In this poster, we present a search for disappearance of active neutrinos over a baseline of 735 km using the NuMI neutrino beam and the MINOS detectors. The data analyzed correspond to an exposure of 7.1×1020 protons-on-target. MINOS utilizes the most powerful neutrino beam currently in operation measured in two locations: a near detector at Fermilab, 1 km downstream of beam production, and a far detector, 734 km further away, in northern Minnesota. The poster characterizes the MINOS ability to measure neutral-current neutrino interactions, outlines the event selection methods employed and describes results obtained for three-flavour and four-flavour neutrino oscillation models.

As first observed by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, the $\p0p0$ invariant mass (M00) distribution from $\kcnn$ decay shows a cusp-like anomaly at M00=2m+, where m+ is the charged pion mass. An analysis to extract the pi pi scattering lengths in the isospin I=0 and I=2 states, a0 and a2, respectively, has been recently reported. In the present work the Dalitz plot of this decay is fitted to a new empirical parameterization suitable for practical purposes, such as Monte Carlo simulations of K+- -> pi+- pi0 pi0 decays.

The energy dependence of the neutrino-iron and antineutrino-iron inclusive charged-current cross sections and their ratio have been measured using a high-statistics sample with the MINOS near detector exposed to the NuMI beam from the main injector at Fermilab. Neutrino and antineutrino fluxes were determined using a low hadronic energy subsample of charged-current events. We report measurements of nu-Fe ((nu) over bar - Fe) cross section in the energy range 3-50 GeV (5-50 GeV) with precision of 2%-8% (3%-9%) and their ratio which is measured with precision 2%-8%. The data set spans the region from low energy, where accurate measurements are sparse, up to the high-energy scaling region where the cross section is well understood.

The temperature of the upper atmosphere affects the height of primary cosmic ray interactions and the production of high-energy cosmic ray muons which can be detected deep underground. The MINOS far detector at Soudan MN, USA, has collected over 67 million cosmic ray induced muons. The underground muon rate measured over a period of five years exhibits a 4% peak-to-peak seasonal variation which is highly correlated with the temperature in the upper atmosphere. The coefficient, $\alpha_T$, relating changes in the muon rate to changes in atmospheric temperature was found to be: $\alpha_T = 0.874 \pm 0.009$ (stat.) $\pm 0.010$ (syst.). Pions and kaons in the primary hadronic interactions of cosmic rays in the atmosphere contribute differently to $\alpha_T$ due to the different masses and lifetimes. This allows the measured value of $\alpha_T$ to be interpreted as a measurement of the K/$\pi$ ratio for $E_{p}\gtrsim$\unit[7]{TeV} of $0.13 \pm 0.08$, consistent with the expectation from collider experiments.

As first observed by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, the ππ invariant mass (M00) distribution from K ± → πππ decay shows a cusp-like anomaly at M00 = 2m+, where m+ is the charged pion mass. An analysis to extract the ππ scattering lengths in the isospin I = 0 and I = 2 states, a0 and a2, respectively, has been recently reported. In the present work the Dalitz plot of this decay is fitted to a new empirical parameterization suitable for practical purposes, such as Monte Carlo simulations of K → πππ decays.

The rate of high energy cosmic ray muons as measured underground is shown to be strongly correlated with upper‐air temperatures during short‐term atmospheric (10‐day) events. The effects are seen by correlating data from the MINOS underground detector and temperatures from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts during the winter periods from 2003–2007. This effect provides an independent technique for the measurement of meteorological conditions and presents a unique opportunity to measure both short and long‐term changes in this important part of the atmosphere.

A sample of 7253 K±→π±e+e−(γ) decay candidates with 1.0% background contamination has been collected by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, which allowed a precise measurement of the decay properties. The branching ratio in the full kinematic range was measured to be BR=(3.11±0.12)×10−7, where the uncertainty includes also the model dependence. The shape of the form factor W(z), where z=(Mee/MK)2, was parameterized according to several models, and, in particular, the slope δ of the linear form factor W(z)=W0(1+δz) was determined to be δ=2.32±0.18. A possible CP violating asymmetry of K+ and K− decay widths was investigated, and a conservative upper limit of 2.1×10−2 at 90% CL was established.

We report the results from a study of the full sample of ∼ 6.031 × 10 K → πππ decays recorded by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS. As first observed in this experiment, the ππ invariant mass (M00) distribution shows a cusp-like anomaly in the region around M00 = 2m+, where m+ is the charged pion mass. This anomaly has been interpreted as an effect due mainly to the final state charge exchange scattering process ππ → ππ in K → πππ decay. Fits to the M00 distribution using two different theoretical formulations provide the presently most precise determination of a0 − a2, the difference between the ππ S-wave scattering lengths in the isospin I = 0 and I = 2 states. Higher-order ππ rescattering terms, included in the two formulations, allow also an independent, though less precise, determination of a2. PACS. 13.25.Es Decays of K mesons – 13.75.Lb Meson-meson interactions – 13.40.Ks Electromagnetic corrections to strongand weak-interaction processes – 14.40.Aq π, K and η 2 J.R. Batley et al.: Determination of the S-wave ππ scattering lengths from a study of K → πππ decays

A sample of 7253 K{sup {+-}} {yields} {pi}{sup {+-}}e{sup +}e{sup -}({gamma}) decay candidates with 1.0% background contamination has been collected by the NA 48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, which allowed a precise measurement of the decay properties. The branching ratio in the full kinematic range was measured to be BR = (3.11 {+-} 0.12) x 10{sup -7}, where the uncertainty includes also the model dependence. The shape of the form factor W(z), where z = (M{sub ee}/M{sub K}){sup 2}, was parameterized according to several models, and, in particular, the slope {delta} of the linear form factor W(z) = W{sub 0}(1 + {delta}z) was determined to be {delta} = 2.32 {+-} 0.18. A possible CP violating asymmetry of K{sup +} and K{sup -} decay widths was investigated, and a conservative upper limit of 2.1 x 10{sup -2} at 90% CL was established.

