Status of the NO A Experiment Kirk Bays (Caltech) on behalf of the NO A collaboration Lake Louise Winter Institute Saturday, Feb 22, 2014

NO A Overview Source: NuMI beam (FNAL) Far Det (FD) and Near Det (ND) Liquid Scintillator, APDs High resolution tracking calorimeter Appearance and disappearance oscillation physics Feb NO A: ~160 scientists 30 institutions 7 countries Kirk Bays

NO A Detector Cells Cells filled with liquid scintillator, wavelength shifting optical fiber Fiber traps light, channels it to an Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) One APD per 32 fibers (~85% QE) Feb cm 4 cm 16 m long 0.7 mm fibers APD pixels PVC Cells one cell Kirk Bays

Feb Radiation length = 38 cm = 6-10 cells FD (at Ash River, MN, 810 km baseline): – 16m x 16m x 60m, 14kton, above ground – ~2/3 LS by mass, ~344,000 cells, 28x32 planes ND (at Fermilab, 1km along beam): – 4m x 4m x 14m, 0.3kton, 105 m underground – ~18,000 cells, design identical to FD 16 m square FD Hall layers alternate direction NO A Detector Design

NuMI Beam Feb NO A detectors 14 mrad off-axis This tightly peaks the beam energy at 2 GeV, optimizing physics > 1.35e20 POT delivered since restart Kirk Bays

NO A will measure: –  13 –  23 –  m 2 32 And will determine or constrain: –  CP – the mass hierarchy – the octant Feb Expected physics Cosmic rays: – FD on surface – reject > % for fully contained sample with < 5% loss in efficiency NC: – reject > 95% of NC – ~20% loss in efficiency Important Backgrounds: Kirk Bays Neutrino parameters all interact Plotting one requires assuming values for others

Expected physics: Appearance Feb Electron Neutrino Appearance Muon Neutrino Disappearance Other Physics Statistics: 100 events / 6 years For 3 yrs + 3 yrs anti- 6e20 POT/yr Background cuts included Signal: 68 / 32 anti- Background: 29 NC / 5  CC /13 beam e Signature: – EM shower, no muon – contained – beam directed Kirk Bays e + p e + n  e - + X EM shower 2 GeV Visible E simulated event

Electron Neutrino Appearance Muon Neutrino Disappearance Other Physics Feb Signature: – high energy muon – contained – beam directed Expected physics: Disappearance Statistics: 740 events / 6 years 1 year, full beam/detector /anti- mode (0-5 GeV vis E, after cuts) : total: 160/86 clear fully contained QE: 27/16 other fully contained: 55/26 uncontained: 78/45 Kirk Bays + p Quasi-elastic (QE):  + n   - + p Resonance (RES):  + n   - + n +  + Deep Inelastic Scatt. (DIS):  + n   - + c 1 n + c 2  muon proton Michel e - 2 GeV Visible E simulated event

Expected physics: Other Physics Feb Supernovas Monopoles WIMP searches Neutrino Magnetic Moment Electron Neutrino Appearance Muon Neutrino Disappearance Other Physics Kirk Bays Sterile Neutrinos Cross Sections … and more!

Construction status Feb Far Detector: Last block nearly complete 90% full of scintillator 11 blocks instrumented Complete this summer Data is being recorded now Near Detector: All blocks built! Scintillator filling now APD installation in April FD status Feb Kirk Bays Near Detector beam

First Data Collecting data since the NuMI beam restarted In a combination of hand scanning and preliminary analyses, have identified first neutrino candidates at far detector Candidates confirm our timing is properly aligned Feb expected background in timing window: 0.05 events Kirk Bays

Feb neutrino beam direction Kirk Bays up sides Candidate Event Display

Kirk Feb neutrino beam direction sides up Candidate Event Display: with Reconstruction vertex

Feb Projected Physics Reach: Disappearance Kirk Bays

How well we can measure hierarchy depends on value of  CP 3  /2 optimal for normal hierarchy measurement,  /2 optimal for inverted Can combine with T2K data to get > 1  significance everywhere Kirk Feb Projected Physics Reach: Hierarchy

Kirk Feb Projected Physics Reach: CP and Octant Octant Measurement: – Whether  o – At least 2  significance, no matter  CP – Combines disappearance and appearance data CP: – Can constrain, depending on value –  /2 and 3  /2 optimal for measurement

Conclusions Construction nearing completion Beam back on We’ve seen first neutrino candidates! Analyzing first data Watch for more in coming months! Feb Kirk Bays

Backup Feb Kirk Bays

Projected Physics Reach: Hierarchy Feb NO A + T2K Kirk Bays

Feb Projected Physics Reach: CP NO A + T2K Kirk Bays

Feb Projected Physics Reach: Octant Kirk Bays

Feb APD Photodetector Manufacturer Pixel Active Area1.95 mm × 1.0 mm Pixel Pitch2.65 mm Array Size32 pixels Die Size15.34mm × 13.64mm Quantum Efficiency (>525 nm)85% Pixel Capacitance10 pF Bulk Dark Current (I B ) at 25 C12.5 pA Bulk Dark Current (I B ) at -15 C0.25 pA Peak Sensitivity600 nm Operating Voltage375 ± 50 volts Gain at Operating Voltage100 Operating Temperature (with Thermo-Electric Cooler) -15 º C Expected Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Muon at Far End of Cell) 10:1 APD channels per plane384 APD arrays per plane12 Total number of planes930 Total Number of APD arrays11,160 APD pixels total357,120

Feb Detected Spectra Kirk Bays

Feb Projected Physics Reach: Example Contours Kirk Bays

Simulation tuning Feb Kirk Bays

(simulated events with 2 GeV visible) X 0 = 38 cm (6 cell depths, 10 cell widths) + p e + p 0 + p gap muon EM shower proton 1 meter Michel e - Kirk Feb

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Feb candidate event 1 unzoomed Kirk Bays

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Oscillation Theory Feb   flavor state i  mass state (in vacuum) PMNS matrix Kirk Bays

NDOS (Near Detector On Surface) Feb Prototype detector, completed May 2011 Still running! Can see neutrinos since NuMI beam restart Useful for checking beam timing Physics analyses on all past data ongoing 3x4x13m, same cellular fine resolution design Muon catcher (steel planes) in most downstream end Kirk Bays