arXiv subjects

T. Dzhatdoev

Publications and source records attributed to T. Dzhatdoev.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Updated constraints on sterile neutrino mixing in the OPERA experiment using a new $\nu_e$ identification method

This paper describes a new $\nu_e$ identification method specifically designed to improve the low-energy ($< 30\,\mathrm{GeV}$) $\nu_e$ identification efficiency attained by enlarging the emulsion film scanning volume with the next generation emulsion readout system. A relative increase of 25-70% in the $\nu_e$ low-energy region is expected, leading to improvements in the OPERA sensitivity to neutrino oscillations in the framework of the 3 + 1 model. The method is applied to a subset of data where the detection efficiency increase is expected to be more relevant, and one additional $\nu_e$ candidate is found. The analysis combined with the $\nu_\tau$ appearance results improves the upper limit on $\sin^2 2\theta_{\mu e}$ to 0.016 at 90% C.L. in the MiniBooNE allowed region $\Delta m^2_{41} \sim 0.3\,\mathrm{eV}^2$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

First observation of a tau neutrino charged current interaction with charm production in the Opera experiment

An event topology with two secondary vertices compatible with the decay of short-lived particles was found in the analysis of neutrino interactions in the Opera target. The observed topology is compatible with tau neutrino charged current (CC) interactions with charm production and neutrino neutral current (NC) interactions with $c\overline{c}$ pair production. However, other processes can mimic this topology. A dedicated analysis was implemented to identify the underlying process. A Monte Carlo simulation was developed and complementary procedures were introduced in the kinematic reconstruction. A multivariate analysis technique was used to achieve an optimal separation of signal from background. Most likely, this event is a $ν_τ$ CC interaction with charm production, the tau and charm particle decaying into 1 prong and 2 prongs, respectively. The significance of this observation is evaluated.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Final results on neutrino oscillation parameters from the OPERA experiment in the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment has conclusively observed the appearance of tau neutrinos in the muon neutrino CNGS beam. Exploiting the OPERA detector capabilities, it was possible to isolate high purity samples of $ν_{e}$, $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ charged current weak neutrino interactions, as well as neutral current weak interactions. In this Letter, the full dataset is used for the first time to test the three-flavor neutrino oscillation model and to derive constraints on the existence of a light sterile neutrino within the framework of the $3+1$ neutrino model. For the first time, tau and electron neutrino appearance channels are jointly used to test the sterile neutrino hypothesis. A significant fraction of the sterile neutrino parameter space allowed by LSND and MiniBooNE experiments is excluded at 90% C.L. In particular, the best-fit values obtained by MiniBooNE combining neutrino and antineutrino data are excluded at 3.3 $σ$ significance.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Latest results of the OPERA experiment on nu-tau appearance in the CNGS neutrino beam

OPERA is a long-baseline experiment designed to search for $ν_μ\toν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode. It was based at the INFN Gran Sasso laboratory (LNGS) and took data from 2008 to 2012 with the CNGS neutrino beam from CERN. After the discovery of $ν_τ$ appearance in 2015, with $5.1σ$ significance, the criteria to select $ν_τ$ candidates have been extended and a multivariate approach has been used for events identification. In this way the statistical uncertainty in the measurement of the oscillation parameters and of $ν_τ$ properties has been improved. Results are reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Measurement of the cosmic ray muon flux seasonal variation with the OPERA detector

