Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Physics
Journal Title
PHYSICAL REVIEW D
Pub Date
10-30-2017
Volume
96
Issue
7
Abstract
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 x 10(20) 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 upsilon(mu) -> upsilon(mu) transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3 + 1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles theta(24) < 20.8 degrees and theta(34) < 31.2 degrees at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV(2) <= Delta m(41)(2) <= 0.5 eV(2), the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.
Recommended Citation
Adamson, P.; Aliaga, L.; Ambrose, D.; Anfimov, N.; Antoshkin, A.; Arrieta-Diaz, E.; Augsten, K.; Aurisano, A.; Backhouse, C.; Baird, M.; Bambah, B. A.; Bays, K.; Behera, B.; Bending, S.; Bernstein, R.; Bhatnagar, V.; Bhuyan, B.; Bian, J.; Blackburn, T.; Bolshakova, A.; Bromberg, C.; Brown, J.; Brunetti, G.; Buchanan, N.; and Butkevich, A., Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA (2017). PHYSICAL REVIEW D, 96(7).
10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006
