ends this year. A second LDRD effort is focused on repurposing cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy for eV-scale X-ray detection. This second effort, while separated from Project 8, still has scientific and technical commonalities with Project 8. The funding for this X-ray detection effort will continue for one more year. LLNL has a long history of building large projects, science projects and time projection chambers, but nEXO is in fact the first project of this scale that LLNL is prepared to lead for DOE-SC NP.We have the tools, skills, people and motivation to make nEXO a reality. The current program development dollars are used to prepare the nEXO concept for down select and CD1. These internal LLNL dollars pay for a number of things including project staff to organize the nEXO collaboration for the various reviews that lie ahead, to develop the draft plans and structure to manage the project as well as setting up an external advisory committee. The current LDRD is exploring alternatives that effect the risk profile as well as possible performance improvements. The DOE-SC NP base funding is targeted at simulation and analysis of the nEXO concept in preparation for the down select and refinement of the understanding of the detector as well as scientific effort on the large xenon test stand (LXTS) that will burn down one of the largest risks to the nEXO project. Lastly, LLNL is leading the pre-conceptual R&D effort and managing the funds for the nEXO collaboration. The results of this effort are reported elsewhere, but the scope of this executed at LLNL will be reported here and is primarily the engineering and construction of the LXTS experiment. The primary technical contribution of LLNL to the Project 8 concept is the formation and study of atomic tritium. Atomic tritium is necessary for Project 8 to reach the ultimate sensitivity. LLNL has considerable experience with tritium and is well suited for this crucial work. Although the focus of this work is strictly fundamental science, there has already been one significant spinoff to develop a new means to measure radio xenon in the air

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Study of neutrino oscillations and flux systematics in the NOvA experiment at Fermilab

The Standard Model of particle physics explains many experimental results using three generations of quarks, leptons, and their interactions, but fails to account for phenomena such as neutrino masses, matter-antimatter asymmetry, gravity, and the hierarchy problem. The study of neutrinos, especially neutrino oscillations, is crucial for advancing Beyond the Standard Model physics and the future of particle physics.newline

Sharma, Prachi [Panjab U.] (ORCID:0000000276586664↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ab initio calculation of the β-decay spectrum of 6 He

Here, we calculate the β spectrum in the decay of 6 He using quantum Monte Carlo methods with nuclear interactions derived from chiral effective field theory and consistent weak vector and axial currents. We work at second order in the multipole expansion, retaining terms suppressed by O(q 2 /m$^{2}_{π}$), where q denotes low-energy scales such as the reaction’s Q value or the electron energy, and m π is the pion mass. We go beyond the impulse approximation by including the effects of two-body vector and axial currents. We estimate the theoretical error on the spectrum by using four potential models in the Norfolk family of local two- and three-nucleon interactions, which have different cutoffs, fit two-nucleon data up to different energies, and use different observables to determine the couplings in the three-body force. We find the theoretical uncertainty on the β spectrum, normalized by the total rate, to be well below the permille level, and to receive contributions of comparable size from first- and second-order corrections in the multipole expansion. We consider corrections to the β decay spectrum induced by beyond-standard-model charged-current interactions in the standard model effective field theory, with and without sterile neutrinos, and discuss the sensitivity of the next generation of experiments to these interactions.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the sodium and iodine scintillation quenching factors across multiple NaI(Tl) detectors to identify systematics

The amount of light produced by nuclear recoils in scintillating targets is strongly quenched compared to that produced by electrons. A precise understanding of the quenching factor is particularly interesting for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) searches and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering ( CE ν NS ) measurements since both rely on nuclear recoils, whereas energy calibrations are more readily accessible from electron recoils. There is a wide variation among the current measurements of the quenching factor in sodium iodide (NaI) crystals, especially below 10 keV, the energy region of interest for dark matter and CE ν NS studies. A better understanding of the quenching factor in NaI(Tl) is of particular interest for resolving the decades-old puzzle in the field of dark matter between the null results of most WIMP searches and the claim for dark matter detection by the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration. In this work, we measured sodium and iodine quenching factors for five small NaI(Tl) crystals grown with similar thallium concentrations and growth procedures. Unlike previous experiments, multiple crystals were tested, with measurements made in the same experimental setup to control systematic effects. The quenching factors agree in all crystals we investigated, and both sodium and iodine quenching factors are smaller than those reported by DAMA/LIBRA. The dominant systematic effect was due to the electron equivalent energy calibration originating from the nonproportional behavior of the NaI(Tl) light yield at lower energies, potentially the cause for the discrepancies among the previous measurements. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-Energy Backgrounds in Solid-State Phonon and Charge Detectors

Solid-state phonon and charge detectors probe the scattering of weakly interacting particles, such as dark matter and neutrinos, through their low recoil thresholds. Recent advancements have pushed sensitivity to eV-scale energy depositions, uncovering previously unseen low-energy excess backgrounds. While some arise from known processes such as thermal radiation, luminescence, and stress, others remain unexplained. This review examines these backgrounds, their possible origins, and parallels to low-energy effects in solids, an understanding of which is essential for interpreting particle interactions at and below the eV scale.

coherent neutrino–nucleus scattering↗
DOE OSTI2026

Physics model enhancements in MARLEY version 2

Large next-generation neutrino detectors, such as those designed for accelerator-based oscillation experiments, are expected to have impressive sensitivity to MeV astrophysical neutrinos generated by the Sun and by supernovae. There are also numerous related prospects to search for MeV-scale phenomena beyond the Standard Model. In contrast to detectors constructed with water and hydrocarbon targets, which will be primarily sensitive to electron antineutrinos via inverse beta decay, the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will provide unparalleled capabilities to measure low-energy electron neutrinos from cosmic sources. Interpreting such future measurements in DUNE will require a high-quality simulation of MeV interaction physics in the argon nucleus. The MARLEY (Model of Argon Reaction Low Energy Yields) neutrino event generator has been designed with the goal of delivering the needed simulation capabilities for DUNE and other argon-based neutrino detectors. In this poster, I will present recent improvements to MARLEY's suite of interaction models, which will be released for general use by the neutrino community in version 2 of the software.

Gardiner, Steven James [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000028↗