The OPERA experiment discovered muon neutrino into tau neutrino oscillations in appearance mode, detecting tau leptons by means of nuclear emulsion films. The apparatus was also endowed with electronic detectors with tracking capability, such as scintillator strips and resistive plate chambers. Because of its location, in the underground Gran Sasso laboratory, under 3800 m.w.e., the OPERA detector has also been used as an observatory for TeV muons produced by cosmic rays in the atmosphere. In this paper the measurement of the single muon flux modulation and of its correlation with the seasonal variation of the atmospheric temperature are reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Final results of the search for $ν_μ \to ν_{e}$ oscillations with the OPERA detector in the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment has discovered the tau neutrino appearance in the CNGS muon neutrino beam, in agreement with the 3 neutrino flavour oscillation hypothesis. The OPERA neutrino interaction target, made of Emulsion Cloud Chamber, was particularly efficient in the reconstruction of electromagnetic showers. Moreover, thanks to the very high granularity of the emulsion films, showers induced by electrons can be distinguished from those induced by $π^0$s, thus allowing the detection of charged current interactions of electron neutrinos. In this paper the results of the search for electron neutrino events using the full dataset are reported. An improved method for the electron neutrino energy estimation is exploited. Data are compatible with the 3 neutrino flavour mixing model expectations and are used to set limits on the oscillation parameters of the 3+1 neutrino mixing model, in which an additional mass eigenstate $m_{4}$ is introduced. At high $Δm^{2}_{41}$ $( \gtrsim 0.1~\textrm{eV}^{2})$, an upper limit on $\sin^2 2θ_{μe}$ is set to 0.021 at 90% C.L. and $Δm^2_{41} \gtrsim 4 \times 10^{-3}~\textrm{eV}^{2}$ is excluded for maximal mixing in appearance mode.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Final results of the OPERA experiment on $ν_τ$ appearance in the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment was designed to study $ν_μ\toν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode in the CNGS neutrino beam. In this letter we report the final analysis of the full data sample collected between 2008 and 2012, corresponding to $17.97\cdot 10^{19}$ protons on target. Selection criteria looser than in previous analyses have produced ten $ν_τ$ candidate events, thus reducing the statistical uncertainty in the measurement of the oscillation parameters and of $ν_τ$ properties. A multivariate approach for event identification has been applied to the candidate events and the discovery of $ν_τ$ appearance is confirmed with an improved significance level of 6.1 $σ$. $Δm^2_{23}$ has been measured, in appearance mode, with an accuracy of 20%. The measurement of $ν_τ$ CC cross-section, for the first time with a negligible contamination from $\barν_τ$, and the first direct observation of the $ν_τ$ lepton number are also reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Search for Sterile Neutrinos in the Muon Neutrino Disappearance Mode at FNAL

The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a conclusive experiment to clarify the {\em muon--neutrino disappearance} measurements at short baselines in order to put severe constraints to models with more than the three--standard neutrinos. To this aim the current FNAL--Booster neutrino beam for a Short--Baseline experiment was carefully evaluated by considering the use of magnetic spectrometers at two sites, near and far ones. The detector locations were studied, together with the achievable performances of two OPERA--like spectrometers. The study was constrained by the availability of existing hardware and a time--schedule compatible with the undergoing project of multi--site Liquid--Argon detectors at FNAL. The settled physics case and the kind of proposed experiment on the Booster neutrino beam would definitively clarify the existing tension between the $ν_μ$ disappearance and the $ν_e$ appearance/disappearance at the eV mass scale. In the context of neutrino oscillations the measurement of $ν_μ$ disappearance is a robust and fast approach to either reject or discover new neutrino states at the eV mass scale. We discuss an experimental program able to extend by more than one order of magnitude (for neutrino disappearance) and by almost one order of magnitude (for antineutrino disappearance) the present range of sensitivity for the mixing angle between standard and sterile neutrinos. These extensions are larger than those achieved in any other proposal presented so far.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

The VHE anomaly in blazar spectra and related phenomena

Most of the recent research on extragalactic $γ$-ray propagation focused on the study of the $γγ\rightarrow e^{+}e^{-}$ absorption process ("absorption-only model"). Starting from a possible anomaly at very high energies (VHE, E >100 GeV), we briefly review several existing deviations from this model. The exotic interpretation of the VHE anomaly is not supported by the recent works. On the other hand, the process of intergalactic electromagnetic cascade development naturally explains these effects. We discuss phenomenology of intergalactic cascades and the main spectral signatures of the electromagnetic cascade model. We also briefly consider the hadronic cascade model; it also may explain the data, but requires low strength of magnetic field around the source of primary protons or nuclei.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Indications for a cascade component in γ-ray blazar spectra

We present a very brief overview of some recent gamma-ray observations of selected blazars to reveal an indication for a considerable or even dominant contribution of secondary gamma-rays from electromagnetic cascades to the observable spectra in the 1-500 GeV energy range.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Determination of the muon charge sign with the dipolar spectrometers of the OPERA experiment

The OPERA long-baseline neutrino-oscillation experiment has observed the direct appearance of $ν_τ$ in the CNGS $ν_μ$ beam. Two large muon magnetic spectrometers are used to identify muons produced in the $τ$ leptonic decay and in $ν_μ^{CC}$ interactions by measuring their charge and momentum. Besides the kinematic analysis of the $τ$ decays, background resulting from the decay of charmed particles produced in $ν_μ^{CC}$ interactions is reduced by efficiently identifying the muon track. A new method for the charge sign determination has been applied, via a weighted angular matching of the straight track-segments reconstructed in the different parts of the dipole magnets. Results obtained for Monte Carlo and real data are presented. Comparison with a method where no matching is used shows a significant reduction of up to 40\% of the fraction of wrongly determined charges.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

