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First search for sterile neutrino oscillation leading to $ν_μ$ disappearance in the Booster Neutrino Beam at ICARUS

ICARUS Collaboration

Abstract

We present a search for muon neutrino disappearance in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab using the ICARUS detector. Neutrino interactions identified as muon neutrinos interacting with argon nuclei via the charged current interaction and having only a muon and at least one proton in the final state (1$μ$Np) have been selected from data collected in 2022-2023 (ICARUS Run 2) and compared with a simulation-based expectation. In the context of a fit to a two-neutrino approximation of the sterile 3+1 model, including the impact of systematic uncertainty from the flux, neutrino interaction, and detector models, we find no statistically significant muon neutrino disappearance at the ICARUS baseline of 600 meters from the BNB target. Corresponding 90% C.L. exclusion contours in $Δm^2_{41}$ - sin$^22θ_{μμ}$ space are presented. This is the first oscillation analysis produced by ICARUS exposed to the BNB. We note that the analysis is systematics limited due to large unconstrained uncertainties from the flux and interaction models. In future joint analyses, data from ICARUS and the SBND detector, exposed to the BNB at 110 meters from target, will be combined to provide significant constraint of these uncertainties, enabling a robust, world-leading two-detector analysis.

First search for sterile neutrino oscillation leading to $ν_μ$ disappearance in the Booster Neutrino Beam at ICARUS

Abstract

We present a search for muon neutrino disappearance in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab using the ICARUS detector. Neutrino interactions identified as muon neutrinos interacting with argon nuclei via the charged current interaction and having only a muon and at least one proton in the final state (1Np) have been selected from data collected in 2022-2023 (ICARUS Run 2) and compared with a simulation-based expectation. In the context of a fit to a two-neutrino approximation of the sterile 3+1 model, including the impact of systematic uncertainty from the flux, neutrino interaction, and detector models, we find no statistically significant muon neutrino disappearance at the ICARUS baseline of 600 meters from the BNB target. Corresponding 90% C.L. exclusion contours in - sin space are presented. This is the first oscillation analysis produced by ICARUS exposed to the BNB. We note that the analysis is systematics limited due to large unconstrained uncertainties from the flux and interaction models. In future joint analyses, data from ICARUS and the SBND detector, exposed to the BNB at 110 meters from target, will be combined to provide significant constraint of these uncertainties, enabling a robust, world-leading two-detector analysis.
Paper Structure (36 sections, 8 equations, 35 figures, 7 tables)

This paper contains 36 sections, 8 equations, 35 figures, 7 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Short-Baseline Oscillation and Sterile Neutrinos
  3. Beam and Detector
  4. Data
  5. Simulation and Reconstruction
  6. Simulation
  7. Raw Signal Processing and Calibration
  8. Track, shower and event reconstruction
  9. Event Selection
  10. Selection Criteria
  11. Efficiency, purity and background estimation
  12. Selected Events
  13. Validation and Pandora-SPINE Comparison
  14. Systematic Uncertainty
  15. Flux Systematics
  16. ...and 21 more sections

Figures (35)

  • Figure 1: Predicted BNB flux by neutrino species at ICARUS. The flux simulation was developed by MiniBooNE MiniBooNE:2008hfu and MicroBooNE uboonefluxpubnote and is based on Geant4Agostinelli2003Geant4, with corrections applied to the pion production cross section using a Sanford--Wang parameterization fitted to HARP Schmitz:2008zz and E910 E910:2007puw data. Parent hadron decays to neutrinos are sampled over the front face of the ICARUS detector, where the flux is predicted to vary by less than 4%.
  • Figure 2: The deviation of the data quality metrics from their respective means for each run that passed pre-filtering. The dashed line represents no deviation from the global mean of that quantity. The blue, green, and yellow bands represent the regions 1, 2, and 3 standard deviations from the mean, respectively. Any metric marked in red falls outside out the 3$\sigma$ region and the corresponding runs are flagged as poor data quality.
  • Figure 3: (Top) Triggering flash time distribution for on-beam (blue) and off-beam (orange) Run 2 majority triggers (top), normalized to the same exposure, and the corresponding on-beam/off-beam ratio (bottom). A clear beam induced excess is observed in the [-.3,1.3]$~\mu s$ beam spill window. The on-beam/off-beam ratio in the region $[1.3,1.6]~\mu$s is calculated and found to be consistent with 1.0 as expected. (Bottom) On-/off-beam ratio in the region $[1.3,1.6]~\mu$s of the top panel for four two-month periods, with statistical uncertainties. The dotted line and red band indicate the fitted ratio and 1$\sigma$ error for the full period.
  • Figure 4: Examples of 1$\mu$1p (top) and 1$\mu$2p (bottom) candidate events observed in Run 2 data. In the upper part of the top figure overlapping cosmic activity is also visible. The color scale indicates the energy deposition of each particle.
  • Figure 5: True $1\mu \text{N}p$ visible energy spectrum selected by truth criteria. The true interaction type is indicated by color. The rate is scaled to the exposure of Run 2, 1.6 $\times 10^{20}$ POT.
  • ...and 30 more figures