Sterile Neutrinos in Cold Climates

Measurements of neutrino oscillations at short baselines contain an intriguing set of experimental anomalies that may be suggestive of new physics such as the existence of sterile neutrinos. This three-part thesis presents research directed towards understanding these anomalies and searching for sterile neutrino oscillations. Part I contains a theoretical discussion of neutrino coherence properties. The open-quantum-system picture of neutrino beams, which allows a rigorous prediction of coherence distances for accelerator neutrinos, is presented. Validity of the standard treatment of active and sterile neutrino oscillations at short baselines is verified and non-standard coherence loss effects at longer baselines are predicted. Part II concerns liquid argon detector development for the MicroBooNE experiment, which will search for short-baseline oscillations in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. Topics include characterization and installation of the MicroBooNE optical system; test-stand measurements of liquid argon optical properties with dissolved impurities; optimization of wavelength-shifting coatings for liquid argon scintillation light detection; testing and deployment of high-voltage surge arrestors to protect TPC field cages; and software development for optical and TPC simulation and reconstruction. Part III presents a search for sterile neutrinos using the IceCube neutrino telescope, which has collected a large sample of atmospheric-neutrino-induced events in the 1-10 TeV energy range. Sterile neutrinos would modify the detected neutrino flux shape via MSW-resonant oscillations. Following a careful treatment of systematic uncertainties in the sample, no evidence for MSW-resonant oscillations is observed, and exclusion limits on 3+1 model parameter space are derived. Under the mixing assumptions made, the 90\% confidence level exclusion limit extends to

\mathrm{sin}^2 2\theta_{24} \leq 0.02

at

\Delta m^2 \sim 0.3\,eV^2

, and the LSND and MiniBooNE allowed regions are excluded at~>99\% confidence level.

physics of elementary particles and fields
instrumentation related to nuclear science and technology
neutrinos
time projection chambers
argon
neutrino beams
ev range
neutrino oscillation
tev range 01-10
liquids

References(346)

Figures(0)

[1]

Dynamical pion collapse and the coherence of conventional neutrino beams

B.J.P. Jones
(
- MIT
)

- Phys.Rev.D 91 (2015) 5, 053002
•
e-Print:
- 1412.2264
•
DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.91.053002

[2]

Testing of Cryogenic Photomultiplier Tubes for the MicroBooNE Experiment

T. Briese
(
- Winona State U.
)
,
L. Bugel
(
- MIT, Cambridge, Dept. Phys.
)
,
J.M. Conrad
(
- MIT, Cambridge, Dept. Phys.
)
,
M. Fournier
(
- Winona State U.
)
,
C. Ignarra
(
- MIT, Cambridge, Dept. Phys.
)

et al.

- JINST 8 (2013) T07005
•
e-Print:
- 1304.0821
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/07/T07005

[3]

The Photomultiplier Tube Calibration System of the MicroBooNE Experiment

MicroBooNE

Collaboration

•

J. Conrad
(
- MIT
)

et al.

- JINST 10 (2015) 06, T06001
•
e-Print:
- 1502.04159
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/10/06/T06001

[4]

Results from the Bo Liquid Argon Scintillation Test Stand at Fermilab

B.J.P. Jones
(
- MIT
)

- JINST 8 (2013) C09003
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/09/C09003

[5]

A Measurement of the Absorption of Liquid Argon Scintillation Light by Dissolved Nitrogen at the Part-Per-Million Level

et al.

- JINST 8 (2013) P07011,
- JINST 8 (2013) E09001 (erratum)
•
e-Print:
- 1306.4605
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/07/P07011

[6]

The Effects of Dissolved Methane upon Liquid Argon Scintillation Light

B.J.P. Jones
(
- MIT
)
,
T. Alexander
(
- Massachusetts U., Amherst
)
,
H.O. Back
(
- Princeton U.
)
,
G. Collin
(
- MIT
)
,
J.M. Conrad
(
- MIT
)

et al.

- JINST 8 (2013) P12015
•
e-Print:
- 1308.3658
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/12/P12015

[7]

Benchmarking TPB-coated Light Guides for Liquid Argon TPC Light Detection Systems

et al.

e-Print:
- 1210.3793

[8]

Demonstration of a Lightguide Detector for Liquid Argon TPCs

et al.

- Nucl.Instrum.Meth.A 640 (2011) 69-75
•
e-Print:
- 1101.3013
•
DOI:
- 10.1016/j.nima.2011.03.003

[9]

A simulation of the optical attenuation of TPB coated light-guidedetectors

B.J.P. Jones
(
- MIT
)

- JINST 8 (2013) C10015
•
e-Print:
- 1307.6906
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/10/C10015

[10]

Improved TPB-coated Light Guides for Liquid Argon TPC Light Detection Systems

et al.

- JINST 10 (2015) 08, P08017
•
e-Print:
- 1410.6256
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/10/08/P08017

[11]

Environmental Effects on TPB Wavelength-Shifting Coatings

et al.

- JINST 7 (2012) P07007
•
e-Print:
- 1204.5762
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/7/07/P07007

[12]

Photodegradation Mechanisms of Tetraphenyl Butadiene Coatings for Liquid Argon Detectors

- JINST 8 (2013) P01013
•
e-Print:
- 1211.7150
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/8/01/P01013

[13]

Breakdown Voltage of Metal-Oxide Resistors in Liquid Argon

et al.

- JINST 9 (2014) 11, T11004
•
e-Print:
- 1408.4013
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/9/11/T11004

[14]

Testing of High Voltage Surge Protection Devices for Use in Liquid Argon TPC Detectors

et al.

- JINST 9 (2014) P09002
•
e-Print:
- 1406.5216
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1748-0221/9/09/P09002

[15]

A Proposal for a Three Detector Short-Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Program in the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam

Collaborations

•

R. Acciarri
(
- Fermilab
)

et al.

e-Print:
- 1503.01520

[16]

Dear radioactive ladies and gentlemen

W. Pauli
(
- Zurich, ETH
)

- Phys.Today 31N9 (1978) 27

[17]

Possible Existence of a Neutron

J. Chadwick
(
- Cambridge U.
)

- Nature 129 (1932) 312,
- In *Cahn, R.N., Goldhaber, G.: The experimental foundations of particle physics*, p.9
•
DOI:
- 10.1038/129312a0

[18]

Trends to a Theory of beta Radiation. (In Italian)

E. Fermi
(
- Rome U.
)

- Nuovo Cim. 11 (1934) 1-19,
- Reprinted in *Bologna 1984, Proceedings, Fifty years of weak-interaction physics* 535-553
•
DOI:
- 10.1007/BF02959820

[19]

The 'neutrino'

H. Bethe
(
- Manchester U.
)
,
R. Peierls
(
- Manchester U.
)

- Nature 133 (1934) 532,
- In *Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, H.V.: Sixty years of double beta decay* 102,
- In *Bethe, A.: Selected works* 220-221
•
DOI:
- 10.1038/133532a0