NEWS: Nuclear Emulsions for WIMP Search

Nowadays there is compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter in the Universe. A general consensus has been expressed on the need for a directional sensitive detector to confirm, with a complementary approach, the candidates found in conventional searches and to finally extend their sensitivity beyond the limit of neutrino-induced background. We propose here the use of a detector based on nuclear emulsions to measure the direction of WIMP-induced nuclear recoils. The production of nuclear emulsion films with nanometric grains is established. Several measurement campaigns have demonstrated the capability of detecting sub-micrometric tracks left by low energy ions in such emulsion films. Innovative analysis technologies with fully automated optical microscopes have made it possible to achieve the track reconstruction for path lengths down to one hundred nanometers and there are good prospects to further exceed this limit. The detector concept we propose foresees the use of a bulk of nuclear emulsion films surrounded by a shield from environmental radioactivity, to be placed on an equatorial telescope in order to cancel out the effect of the Earth rotation, thus keeping the detector at a fixed orientation toward the expected direction of galactic WIMPs. We report the schedule and cost estimate for a one-kilogram mass pilot experiment, aiming at delivering the first results on the time scale of six years.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

Discovery of tau neutrino appearance in the CNGS neutrino beam with the OPERA experiment

The OPERA experiment was designed to search for $ν_μ \rightarrow ν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode, i.e. by detecting the $τ$-leptons produced in charged current $ν_τ$ interactions. The experiment took data from 2008 to 2012 in the CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso beam. The observation of $ν_μ \rightarrow ν_τ$ appearance, achieved with four candidate events in a sub-sample of the data, was previously reported. In this paper, a fifth $ν_τ$ candidate event, found in an enlarged data sample, is described. Together with a further reduction of the expected background, the candidate events detected so far allow assessing the discovery of $ν_μ\rightarrow ν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode with a significance larger than 5 $σ$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2015

Limits on muon-neutrino to tau-neutrino oscillations induced by a sterile neutrino state obtained by OPERA at the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment, exposed to the CERN to Gran Sasso $ν_μ$ beam, collected data from 2008 to 2012. Four oscillated $ν_τ$ Charged Current interaction candidates have been detected in appearance mode, which are consistent with $ν_μ\to ν_τ$ oscillations at the atmospheric $Δm^2$ within the "standard" three-neutrino framework. In this paper, the OPERA $ν_τ$ appearance results are used to derive limits on the mixing parameters of a massive sterile neutrino.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

The NESSiE way to searches for sterile neutrinos at FNAL

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle $θ_{13}$ in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small $L/E$, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. Its recent proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far ones. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the undergoing project of a multi-site Liquid-Argon detectors at FNAL. The experiment to be possibly setup at Booster will allow to definitively clarify the current $ν_μ$ disappearance tension with $ν_{e}$ appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Observation of nu_tau appearance in the CNGS beam with the OPERA experiment

The OPERA experiment is searching for nu_mu -> nu_tau oscillations in appearance mode i.e. via the direct detection of tau leptons in nu_tau charged current interactions. The evidence of nu_mu -> nu_tau appearance has been previously reported with three nu_tau candidate events using a sub-sample of data from the 2008-2012 runs. We report here a fourth nu_tau candidate event, with the tau decaying into a hadron, found after adding the 2012 run events without any muon in the final state to the data sample. Given the number of analysed events and the low background, nu_mu -> nu_tau oscillations are established with a significance of 4.2sigma.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Procedure for short-lived particle detection in the OPERA experiment and its application to charm decays

The OPERA experiment, designed to perform the first observation of $ν_μ\rightarrow ν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode through the detection of the $τ$ leptons produced in $ν_τ$ charged current interactions, has collected data from 2008 to 2012. In the present paper, the procedure developed to detect $τ$ particle decays, occurring over distances of the order of 1 mm from the neutrino interaction point, is described in detail. The results of its application to the search for charmed hadrons are then presented as a validation of the methods for $ν_τ$ appearance detection.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Prospects for the measurement of muon-neutrino disappearance at the FNAL-Booster

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle $θ_{13}$ in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small $L/E$, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. This proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the CERN project for a new more performant neutrino beam, which will nicely extend the physics results achievable at the Booster. The possible FNAL experiment will allow to clarify the current $ν_μ$ disappearance tension with $ν_e$ appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale. Instead, a new CERN neutrino beam would allow a further span in the parameter space together with a refined control of systematics and, more relevant, the measurement of the antineutrino sector, by upgrading the spectrometer with detectors currently under R&D study.

hep-ph↗