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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Determination of the titanium spectral function from ($e,e'p$) data

The E12-14-012 experiment, performed in Jefferson Lab Hall A, has measured the (e, e'p) cross section in parallel kinematics using a natural titanium target. In this paper, we report the analysis of the dataset obtained in different kinematics for our solid natural titanium target. Data were obtained in a range of missing momentum and missing energy between 15 ≲ p m ≲ 250 MeV / c and 12 ≲ E m ≲ 80 MeV, respectively, and using an electron beam energy of 2.2 GeV. We measured the reduced cross section with ~7% accuracy as a function of both missing momentum and missing energy. Furthermore, our Monte Carlo simulation, including both a model spectral function and the effects of final-state interactions, satisfactorily reproduces the data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

First measurement of the yield of 8 He isotopes produced in liquid scintillator by cosmic-ray muons at Daya Bay

Here, Daya Bay presents the first measurement of cosmogenic 8 He isotope production in liquid scintillator, using an innovative method for identifying cascade decays of 8 He and its child isotope, 8 Li. We also measure the production yield of 9 Li isotopes using well-established methodology. The results, in units of 10 –8 μ –1 ⁢g –1 cm 2 , are 0.307 ± 0.042, 0.341 ± 0.040, and 0.546 ± 0.076 for 8 He, and 6.73 ± 0.73, 6.75 ± 0.70, and 13.74 ± 0.82 for 9 Li at average muon energies of 63.9 GeV, 64.7 GeV, and 143.0 GeV, respectively. The measured production rate of 8 He isotopes is more than an order of magnitude lower than any other measurement of cosmogenic isotope production. It replaces the results of previous attempts to determine the ratio of 8 He to 9 Li production that yielded a wide range of limits from 0% to 30%. The results provide future liquid-scintillator-based experiments with improved ability to predict cosmogenic backgrounds.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Joint Determination of Reactor Antineutrino Spectra from U 235 and Pu 239 Fission by Daya Bay and PROSPECT

A joint determination of the reactor antineutrino spectra resulting from the fission of 235U and 239Pu has been carried out by the Daya Bay and PROSPECT collaborations. This Letter reports the level of consistency of 235U spectrum measurements from the two experiments and presents new results from a joint analysis of both data sets. The measurements are found to be consistent. The combined analysis reduces the degeneracy between the dominant 235U and 239Pu isotopes and improves the uncertainty of the 235U spectral shape to about 3%. The 235U and 239Pu antineutrino energy spectra are unfolded from the jointly deconvolved reactor spectra using the Wiener-SVD unfolding method, providing a data-based reference for other reactor antineutrino experiments and other applications. This is the first measurement of the 235U and 239Pu spectra based on the combination of experiments at low- and highly enriched uranium reactors.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND): Neutrino Interactions Program

This is a 5 mins talk to be presented at a quick-fire talk intro session at the NuXTract workshop at CERN, Oct 2-6, 2023: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1302529/overview. The talk gives a short overview of SBND's neutrino interaction physics program.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

TinyTPC - A Test Stand for Photosensitive Dopants

Liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) are widely used to study accelerator neutrinos. Since LArTPCs are sensitive down to 10– 100 keV, neutrino experiments' physics programs could be extended to lower energies. However, in this scale, LArTPCs' energy resolution is significantly degraded because only charge is collected efficiently. One solution is the introduction of photosensitive dopants, which convert scintillation light to ionization yield. We have built a test stand (TinyTPC) with a LArPix pixelated anode plane and an active mass of 2.1 kg to study these charge enhancements. Our plan is to measure TinyTPC’s energy resolution with and without dopants using radioactive sources. This poster presentation will discuss TinyTPC's status and goals.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Atmospheric Neutrinos: History and Future

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced when cosmic rays crash into the atmosphere. They have played a key role in the discovery of neutrino oscillation and continue to serve as an important natural neutrino source, covering a wide range of energy and oscillation baseline. In this talk, I’ll briefly introduce the production mechanism and major detection techniques, then highlight on the oscillation analyses with atmospheric neutrinos in large neutrino detectors such as Super-Kamiokande, IceCube, and DUNE. I will also review other atmospheric neutrino related physics.

