Measurement of muon antineutrino disappearance in the T2K Experiment
Date
2016-07-22
Authors
Myslik, Jordan William
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Abstract
The T2K ("Tokai-to-Kamioka") Experiment is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. A beam of primarily muon neutrinos (in neutrino beam mode) or antineutrinos (in antineutrino beam mode) is produced at the J-PARC ("Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex") facility. The near detector (ND280), located 280 m from the proton beam target, measures a large event rate of neutrino interactions in the unoscillated beam, while the far detector, Super-Kamiokande, 295 km away, searches for the signatures of neutrino oscillation. This dissertation describes the analyses of data at ND280 and Super-Kamiokande leading to T2K's first results from running in antineutrino beam mode: a measurement of muon antineutrino disappearance. The measured values of the antineutrino oscillation parameters (Normal Hierarchy) are (sin²(θ̅₂₃), |Δm̅²₃₂|) = (0.450, 2.518 x 10ˉ³ eV²/c⁴), with 90% 1D confidence intervals 0.327 < sin²(θ̅₂₃) < 0.692 and 2.03 x 10ˉ³ eV²/c⁴ < |Δm̅²₃₂| < 2.92 x 10ˉ³ eV²/c⁴. These results are consistent with past measurements of these parameters by other experiments, and with T2K's past measurements of muon neutrinos.
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Keywords
T2K, neutrino oscillation, muon antineutrino disappearance, near detector, ND280, ND280 contribution to oscillation analysis, antineutrino beam mode, TPC, Time Projection Chamber, Gas Handling System, Super-Kamiokande