No Arabic abstract
Data from the MINOS experiment has been used to search for mixing between muon neutrinos and muon antineutrinos using a time-independent Lorentz-violating formalism derived from the Standard-Model Extension (SME). MINOS is uniquely capable of searching for muon neutrino-antineutrino mixing given its long baseline and ability to distinguish between neutrinos and antineutrinos on an event-by-event basis. Neutrino and antineutrino interactions were observed in the MINOS Near and Far Detectors from an exposure of 10.56$times10^{20}$ protons-on-target from the NuMI neutrino-optimized beam. No evidence was found for such transitions and new, highly stringent limits were placed on the SME coefficients governing them. We place the first limits on the SME parameters $(c_{L})^{TT}_{mumu} $ and $(c_{L})^{TT}_{tautau}$ at $-8.4times10^{-23} < (c_{L})^{TT}_{mumu} < 8.0times10^{-23}$ and $-8.0times10^{-23} < (c_{L})^{TT}_{tautau} < 8.4times10^{-23}$, and the worlds best limits on the $tilde{g}^{ZT}_{muoverline{mu}}$ and $tilde{g}^{ZT}_{tauoverline{tau}}$ parameters at $|tilde{g}^{ZT}_{muoverline{mu}}| < 3.3times 10^{-23}$ and $|tilde{g}^{ZT}_{tauoverline{tau}}| < 3.3times 10^{-23}$, all limits quoted at $3sigma$.
A recently developed Standard-Model Extension (SME) formalism for neutrino oscillations that includes Lorentz and CPT violation is used to analyze the sidereal time variation of the neutrino event excess measured by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) experiment. The LSND experiment, performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, observed an excess, consistent with neutrino oscillations, of ${bar u}_e$ in a beam of ${bar u}_mu$. It is determined that the LSND oscillation signal is consistent with no sidereal variation. However, there are several combinations of SME coefficients that describe the LSND data; both with and without sidereal variations. The scale of Lorentz and CPT violation extracted from the LSND data is of order $10^{-19}$ GeV for the SME coefficients $a_L$ and $E times c_L$. This solution for Lorentz and CPT violating neutrino oscillations may be tested by other short baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, such as the MiniBooNE experiment.
We searched for a sidereal modulation in the rate of neutrinos produced by the NuMI beam and observed by the MINOS far detector. The detection of such harmonic signals could be a signature of neutrino-antineutrino mixing due to Lorentz and CPT violation as described by the Standard Model Extension framework. We found no evidence for these sidereal signals and we placed limits on the coefficients in this theory describing the effect. This is the first report of limits on these neutrino-antineutrino mixing coefficients.
We report the results of a search for $ u_{e}$ appearance in a $ u_{mu}$ beam in the MINOS long-baseline neutrino experiment. With an improved analysis and an increased exposure of $8.2times10^{20}$ protons on the NuMI target at Fermilab, we find that $2sin^2(theta_{23})sin^2(2theta_{13})<0.12 (0.20)$ at 90% confidence level for $deltamathord{=}0$ and the normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, with a best fit of $2sin^2(theta_{23})sin^2(2theta_{13}),mathord{=},0.041^{+0.047}_{-0.031} (0.079^{+0.071}_{-0.053})$. The $theta_{13}mathord{=}0$ hypothesis is disfavored by the MINOS data at the 89% confidence level.
We have searched for sidereal variations in the rate of antineutrino interactions in the MINOS Near Detector. Using antineutrinos produced by the NuMI beam, we find no statistically significant sidereal modulation in the rate. When this result is placed in the context of the Standard Model Extension theory we are able to place upper limits on the coefficients defining the theory. These limits are used in combination with the results from an earlier analysis of MINOS neutrino data to further constrain the coefficients.
The MINOS/MINOS+ experiment has recently reported stringent limits on $ u_mu$ disappearance that appear to rule out the 3+1 sterile neutrino model. However, in this paper we wish to point out problems associated with the MINOS/MINOS+ analysis. In particular, we find that MINOS/MINOS+ has either underestimated their systematic errors and/or has obtained evidence for physics beyond the 3-neutrino paradigm. Either case would invalidate the limits on $ u_mu$ disappearance.