Wan, Linyan [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2026

ProtoDUNE-VD for Beyond the Standard Model Searches: Initial Studies and Future Prospects

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation long-baseline neutrino program designed to address fundamental questions in neutrino and astroparticle physics. ProtoDUNE, operating at the CERN Neutrino Platform, serves as a full-scale prototype for the DUNE Far Detector. In particular, the ProtoDUNE Vertical Drift (ProtoDUNE-VD) detector provides a powerful testbed for validating reconstruction and event selection techniques for future DUNE operations. In addition to detector R&D, ProtoDUNE enables a novel parasitic beam-dump search for beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) particles. However, it faces several challenges. Most notably, the ProtoDUNE-VD modules operate on the surface and are consequently exposed to an intense flux of cosmic rays, which requires a dedicated trigger. In addition, standard neutrinos are also produced in the T2 target area from the decay of unstable mesons, constituting a relevant background, which needs to be well understood and characterized a priori. We present the first studies based on 2025 data taken with a trigger designed to identify neutrino candidates at ProtoDUNE-VD. ProtoDUNE-VD’s high-resolution LArTPC imaging allows detailed reconstruction of decay and scattering signatures. This work demonstrates the complementarity of traditional tools such as Pandora and modern machine-learning approaches, providing key input for atmospheric neutrino and rare-event searches in the DUNE Vertical Drift program.

Bagdu, Halit [U. Iowa, Iowa City]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data release for A search for extremely-high-energy neutrinos and first constraints on the ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray proton fraction with IceCube

<h1 id="summary">Summary</h1> <p>Title: Data Release for A search for extremely-high-energy neutrinos and first constraints on the ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray proton fraction with IceCube</p> <p>The IceCube observatory analyzed 12.6 years of data in search of extremely-high-energy (EHE) neutrinos above 5 PeV. The resultant limit of the search (Fig 1), and the effective area of the event selection (Fig 7), are provided in this data release.</p> <h1 id="contents">Contents</h1> <ul> <li><p>README file: this file</p> </li> <li><p><code>differential_limit_and_sensitivity.csv</code>: a comma separated value file, giving the observed experimental differential limit, and sensitivity, of the search as a function of neutrino energy. This is the content of Fig 1 in the paper. The first column is the neutrino energy in GeV. The second column is the limit in units of GeV/cm2/s/sr. The third column is the sensitivity in units of GeV/cm2/s/sr.</p> </li> <li><p><code>effective_area.csv</code>: a comma separated value file, giving the effective area of the search as a function of energy. This is the content of Fig 7 in the paper. The first column is the neutrino energy in GeV. The second column is the total effective area of the search, summed across neutrino flavors, and averaged across neutrinos and antineutrinos, in meters-squared. The third column is the effective area of the search for the average of electron neutrino and electron antineutrinos in units of meters-squared. The fourth column is the same as the third, but for muon-flavor neutrinos. The fifth column is the same as the third and fourth, but for tau-flavor neutrinos.</p> </li> <li><p><code>demo.py</code>: a short python script to demonstrate how to read the files. Run like <code>python demo.py</code>. A standard base python installation is sufficient, as the only dependencies are numpy and matplotlib.</p> </li> </ul> <h1 id="contacts">Contacts</h1> <p>For any questions about this data release, please write to analysis@icecube.wisc.edu</p>

Astronomy and Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2025

European Contributions to Fermilab Accelerator Upgrades and Facilities for the DUNE Experiment

The Proton Improvement Plan (PIP-II) to the FNAL accelerator chain and the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) will provide the world's most intense neutrino beam to the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) enabling a wide-ranging physics program. This document outlines the significant contributions made by European national laboratories and institutes towards realizing the first phase of the project with a 1.2 MW neutrino beam. Construction of this first phase is well underway. For DUNE Phase II, this will be closely followed by an upgrade of the beam power to > 2 MW, for which the European groups again have a key role and which will require the continued support of the European community for machine aspects of neutrino physics. Beyond the neutrino beam aspects, LBNF is also responsible for providing unique infrastructure to install and operate the DUNE neutrino detectors at FNAL and at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The cryostats for the first two Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber detector modules at SURF, a contribution of CERN to LBNF, are central to the success of the ongoing execution of DUNE Phase I. Likewise, successful and timely procurement of cryostats for two additional detector modules at SURF will be critical to the success of DUNE Phase II and the overall physics program. The DUNE Collaboration is submitting four main contributions to the 2026 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics process. This paper is being submitted to the 'Accelerator technologies' and 'Projects and Large Experiments' streams. Additional inputs related to the DUNE science program, DUNE detector technologies and R&D, and DUNE software and computing, are also being submitted to other streams.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neutrino interactions in the late universe

