학술논문

Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA
Document Type
article
Source
Physical Review D. 96(7)
Subject
Nuclear and Plasma Physics
Particle and High Energy Physics
Physical Sciences
hep-ex
Astronomical and Space Sciences
Atomic
Molecular
Nuclear
Particle and Plasma Physics
Quantum Physics
Nuclear & Particles Physics
Mathematical physics
Astronomical sciences
Particle and high energy physics
Language
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 6.05×1020 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