Sterile neutrino searches in MINOS and MINOS+ experiments

dc.contributor.advisorLang, Karol, 1955-en
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRitchie, Jacken
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSchwitters, Royen
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDicus, Duaneen
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGebhardt, Karlen
dc.creatorHuang, Junting, 1984-en
dc.creator.orcid0000-0002-1075-6843en
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-09T19:15:10Zen
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-22T22:28:22Z
dc.date.available2015-10-09T19:15:10Zen
dc.date.available2018-01-22T22:28:22Z
dc.date.issued2015-05en
dc.date.submittedMay 2015en
dc.date.updated2015-10-09T19:15:10Zen
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation presents the searches on sterile neutrinos using the data collected in MINOS+ Experiment from September 2013 to September 2014, and the full data set of MINOS Experiment collected from 2005 to 2012. Anomalies in short baseline experiments, such as LSND and MiniBooNE, showed hints of sterile neutrinos, a type of neutrino that does not interact with the Standard Model particles. In this work, two models are considered: 3+1 and large extra dimension (LED). In the 3+1 model, one sterile neutrino state is added into the standard oscillation scheme consisting of three known active neutrino states ν[subscript e], ν[subscript µ] and ν[subscript τ]. In the LED model, sterile neutrinos arise as Kaluza-Klein (KK) states due to assumed large extra dimensions. Mixing between sterile and active neutrino states may modify the oscillation patterns observed in the MINOS detectors. Both searches yield null results. For 3+1, a combined fit of MINOS and MINOS+ data gives a stronger limit on θ₂₄ in the range of 10⁻² eV² < ∆m²₄₃ < 1 eV² than previous experiments. For LED, with the complete MINOS data set, the size of extra dimensions is constrained to be smaller than ∼ 0.35 µm at 90% C.L. in the limit of a vanishing lightest neutrino mass.en
dc.description.departmentPhysicsen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T2V317en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/31640en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.subjectSterile neutrinoen
dc.subjectLarge extra dimensionen
dc.subjectMINOSen
dc.subjectMINOS+en
dc.titleSterile neutrino searches in MINOS and MINOS+ experimentsen
dc.typeThesisen

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