The cosmic neutrino background is both a dramatic prediction of the hot Big Bang and a compelling target for current and future observations. The impact of relativistic neutrinos in the early universe has been observed at high significance in a number of cosmological probes. In addition, the non-zero mass of neutrinos alters the growth of structure at late times, and this signature is a target for a number of upcoming surveys. These measurements are sensitive to the physics of the neutrino and could be used to probe physics beyond the standard model in the neutrino sector. We explore an intriguing possibility where light right-handed neutrinos are coupled to all, or a fraction of, the dark matter through a mediator. In a wide range of parameter space, this interaction only becomes important at late times and is uniquely probed by late-time cosmological observables. Due to this coupling, the dark matter and neutrinos behave as a single fluid with a non-trivial sound speed, leading to a suppression of power on small scales. In current and near-term cosmological surveys, this signature is equivalent to an increase in the sum of the neutrino masses. Given current limits, we show that at most 0.5% of the dark matter could be coupled to neutrinos in this way.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

NuSD: A Geant4 based simulation framework for segmented anti-neutrino detectors

NuSD: Neutrino Segmented Detector is a Geant4-based user application that simulates inverse beta decay event in a variety of segmented scintillation detectors developed by different international collaborations. This simulation framework uses a combination of cross-programs and libraries including Geant4, ROOT and CLHEP developed and used by high energy physics community. It will enable the neutrino physics community to simulate and study neutrino interactions within different detector concepts using a single program. In addition to neutrino simulations in segmented detectors, this program can also be used for various research projects that use of scintillation detectors for different physics purposes.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Grid-based minimization at scale: Feldman-Cousins corrections for light sterile neutrino search

High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments generally employ sophisticated statistical methods to present results in searches of new physics. In the problem of searching for sterile neutrinos, likelihood ratio tests are applied to short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments to construct confidence intervals for the parameters of interest. The test statistics of the form Δχ2 is often used to form the confidence intervals, however, this approach can lead to statistical inaccuracies due to the small signal rate in the region-of-interest. In this paper, we present a computational model for the computationally expensive Feldman-Cousins corrections to construct a statistically accurate confidence interval for neutrino oscillation analysis. The program performs a grid-based minimization over oscillation parameters and is written in C++. Our algorithms make use of vectorization through Eigen3, yielding a single-core speed-up of 350 compared to the original implementation, and achieve MPI data parallelism by employing DIY. We demonstrate the strong scaling of the application at High-Performance Computing (HPC) sites. We utilize HDF5 along with HighFive to write the results of the calculation to file.

Wospakrik, Marianette↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutrino-portal dark matter detection prospects at a future muon collider

With no concrete evidence for nongravitational interactions of dark matter to date, it is natural to wonder whether dark matter couples predominantly to the Standard Model (SM)’s neutrinos. Neutrino interactions (and the possible existence of additional neutrinophilic mediators) are substantially less understood than those of other SM particles, yet this picture will change dramatically in the coming decades with new neutrino sources. One potential new source arises with the construction of a high-energy muon collider (MuCol); due to muons’ instability, a MuCol is a source of high-energy collimated neutrinos. Importantly, since the physics of muon decays (into neutrinos) is very well-understood, this leads to a neutrino flux with systematic uncertainties far smaller than fluxes from conventional high-energy (proton-sourced) neutrino beams. In this work, we study the capabilities of a potential neutrino detector, “ MuCol ν ”, placed ∼ 100 m downstream of the MuCol interaction point. The MuCol ν detector would be especially capable of searching for a neutrinophilic mediator ϕ through the mononeutrino scattering process ν μ N → μ + ϕ X , exceeding searches from other terrestrial approaches for m ϕ in the ∼ few MeV- ten GeV range. Even with a 10 kg-yr exposure, MuCol ν is capable of searching for well-motivated classes of thermal freeze-out and freeze-in neutrino-portal dark matter. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Adhikary, Jyotismita (ORCID:0000000253894170)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Neutrino Scattering in the NOvA Near Detector

