arXiv subjects

K. Hurtado

Publications and source records attributed to K. Hurtado.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Measurement of Ratios of $ν_μ$ Charged-Current Cross Sections on C, Fe, and Pb to CH at Neutrino Energies 2-20 GeV

We present measurements of $ν_μ$ charged-current cross section ratios on carbon, iron, and lead relative to a scintillator (CH) using the fine-grained MINERvA detector exposed to the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab. The measurements utilize events of energies $2 =8~GeV$, which have a reconstructed $μ^{-}$ scattering angle less than $17^\circ$ to extract ratios of inclusive total cross sections as a function of neutrino energy $E_ν$ and flux-integrated differential cross sections with respect to the Bjorken scaling variable $x$. These results provide the first high-statistics direct measurements of nuclear effects in neutrino scattering using different targets in the same neutrino beam. Measured cross section ratios exhibit a relative depletion at low $x$ and enhancement at large $x$. Both become more pronounced as the nucleon number of the target nucleus increases. The data are not reproduced by GENIE, a conventional neutrino-nucleus scattering simulation, or by the alternative models for the nuclear dependence of inelastic scattering that are considered.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Measurement of Coherent Production of $π^\pm$ in Neutrino and Anti-Neutrino Beams on Carbon from $E_ν$ of $1.5$ to $20$ GeV

Neutrino-induced coherent charged pion production on nuclei, $\stackrel{(-)}ν_μA\toμ^\pmπ^\mp A$ is a rare, inelastic interaction in which a small squared four-momentum $| t|$ is transferred to the recoil nucleus leaving it intact in the reaction. In the scintillator tracker of MINERvA, we remove events with evidence of particles from nuclear breakup and reconstruct $| t|$ from the final state pion and muon. We select low $| t|$ events to isolate a sample rich in coherent candidates. By selecting low $| t|$ events we produce a model-independent measurement of the differential cross section for coherent scattering of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos on carbon. We find poor agreement with the predicted kinematics in neutrino generators used by current oscillation experiments.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Measurement of Muon Antineutrino Quasi-Elastic Scattering on a Hydrocarbon Target at E_ν ~ 3.5 GeV

We have isolated muon anti-neutrino charged-current quasi-elastic interactions occurring in the segmented scintillator tracking region of the MINERvA detector running in the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab. We measure the flux-averaged differential cross-section, dσ/dQ^2, and compare to several theoretical models of quasi-elastic scattering. Good agreement is obtained with a model where the nucleon axial mass, M_A, is set to 0.99 GeV/c^2 but the nucleon vector form factors are modified to account for the observed enhancement, relative to the free nucleon case, of the cross-section for the exchange of transversely polarized photons in electron-nucleus scattering. Our data at higher Q^2 favor this interpretation over an alternative in which the axial mass is increased.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Measurement of Muon Neutrino Quasi-Elastic Scattering on a Hydrocarbon Target at E_ν ~ 3.5 GeV

We report a study of muon neutrino charged-current quasi-elastic events in the segmented scintillator inner tracker of the MINERvA experiment running in the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab. The events were selected by requiring a μ^- and low calorimetric recoil energy separated from the interaction vertex. We measure the flux-averaged differential cross-section, dσ/dQ^2, and study the low energy particle content of the final state. Deviations are found between the measured dσ/dQ^2 and the expectations of a model of independent nucleons in a relativistic Fermi gas. We also observe an excess of energy near the vertex consistent with multiple protons in the final state.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2013

Design, Calibration, and Performance of the MINERvA Detector

The MINERvA experiment is designed to perform precision studies of neutrino-nucleus scattering using $ν_μ$ and ${\barν}_μ$ neutrinos incident at 1-20 GeV in the NuMI beam at Fermilab. This article presents a detailed description of the \minerva detector and describes the {\em ex situ} and {\em in situ} techniques employed to characterize the detector and monitor its performance. The detector is comprised of a finely-segmented scintillator-based inner tracking region surrounded by electromagnetic and hadronic sampling calorimetry. The upstream portion of the detector includes planes of graphite, iron and lead interleaved between tracking planes to facilitate the study of nuclear effects in neutrino interactions. Observations concerning the detector response over sustained periods of running are reported. The detector design and methods of operation have relevance to future neutrino experiments in which segmented scintillator tracking is utilized.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

The MINER$ν$A Data Acquisition System and Infrastructure

MINER$ν$A (Main INjector ExpeRiment $ν$-A) is a new few-GeV neutrino cross section experiment that began taking data in the FNAL NuMI (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Neutrinos at the Main Injector) beam-line in March of 2010. MINER$ν$A employs a fine-grained scintillator detector capable of complete kinematic characterization of neutrino interactions. This paper describes the MINER$ν$A data acquisition system (DAQ) including the read-out electronics, software, and computing architecture.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

Demonstration of Communication using Neutrinos

Beams of neutrinos have been proposed as a vehicle for communications under unusual circumstances, such as direct point-to-point global communication, communication with submarines, secure communications and interstellar communication. We report on the performance of a low-rate communications link established using the NuMI beam line and the MINERvA detector at Fermilab. The link achieved a decoded data rate of 0.1 bits/sec with a bit error rate of 1% over a distance of 1.035 km, including 240 m of earth.

hep-ex↗