We present flux-integrated charged-current nu(mu) cross-section measurements on argon for final states containing exactly one pi(+/-) and no other hadrons except nucleons. The analysis uses data from the MicroBooNE experiment in the Booster Neutrino Beam, corresponding to 1.11 x 10(21) protons on target. Total and single-differential cross-section measurements are provided within a phase space restricted to muon momenta above 150 MeV, pion momenta above 100 MeV, and muon-pion opening angles smaller than 2.65 rad. Differential cross sections are reported with respect to the scattering angles of the muon and pion relative to the beam direction, their momenta, and their combined opening angle. The differential cross section with respect to muon momentum is based on a subset of selected events with the muon track fully contained in the detector, whereas the cross section with respect to pion momentum is based on a subset of selected events rich in pions that have not hadronically scattered on the argon before coming to rest. The latter has not been measured on argon before. The total cross section is measured as (3.75 +/- 0.07(stat) +/- 0.80(syst)) x 10(-38) cm(2)/Ar at a mean energy of approximately 0.8 GeV. Comparisons of the measured cross sections with predictions from multiple neutrino-nucleus interaction generators show good overall agreement, except at very forward muon angles.
We present the first measurement of differential cross sections for charged-current muon neutrino interactions on argon with one muon, two protons, and no pions in the final state. These final states are dominated by two-nucleon knockout interactions, which are complicated to model and for which there is currently limited information about the characteristics of these interactions in existing neutrino-nucleus scattering data. Detailed investigations of two-nucleon knockout are vital to support upcoming experiments exploring the nature of the neutrino. Among the different kinematic quantities measured, the opening angle between the two protons, the angle between the total proton momentum and the muon, and the total transverse momentum of the final state system are most sensitive to the underlying physics processes as embodied in various theoretical models.
The sensitivity of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to neutrino oscillation is evaluated using a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach. This analysis uses the same underlying sensitivity inputs as previous DUNE studies [Eur. Phys. J. C 80, 978 (2020)], and therefore does not present updated DUNE sensitivities, but instead explores the additional inferences accessible using a Bayesian approach. We present four-dimensional posterior probability distributions of the oscillation parameters, highlighting the breadth of correlation in the parameter space of interest, especially between sin^2 θ_23 and sin^2 θ_13. We exploit the flexibility of the Bayesian framework to incorporate parameter constraints post hoc and assess the impact of applying a reactor short-baseline θ_13 constraint. A significant increase in the sensitivity to the θ_23 octant is found when including the constraint. Posterior distributions of derived quantities can be easily constructed from MCMC results. This work presents the first study of DUNE's sensitivity to the Jarlskog invariant, J, a quantity that provides a parametrisation-independent measure of charge-parity violation in the leptonic sector.
A detailed understanding of the capabilities and fidelity of low-energy reconstruction is crucial for taking advantage of MeV-scale neutrino physics opportunities in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs). This study presents a measurement of the resolution of reconstructed energy in the MicroBooNE LArTPC at ≈ 1.5 MeV. The characterization is performed using monoenergetic signals generated by 2.614 MeV γ-rays from ^208Tl decays undergoing pair production in the detector. The resolution is found to be (7.52 ± 0.78 (stat)± 0.92 (syst))
We present MicroBooNE's first search for dark sector e^{+}e^{-} explanations of the long-standing MiniBooNE anomaly. The MiniBooNE anomaly has garnered significant attention over the past 20 years including previous MicroBooNE investigations into both anomalous electron and photon excesses, but its origin still remains unclear. In this Letter, we provide the first direct test of dark sector models in which dark neutrinos, produced through neutrino-induced scattering, decay into missing energy and visible e^{+}e^{-} pairs comprising the MiniBooNE anomaly. Many such models have recently gained traction as a viable solution to the anomaly while evading past bounds. Using an exposure of 6.87×10^{20} protons-on-target in the Booster Neutrino Beam, we implement a selection targeting forward-going, coherently produced e^{+}e^{-} events. After unblinding, we observe 95 events, which we compare with the constrained background-only prediction of 69.7±17.3. This analysis sets the world's first direct limits on these dark sector models and, at the 95% confidence level, excludes the entirety of the single dark neutrino and majority of the dual dark neutrino, parameter space that is viable as a solution to the MiniBooNE anomaly.