aNOvA is a long-baseline accelerator-based neutrino experiment based in the USA. NOvA uses an intense neutrino beam produced at Fermilab’s accelerator complex to make physics measurements of neutrino oscillations, neutrino cross sections, and much more. For its physics goals, NOvA uses two functionally-identical detectors. The Near Detector (ND) is situated at Fermilab, 1 km from the neutrino target and the Far Detector (FD) is located at Ash River, MN, a distance of 810 km from the neutrino source. The ND receives a high statistics neutrino flux which gives a unique opportunity for high-precision neutrino cross-section measurements and is used as a control for the oscillation analyses. In this talk/poster, I will give an overview of the NOvA experiment. I will also talk about the current and future status of the NOvA’s cross-section physics program.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

First Light from Beam Neutrinos on an LAPPD in ANNIE,

The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) probes the physics of neutrino-nucleus interactions in a gadolinium-loaded water (Gd-water) target while serving as a flexible testbed for advanced next-generation optical neutrino detection technologies. These advanced technologies include novel detection media (particularly Gd-water and hybrid Cherenkov-scintillation through water-based liquid scintillator) and novel photosensors. In this paper we demonstrate the first implementation of a fully-integrated setup for Large Area Picosecond PhotoDetectors (LAPPDs) in a neutrino experiment. Details are presented regarding the design, commissioning, and deployment of an LAPPD and the supporting systems. We also present the first neutrino interactions ever observed with an LAPPD.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2026

Studying MeV Scale Neutron Interactions in DUNE ND-LAr 2x2 Demonstrator

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment designed to make high-precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and probe for new physics using a neutrino beam produced at Fermilab and measured at a near detector complex and a far detector located 1,300 km away at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Precise neutrino energy reconstruction is essential for these measurements, with neutron production in neutrino–argon interactions representing a significant source of systematic uncertainty, as neutrons can carry away significant energy, making their detection and characterization crucial. DUNE’s near detector complex includes ND-LAr, a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detector designed to mirror the far detector technology and constrain neutrino–argon interaction systematics. The DUNE 2x2 Demonstrator, a pixelated LArTPC based on the ArgonCube design, serves as a prototype for ND-LAr. During 2x2 operations from October to November 2026, an Americium–Beryllium (AmBe) neutron source was deployed near the detector cryostat to obtain a high-statistics sample of neutron interactions. This poster presents progress in studying MeV-scale neutron interactions in this dataset by identifying de-excitation gammas from neutron capture on argon, providing a method for neutron identification and charge readout system calibration in future DUNE detectors.

Mao, Edgar [Syracuse U.] (ORCID:0009000600893306)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Physics of parameter correlations around the solar-scale enhancement in neutrino theory with unitarity violation

We discuss the physics of the three neutrino flavor transformation with non-unitary mixing matrix, with particular attention to the correlation between the $\nu$SM- and the $\alpha$ parameters which represent the effect of unitarity-violating (UV) new physics. Towards this goal, a new perturbative framework is created to illuminate the effect of non-unitarity in the region of the solar-scale enhanced oscillations. We refute the skepticism about the physical reality of the $\nu$Standard Model CP phase $\delta$–$\alpha$ parameter phase correlation by analysis with the SOL convention of $U_{{\tiny MNS}}$, in which $e^{\pm i \delta}$ is attached to $s_{12}$. Then, a comparative study between the solar- and atmospheric-scale oscillation regions allowed by the framework reveals a dynamical $\delta$–(blobs of the $\alpha$ parameters) correlation in the solar oscillation region, in sharp contrast to the “chiral”-type phase correlation $[e^{- i \delta} \bar{\alpha}_{\mu e},\ e^{- i \delta} \bar{\alpha}_{\tau e},\ \bar{\alpha}_{\tau \mu}]$ in the Particle Data Group convention seen in the atmospheric oscillation region. An explicit perturbative calculation to the first order in the $\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{e}$ channel allows us to decompose the UV related part of the probability into the unitary evolution part and the genuine non-unitary part. We observe that the effect of non-unitarity tends to cancel between these two parts, as well as between the different $\alpha_{\beta \gamma}$ parameters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