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

2. 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 NOvA@LLWI Feb 20142 NO A: ~160 scientists 30 institutions 7 countries Kirk Bays

3. 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) NOvA@LLWI Feb 20143 6 cm 4 cm 16 m long 0.7 mm fibers APD pixels PVC Cells one cell Kirk Bays

4. NOvA@LLWI Feb 20144 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

5. NuMI Beam NOvA@LLWI Feb 20145 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

6. NO A will measure: –  13 –  23 –  m 2 32 And will determine or constrain: –  CP – the mass hierarchy – the octant NOvA@LLWI Feb 20146 Expected physics Cosmic rays: – FD on surface – reject > 99.999% 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

7. Expected physics: Appearance NOvA@LLWI Feb 20147 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

8. Electron Neutrino Appearance Muon Neutrino Disappearance Other Physics NOvA@LLWI Feb 20148 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

9. Expected physics: Other Physics NOvA@LLWI Feb 20149 Supernovas Monopoles WIMP searches Neutrino Magnetic Moment Electron Neutrino Appearance Muon Neutrino Disappearance Other Physics Kirk Bays Sterile Neutrinos Cross Sections … and more!

10. Construction status NOvA@LLWI Feb 201410 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 17 2014 Kirk Bays Near Detector beam

11. 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 NOvA@LLWI Feb 201411 expected background in timing window: 0.05 events Kirk Bays

12. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201412 neutrino beam direction Kirk Bays up sides Candidate Event Display

13. Kirk BaysNOvA@LLWI Feb 201413 neutrino beam direction sides up Candidate Event Display: with Reconstruction vertex

14. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201414 Projected Physics Reach: Disappearance Kirk Bays

15. 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 BaysNOvA@LLWI Feb 201415 Projected Physics Reach: Hierarchy

16. Kirk BaysNOvA@LLWI Feb 201416 Projected Physics Reach: CP and Octant Octant Measurement: – Whether  23 45 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

17. Conclusions Construction nearing completion Beam back on We’ve seen first neutrino candidates! Analyzing first data Watch for more in coming months! NOvA@LLWI Feb 201417Kirk Bays

18. Backup NOvA@LLWI Feb 201418Kirk Bays

19. Projected Physics Reach: Hierarchy NOvA@LLWI Feb 201419 NO A + T2K Kirk Bays

20. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201420 Projected Physics Reach: CP NO A + T2K Kirk Bays

21. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201421 Projected Physics Reach: Octant Kirk Bays

22. NOvA@LLWI Feb 2014 22 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

23. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201423 Detected Spectra Kirk Bays

24. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201424 Projected Physics Reach: Example Contours Kirk Bays

25. Simulation tuning NOvA@LLWI Feb 201425Kirk Bays

26. (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 BaysNOvA@LLWI Feb 201426

27. Kirk BaysNOvA@LLWI Feb 201427

28. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201428 candidate event 1 unzoomed Kirk Bays

29. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201429Kirk Bays

30. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201430Kirk Bays

31. NOvA@LLWI Feb 201431Kirk Bays

32. Oscillation Theory NOvA@LLWI Feb 201432   flavor state i  mass state (in vacuum) PMNS matrix Kirk Bays

33. NDOS (Near Detector On Surface) NOvA@LLWI Feb 201433 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