We present the strongest experimental limits to date on the mixing angle, theta, with which a new scalar particle, S, mixes with the Higgs field in the mass range 110 MeV < m(S) < 155 MeV. This result uses the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber to search for decays of these Higgs-portal scalar particles through the S -> e(+)e(-) channel with the decays of kaons in the NuMI neutrino beam acting as the source of the scalar particles. The analysis uses an exposure of 2.01 x 10(21) protons on target of NuMI beam data including periods when the beam focusing system was configured to focus positively charged hadrons and separate periods when negatively charged hadrons were focused. The analysis searches for scalar particles produced from kaons decaying in flight in the beam's decay volume and at rest in the target and absorber. At m(S) = 125 MeV (m(S) = 150 MeV) we set a limit of theta < 3.19 x 10(-4) (theta < 2.79 x 10(-4)) at the 95% confidence level.
DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment currently under construction, whose far detectors will be the largest liquid argon time projection chambers ever built. This detector design calls for custom-built cryogenic front-end electronics to meet its performance requirements. This paper describes the charge readout electronics that will be used in the DUNE horizontal drift (HD) far detector and presents performance results using data from the ProtoDUNE-HD detector, a 770 ton liquid argon time projection chamber operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2024 that served as the final prototype of the DUNE HD design.
We present an inclusive search for anomalous production of single-photon events from neutrino interactions in the MicroBooNE experiment. The search and its signal definition are motivated by the previous observation of a low-energy excess of electromagnetic shower events from the MiniBooNE experiment. We use the Wire-Cell reconstruction framework to select a sample of inclusive single-photon final-state interactions with a final efficiency and purity of 7.0% and 40.2%, respectively. We leverage simultaneous measurements of sidebands of charged current ν_{μ} interactions and neutral current interactions producing π^{0} mesons to constrain signal and background predictions and reduce uncertainties. We perform a blind analysis using a dataset collected from February 2016 to July 2018, corresponding to an exposure of 6.34×10^{20} protons on target from the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. In the full signal region, we observe agreement between the data and the prediction, with a goodness-of-fit p value of 0.11. We then isolate a subsample of these events containing no visible protons, and observe 93±22(stat)±35(syst) data events above prediction, corresponding to just above 2σ local significance, concentrated at shower energies below 600 MeV.
The short-baseline near detector (SBND), the near detector in the short-baseline neutrino program at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is located just 110 m from the booster neutrino beam target. Thanks to this close proximity, relative to its 4 m x 4 m front face, neutrinos enter SBND over a range of angles from 0 degrees to approximately 1.6 degrees, enabling the detector to sample variations in the neutrino flux as a function of the angle-a technique known as precision reaction-independent spectrum measurement (PRISM), referred to here as SBND-PRISM. In this paper, we show how muon- and electron-neutrino fluxes vary as a function of the neutrino beam axis angle and how this can be exploited to expand the physics potential of SBND. We make use of a model that predicts an angle-dependent electron-neutrino excess signal to illustrate this effect, such as nu(mu) -> nu(e) oscillations. We present how SBND-PRISM provides a method to add robustness against uncertainties in cross-section modeling and, more generally, uncertainties that do not depend on the spatial position of neutrino interaction inside the detector. The fluxes, along with their associated covariance matrices, are made publicly available with this publication.
Understanding electron neutrino interactions is crucial for measurements of neutrino oscillations and searches for new physics in neutrino experiments. We present the first measurement of the flux-averaged ν_{e}+ν[over ¯]_{e} charged-current single charged-pion production cross section on argon using the MicroBooNE detector and data from the NuMI neutrino beam. The total cross section is measured to be [0.93±0.13(stat)±0.27(syst)]×10^{-39} cm^{2}/nucleon at a mean ν_{e}+ν[over ¯]_{e} energy of 730 MeV. Differential cross sections are also reported in electron energy, electron and pion angles, and electron-pion opening angle.
The MicroBooNE experiment is an 85 tonne active mass liquid argon time projection chamber neutrino detector exposed to the on-axis Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. One of MicroBooNE’s physics goals is the precise measurement of neutrino interactions on argon in the 1 GeV energy regime. Building on the capabilities of the MicroBooNE detector, this analysis identifies K + mesons, a key signature for the study of strange particle production in neutrino interactions. This measurement is furthermore valuable for background estimation for future nucleon decay searches and for improved reconstruction and particle identification capabilities in experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. In this Letter, we present the first-ever measurement of a flux-integrated cross section for charged-current muon neutrino induced K + production on argon nuclei, determined to be 7.93 ± 3.22 ( stat ) ± 2.83 ( syst ) × 10 − 42 cm 2 / nucleon based on an analysis of 6.88 × 10 20 protons on target. This result was found to be consistent with model predictions from different neutrino event generators within the reported uncertainties.
