Study of neutrino physics in MicroBooNE
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
Previous neutrino experiments have observed an unexpected excess of events, potentially indicating a new type of neutrino - the sterile neutrino. If confirmed, this new particle would be definite proof of physics beyond the Standard Model and finding new physics has been the holy grail of all particle physicists. The Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) programme at Fermilab in the US has been designed to directly address these anomalies and will have a definite answer to this long-lasting puzzle. MicroBooNE is the first detector of the SBN programme. The 170t liquid argon detector started to record neutrino data in the Fall 2015 and the collaboration is now working on data analysis. The excellent image resolution of the MicroBooNE detector offers great efficiency for neutrino detection, but also poses some image analysis challenges. Image reconstruction techniques are at the heart of the current efforts dedicated to these state-of-the-art detectors. The physics programme of MicroBooNE is broad, oscillation physics, interaction studies, exotic physics searches... However, the main goal is to search for neutrino oscillations that could demonstrate the presence of the proposed sterile neutrinos. This project will aim at studying neutrinos with MicroBooNE, with a focus on the electron-neutrino interactions. Electron neutrinos are the key to MicroBooNE's main physics analysis and they represent a considerable challenge for event reconstruction. While significant progress have been recently achieved regarding electron reconstruction, a lot of work remains to be done to accomplish the flagship analysis. Many cutting-edge reconstruction techniques have been proposed to overcome the electron reconstruction challenges and the student will implement and study the impact of some of this techniques. This work, to be performed early in the student's training, will offer a unique opportunity to participate in the sterile neutrino search, which will have tremendous impact in the physics community. In addition to addressing the mystery of the previously observed excess of events, this project will have considerable impact on the large-scale DUNE project, being built in the US. Electron neutrinos will be the main signal analysed by the DUNE collaboration and this project will lay some groundwork in electron reconstruction that will be highly valuable for DUNE analyses. In more details, the student will get familiar with the MicroBooNE experiment and software and will be required to take regular "data taking shifts". After being involved in the electron reconstruction software development, the student will perform the electron-neutrino analysis. Since MicroBooNE and DUNE are both part of the STFC Particle Physics strategic plan, this work is in perfect alignment with the UK priorities. In addition, liquid argon detectors are used in many different experiments (MicroBooNE, SBND, protoDUNE and DUNE) and many other fields of particle physics, such as Dark Matter searches and Neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments, use similar detector technologies. The skills that the student will learn will be directly transferable to these current and future projects. Finally, computing and hardware techniques developed for the project will also be highly relevant to the industries doing pattern recognition software development or medical instrument development.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N504233/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1793776 | Studentship | ST/N504233/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/03/2020 | Wouter Van De Pontseele |
| Description | This award enabled me to characterise different spurious signals in the MicroBooNE experiment. Being located near the surface, MicroBooNe is subject to a continuous bombardment of cosmic originating particles, especially muons. For the first time, I combined the different detector sub-systems to arrive at a muon rate measurement. This measurement is essential for the second part of the result. During my award, significant progress was made by me, supported by the larger collaboration to select electron neutrinos. These particles hold the key to the fundamental question the MicroBooNE experiment is trying to address: Are there additional degrees of freedom in the neutrino sector of the Standard Model. This question is closely related to the existence of a sterile neutrino. |
| Exploitation Route | A set of high-profile liquid argon time projection chamber neutrino experiments is being built. This is the exact same technology as was developed by MicroBooNE, The results I obtained supported with this award are already and will help the collaborations of these near-future experiments to correctly estimate and model their background signals. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.14324 |
| Description | Clarendon Scholarship (3.5 year living expenses) |
| Amount | £44,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Ref. GAF1617_CB2_ MPLS_1035944_VAR |
| Organisation | Oxford University Press |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2016 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | Jesus College Graduacte Research Allowance |
| Amount | £2,400 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Jesus College |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2016 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | MicroBooNE Collaboration |
| Organisation | Fermilab - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory |
| Department | MicroBooNE Experiment |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The Oxford group is an important part of the MicroBooNE collaboration. COntributions were made towards the main analyses of the experiment: - Muon neutrino charged current inclusive cross-section measurement. - Low energy electron neutrino appearance study to resolve the MiniBooNE low energy excess. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration consists of 179 scientists from 31 institutions. This is essential to build, fund and monitor the detector and analyse the gathered data. The collaboration publishes around 3-8 paper a year currently in world leading journals and members presents at important particle physics conferences all over the world. |
| Impact | The output of the collaboration can be found at: https://microboone.fnal.gov/documents-publications/ |
| Start Year | 2008 |
| Description | Visiting Research Fellow of the Department of Physics at Harvard University |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | My supervisor, Prof Roxanne Guenette moved to Harvard after the first year of my PhD. I spend most of my time located at Harvard while maintaining close connections with the University of Oxford. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The University of Harvard and the research group of Prof. Guenette supports my research and assist me with guidance and advise. |
| Impact | Being member of the Harvard community enables me to have access to additional travel funding and attend a wide scala of colloquiums and seminars. |
| Start Year | 2017 |