The diffuse supernova relic neutrino signal has never been observed. Currently the world's best upper flux limit comes from a search for inverse beta decay of anti-neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande ...(SK) detector. A new SK study utilizes a novel method of spallation tagging, improved event selection, and an expanded data set to lower the analysis energy threshold and improve overall accuracy. Full results of this new study (including a combined upper flux limit of 2.8−3.1 e events cm−2 s−1 Eν > 17.3 MeV) are presented, as well as a short update on the research and development of using Gadolinium for neutron tagging.
Upgraded electronics, improved water system dynamics, better calibration and analysis techniques allowed Super-Kamiokande-IV to clearly observe very low-energy B8 solar neutrino interactions, with ...recoil electron kinetic energies as low as ∼3.5 MeV. Super-Kamiokande-IV data-taking began in September of 2008; this paper includes data until February 2014, a total livetime of 1664 days. The measured solar neutrino flux is (2.308±0.020(stat)−0.040+0.039(syst))×106/(cm2 sec) assuming no oscillations. The observed recoil electron energy spectrum is consistent with no distortions due to neutrino oscillations. An extended maximum likelihood fit to the amplitude of the expected solar zenith angle variation of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering rate in SK-IV results in a day/night asymmetry of (−3.6±1.6(stat)±0.6(syst))%. The SK-IV solar neutrino data determine the solar mixing angle as sin2θ12=0.327−0.031+0.026, all SK solar data (SK-I, SK-II, SK III and SK-IV) measures this angle to be sin2θ12=0.334−0.023+0.027, the determined mass-squared splitting is Δm212=4.8−0.8+1.5×10−5 eV2.
We present the results of searches for nucleon decay via n→νover ¯π0 and p→νover ¯π+ using data from a combined 172.8 kt·yr exposure of Super-Kamiokande-I,-II, and-III. We set lower limits on the ...partial lifetime for each of these modes: τn→νover ¯π0>1.1×10(33) years and τp→νover ¯π+>3.9×10(32) years at a 90% confidence level.
We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA ...detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05×1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5±9.7(stat)±9.4(syst) events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ→νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3+1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24<20.8° and θ34<31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2≤Δm412≤0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.
We present the result of an indirect search for high energy neutrinos from Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) annihilation in the Sun using upward-going muon (upmu) events at ...Super-Kamiokande. Data sets from SKI-SKIII (3109.6 days) were used for the analysis. We looked for an excess of neutrino signal from the Sun as compared with the expected atmospheric neutrino background in three upmu categories: stopping, non-showering, and showering. No significant excess was observed. The 90% C.L. upper limits of upmu flux induced by WIMPs of 100 GeV c-2 were 6.4 X 10--15 cm--2 s--1 and 4.0 X 10--15 cm--2 s--1 for the soft and hard annihilation channels, respectively. These limits correspond to upper limits of 4.5 X 10--39 cm--2 and 2.7 X 10--40 cm--2 for spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross sections in the soft and hard annihilation channels, respectively.
Used for both proton decay searches and neutrino physics, large water Cherenkov (WC) detectors have been very successful tools in particle physics. They are notable for their large masses and charged ...particle detection capabilities. While current WC detectors reconstruct charged particle tracks over a wide energy range, they cannot efficiently detect neutrons. Gadolinium (Gd) has the largest thermal neutron capture cross section of all stable nuclei and produces an 8 MeV gamma cascade that can be detected with high efficiency. Because of the many new physics opportunities that neutron tagging with a Gd salt dissolved in water would open up, a large-scale R&D program called EGADS was established to demonstrate this technique’s feasibility. EGADS features all the components of a WC detector, chiefly a 200-ton stainless steel water tank furnished with 240 photo-detectors, DAQ, and a water system that removes all impurities from water while keeping Gd in solution. In this paper we discuss the milestones towards demonstrating the feasibility of this novel technique, and the features of EGADS in detail.
The diffuse supernova relic neutrino signal has never been observed. Currently the world's best upper flux limit comes from a search for inverse beta decay of anti-neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande ...(SK) detector. A new SK study utilizes a novel method of spallation tagging, improved event selection, and an expanded data set to lower the analysis energy threshold and improve overall accuracy. Full results of this new study (including a combined upper flux limit of 2.8-3.1 v sub(e) events cm super(-2) s super(-1), E sub(v) > 17.3 MeV) are presented, as well as a short update on the research and development of using Gadolinium for neutron tagging.
The cross section of neutrino-induced neutral-current coherent $\pi^0$ production on a carbon-dominated target is measured in the NOvA near detector. This measurement uses a narrow-band neutrino beam ...with the average neutrino energy of 2.7\,GeV, xwhich is of interest to the ongoing and future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. The measured, flux-averaged cross section is $\sigma = 14.0\pm0.9$\,(stat.)$\pm2.1$\,(syst.)$\times 10^{-40}$ $\text{cm}^2/$nucleus, consistent with model prediction. This result is the most precise measurement of neutral-current coherent $\pi^0$ production in the few-GeV neutrino energy region.
We present updated results from the NOvA experiment for $\nu_\mu\rightarrow\nu_\mu$ and $\nu_\mu\rightarrow\nu_e$ oscillations from an exposure of $8.85\times10^{20}$ protons on target, which ...represents an increase of 46% compared to our previous publication. The results utilize significant improvements in both the simulations and analysis of the data. A joint fit to the data for $\nu_\mu$ disappearance and $\nu_e$ appearance gives the best fit point as normal mass hierarchy, $\Delta m^2_{32} = 2.44\times 10^{-3}{{\rm eV}^2}/c^4$, $\sin^2\theta_{23} = 0.56$, and $\delta_{CP} = 1.21\pi$. The 68.3% confidence intervals in the normal mass hierarchy are $\Delta m^2_{32} \in 2.37,2.52\times 10^{-3}{{\rm eV}^2}/c^4$, $\sin^2\theta_{23} \in 0.43,0.51 \cup 0.52,0.60$, and $\delta_{CP} \in 0,0.12\pi \cup 0.91\pi,2\pi$. The inverted mass hierarchy is disfavored at the 95% confidence level for all choices of the other oscillation parameters.
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