We investigate the expected precision of the reconstructed neutrino direction using a nu(mu)-argon quasielasticlike event topology with one muon and one proton in the final state and the reconstruction capabilities of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber. This direction is of importance in the context of DUNE sub-GeV atmospheric oscillation studies. MicroBooNE allows for a data-driven quantification of this resolution by investigating the deviation of the reconstructed muon-proton system orientation with respect to the well-known direction of neutrinos originating from the Booster Neutrino Beam with an exposure of 1.3 x 10(21) protons on target. Using simulation studies, we derive the expected sub-GeV DUNE atmospheric-neutrino reconstructed simulated spectrum by developing a reweighting scheme as a function of the true neutrino energy. We further report flux-integrated single- and double-differential cross section measurements of charged-current nu(mu) quasielasticlike scattering on argon as a function of the muon-proton system angle using the full MicroBooNE data sets. We also demonstrate the sensitivity of these results to nuclear effects and final state hadronic reinteraction modeling.
SBND is a 112 ton liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector located 110 meters from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) target at Fermilab. Its main goals include searches for eV-scale sterile neutrinos as part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program, other searches for physics beyond the Standard Model, and precision studies of neutrino-argon interactions. In addition, SBND is providing a platform for LArTPC neutrino detector technology development and is an excellent training ground for the international group of scientists and engineers working towards the upcoming flagship Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). SBND began operation in July 2024, and started collecting stable neutrino beam data in December 2024 with an unprecedented rate of 7,000 neutrino events per day. During its currently approved operation plans (2024-2027), SBND is expected to accumulate nearly 10 million neutrino interactions. The near detector dataset will be instrumental in testing the sterile neutrino hypothesis with unprecedented sensitivity in SBN and in probing signals of beyond the Standard Model physics. It will also be used to significantly advance our understanding of the physics of neutrino-argon interactions ahead of DUNE. After the planned accelerator restart at Fermilab (2029+), opportunities are being explored to operate SBND in antineutrino mode in order to address the scarcity of antineutrino-argon scattering data, or in a dedicated beam-dump mode to significantly enhance sensitivity to searches for new physics. SBND is an international effort, with approximately 40 construction, commissioning, software development, and data analysis. Continued European involvement and leadership are essential during SBND's operations and analysis phase for both the success of SBND, SBN and its role leading up to DUNE.
This article presents constraints on dark-matter-electron interactions obtained from the first underground data-taking campaign with multiple SuperCDMS HVeV detectors operated in the same housing. An exposure of 7.63 g-days is used to set upper limits on the dark-matter-electron scattering cross section for dark matter masses between 0.5 and 1000 MeV=c(2), as well as upper limits on dark photon kinetic mixing and axionlike particle axioelectric coupling for masses between 1.2 and 23.3 eV=c(2). Compared to an earlier HVeV search, sensitivity was improved as a result of an increased overburden of 225 meters of water equivalent, an anticoincidence event selection, and better pile-up rejection. In the case of dark-matter-electron scattering via a heavy mediator, an improvement by up to a factor of 25 in cross section sensitivity was achieved.
We report a new measurement of flux-integrated differential cross sections for charged-current (CC) muon neutrino interactions with argon nuclei that produce no final-state pions (ν_μCC0π). These interactions are of particular importance as a topologically defined signal dominated by quasielasticlike interactions. This measurement was performed with the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber detector located at the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam and uses an exposure of 1.3×10^21 protons on target collected between 2015 and 2020. The results are presented in terms of single- and double-differential cross sections as a function of the final-state muon momentum and angle. The data are compared with widely used neutrino event generators. We find good agreement with the single-differential measurements, while only a subset of generators are also able to adequately describe the data in double-differential distributions. This work facilitates comparison with Cherenkov detector measurements, including those located at the Booster Neutrino Beam.
We report results from an updated search for neutral current (NC) resonant Delta(1232) baryon production and subsequent. radiative decay (NC Delta -> N gamma). We consider events with and without final state protons; events with a proton can be compared with the kinematics of a Delta(1232) baryon decay, while events without a visible proton represent a more generic phase space. In order to maximize sensitivity to each topology, we simultaneously make use of two different reconstruction paradigms, Pandora and Wire-Cell, which have complementary strengths, and select mostly orthogonal sets of events. Considering an overall scaling of the NC Delta -> N gamma rate as an explanation of the MiniBooNE anomaly, our data exclude this hypothesis at 94.4% CL. When we decouple the expected correlations between NC Delta -> N gamma events with and without final state protons, our data exclude an interpretation in which all excess events have associated protons at 2.0 sigma, and are consistent with an interpretation in which all excess events have no associated protons at 0.63 sigma.
