O'Connor, J; (2016) Three flavour neutrino oscillations in MINOS+. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

MINOS+ is an extension of the MINOS long-baseline neutrino experiment. It makes measurements of the upgraded NuMI neutrino beam at two detectors: the Near Detector, 1 km from the beam at Fermilab, Illinois and the Far Detector, 735 km from the beam in the Soudan Mine, Minnesota. A comparison of the neutrino energy spectra in these two detectors is made in order to investigate the effect of neutrino oscillations. This thesis documents the first MINOS+ beam νµ disappearance analysis. The data are combined with those from the MINOS beam disappearance, atmospheric νµ disappearance and beam νe appearance analyses, as well as additional atmospheric data taken after the MINOS shutdown, in order to estimate the parameters of the three- flavour neutrino oscillation model. The 68% confidence intervals on the atmospheric mixing angle obtained from this combined analysis are ∆m2 32 = 2.45+0.08 −0.11 × 10−3 eV2 and ∆m2 32 = 2.42+0.09 −0.11 × 10−3 eV2 , assuming normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchy respectively. In addition, a measurement of the time of flight of the neutrino beam between the Near and Far Detector is described. The analysis is performed using data from the two detectors, along with a beam monitor at NuMI, various timers and long-distance synchronisation systems. This results in the most precise measurement of the flighttime of a neutrino beam ever made. The speed of the beam is calculated to be (v − c)/c = (1.0 ± 1.1) × 10−6 , consistent with v = c.

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