We report the results from a study of the full sample of ∼6.031×10 7 K ± → π ± π 0 π 0 decays recorded by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS. As first observed in this experiment, the π 0 π 0 invariant mass ( M 00 ) distribution shows a cusp-like anomaly in the region around M 00 =2 m + , where m + is the charged pion mass. This anomaly has been interpreted as an effect due mainly to the final state charge exchange scattering process π + π − → π 0 π 0 in K ± → π ± π + π − decay. Fits to the M 00 distribution using two different theoretical formulations provide the presently most precise determination of a 0 − a 2 , the difference between the π π S-wave scattering lengths in the isospin I =0 and I =2 states. Higher-order π π rescattering terms, included in the two formulations, allow also an independent, though less precise, determination of a 2 .

We report the results of a search for ν_μ disappearance by the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search [D. G. Michael et al. (MINOS), Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 191801 (2006).]. The experiment uses two detectors separated by 734 km to observe a beam of neutrinos created by the Neutrinos at the Main Injector facility at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data were collected in the first 282 days of beam operations and correspond to an exposure of 1.27×10^(20) protons on target. Based on measurements in the Near Detector, in the absence of neutrino oscillations we expected 336±14 ν_μ charged-current interactions at the Far Detector but observed 215. This deficit of events corresponds to a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The deficit is energy dependent and is consistent with two-flavor neutrino oscillations according to |Δm^2|=2.74^(+0.44)_(−0.26)×10^(−3)  eV^2/c^4 and sin^22θ>0.87 at 68% confidence level.

We report results from a new measurement of the K e4 decay K ± →π + π - e ± ν by the NA48/2 collaboration at the CERN SPS, based on a partial sample of more than 670 000 K e4 decays in both charged modes collected in 2003. The form factors of the hadronic current (F,G,H) and ππ phase difference (δ=δ s -δ p ) have been measured in ten independent bins of the ππ mass spectrum to investigate their variation. A sizeable acceptance at large ππ mass, a low background and a very good resolution contribute to an improved experimental accuracy, a factor two better than in the previous measurement, when extracting the ππ scattering lengths a 0 0 and a 0 2 . Under the assumption of isospin symmetry and using numerical solutions of the Roy equations, the following values are obtained in the plane (a 0 0 ,a 0 2 ): a 0 0 =0.233±0.016stat±0.007syst,a 0 2 =-0.0471±0.011stat±0.004syst. The presence of potentially large isospin effects is also considered and will allow comparison with precise predictions from Chiral Perturbation Theory.

A search for a sidereal modulation in the MINOS near detector neutrino data was performed. If present, this signature could be a consequence of Lorentz and CPT violation as predicted by the effective field theory called the standard-model extension. No evidence for a sidereal signal in the data set was found, implying that there is no significant change in neutrino propagation that depends on the direction of the neutrino beam in a sun-centered inertial frame. Upper limits on the magnitudes of the Lorentz and CPT violating terms in the standard-model extension lie between 10(-4) and 10(-2) of the maximum expected, assuming a suppression of these signatures by a factor of 10(-17).

This Letter reports new results from the MINOS experiment based on a two-year exposure to muon neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI beam. Our data are consistent with quantum-mechanical oscillations of neutrino flavor with mass splitting |Deltam2| = (2.43+/-0.13) x 10(-3) eV2 (68% C.L.) and mixing angle sin2(2theta) > 0.90 (90% C.L.). Our data disfavor two alternative explanations for the disappearance of neutrinos in flight: namely, neutrino decays into lighter particles and quantum decoherence of neutrinos, at the 3.7 and 5.7 standard-deviation levels, respectively.

Using the full data set of the NA48/2 experiment, the decay K+- -> pi+- e+ e- gamma is observed for the first time, selecting 120 candidates with 7.3 +- 1.7 estimated background events. With K+- -> pi+- pi0D as normalisation channel, the branching ratio is determined in a model-independent way to be Br(K+- -> pi+- e+ e- gamma, m_eegamma > 260 MeV/c^2) = (1.19 +- 0.12_stat +- 0.04_syst) x 10^-8. This measured value and the spectrum of the e+ e- gamma invariant mass allow a comparison with predictions of Chiral Perturbation Theory.

The Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) experiment uses an accelerator-produced neutrino beam to perform precision measurements of the neutrino oscillation parameters in the "atmospheric neutrino" sector associated with muon neutrino disappearance. This long-baseline experiment measures neutrino interactions in Fermilab's NuMI neutrino beam with a near detector at Fermilab and again 735 km downstream with a far detector in the Soudan Underground Laboratory in northern Minnesota. The two detectors are magnetized steel-scintillator tracking calorimeters. They are designed to be as similar as possible in order to ensure that differences in detector response have minimal impact on the comparisons of event rates, energy spectra and topologies that are essential to MINOS measurements of oscillation parameters. The design, construction, calibration and performance of the far and near detectors are described in this paper.

We report the first detailed comparisons of the rates and spectra of neutral-current neutrino interactions at two widely separated locations. A depletion in the rate at the far site would indicate mixing between nu(mu) and a sterile particle. No anomalous depletion in the reconstructed energy spectrum is observed. Assuming oscillations occur at a single mass-squared splitting, a fit to the neutral- and charged-current energy spectra limits the fraction of nu(mu) oscillating to a sterile neutrino to be below 0.68 at 90% confidence level. A less stringent limit due to a possible contribution to the measured neutral-current event rate at the far site from nu(e) appearance at the current experimental limit is also presented.