We report the measurement of the triple-differential cross section d(3)sigma /dE (vis)dcos(theta(mu))d Rho(mu) for inclusive muonneutrino charged-current scattering on argon. This measurement utilizes data from 6.4x10(20) protons on target of exposure collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located along the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam with a mean neutrino energy of approximately 0.8 GeV. The mapping from reconstructed kinematics to truth quantities is validated within uncertainties by comparing the distribution of reconstructed hadronic energy in data to that of the model prediction in different muon scattering angle bins after applying a conditional constraint from the muon momentum distribution in data. The success of this validation provides confidence that the energy transfer in the MicroBooNE detector is well-modeled within simulation uncertainties, enabling a reliable unfolding to a triple-differential cross section defined at the nominal neutrino flux over muon momentum, muon scattering angle, and visible neutrino energy. This validation not only supports accurate crosssection extraction, but also establishes a critical foundation for tuning interaction models used in future neutrino oscillation measurements. The unfolded measurement covers an extensive phase space, providing a wealth of information useful for future liquid argon time projection chamber experiments measuring neutrino oscillations. Comparisons against a number of commonly used model predictions are included and their performance in different parts of the available phase-space is discussed.
Neutrino-nucleus cross-section measurements are critical for future neutrino oscillation analyses. However, our models to describe them require further refinement, and a deeper understanding of the underlying physics is essential for future neutrino oscillation experiments to realize their ambitious physics goals. Current neutrino cross-section measurements provide clear deficiencies in neutrino interaction modeling, but almost all are reported averaged over broad neutrino fluxes, rendering their interpretation challenging. Using the DUNE-PRISM concept (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment Precision Reaction Independent Spectrum Measurement) – a movable near detector that samples multiple off-axis positions – neutrino interaction measurements can be used to construct narrow virtual fluxes (less than 100 MeV wide). These fluxes can be used to extract charged-current neutrino-nucleus cross sections as functions of outgoing lepton kinematics within specific neutrino energy ranges. Based on a dedicated simulation with realistic event statistics and flux-related systematic uncertainties, but assuming an almost-perfect detector, we run a feasibility study demonstrating how DUNE-PRISM data can be used to measure muon neutrino charged-current integrated and differential cross sections over narrow fluxes. We find that this approach enables a model independent reconstruction of powerful observables, including energy transfer, typically accessible only in electron scattering measurements, but that large exposures may be required for differential cross-section measurements with few-% statistical uncertainties.
Large neutrino liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) experiments can broaden their physics reach by reconstructing and interpreting MeV-scale energy depositions, or blips, present in their data. We demonstrate new calorimetric and particle discrimination capabilities at the MeV energy scale using reconstructed blips in data from the MicroBooNE LArTPC at Fermilab. We observe a concentration of low-energy (<3 MeV) blips around fiberglass mechanical support struts along the time projection chamber edges with energy spectrum features consistent with the Compton edge of 2.614 MeV Tl208 decay γ rays. These features are used to verify proper calibration of electron energy scales in MicroBooNE’s data to few percent precision and to measure the specific activity of Tl208 in the fiberglass composing these struts, (11.7±0.2(stat)±3.1(syst)) Bq/kg. Cosmogenically produced blips above 3 MeV in reconstructed energy are used to showcase the ability of large LArTPCs to distinguish between low-energy proton and electron energy depositions. An enriched sample of low-energy protons selected using this new particle discrimination technique is found to be smaller in data than in dedicated cosmic-ray simulations, suggesting either incorrect modeling of incident cosmic fluxes or particle transport modeling issues in eant4. Published by the American Physical Society 2025
We report the first double-differential cross section measurement of neutral-current neutral pion (NCπ^{0}) production in neutrino-argon scattering, as well as single-differential measurements of the same channel in terms of final states with and without protons. The kinematic variables of interest for these measurements are the π^{0} momentum and the π^{0} scattering angle with respect to the neutrino beam. A total of 4971 candidate NCπ^{0} events fully contained within the MicroBooNE detector are selected using data collected at a mean neutrino energy of ∼0.8 GeV from 6.4×10^{20} protons on target from the Booster Neutrino Beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. After extensive data-driven model validation to ensure unbiased unfolding, the Wiener-singular-value-decomposition method is used to extract nominal flux-averaged cross sections. The results are compared to predictions from commonly used neutrino event generators, which tend to overpredict the measured NCπ^{0} cross section, especially in the 0.2-0.5 GeV/c π^{0} momentum range and at forward scattering angles. Events with at least one proton present in the final state are also underestimated. This data will help improve the modeling of NCπ^{0} production, which represents a major background in measurements of charge-parity violation in the neutrino sector and in searches for new physics beyond the standard model.