## An anomalous measurement of delta m31 squared from neutrino oscillations at the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment

 dc.contributor.advisor Ernst, David dc.contributor.author Burroughs, Hunter dc.date.accessioned 2013-05-09T21:42:23Z dc.date.available 2013-05-09T21:42:23Z dc.date.issued 2013-04-22 dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1803/5203 dc.description.abstract In 2012, the collaboration overseeing the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino en_US Experiment announced results which determined the magnitude of the mixing angle \theta_{13} with unprecedented precision. However, no attempt was made in the collaboration’s publications to predict the value of the most relevant mass-squared difference to the observed oscillation, \delta m^2_{31}. This paper presents the results of an analysis which suggests that the Daya Bay data prefers a value of \delta m^2_{31} which is far greater than its presently recognized value. Specifically, it is found that Daya Bay predicts \delta m^2_{31} = 3.53_(-1.07)^(+.74) × 10^(-3) eV^2, where the cited uncertainties correspond to the 99% confidence bounds. This measurement excludes the most precise current measurement of \delta m^2_{31}, the MINOS result, at a 99% confidence level and is in turn excluded by the MINOS data at a 10 \sigma level. The possibility that sterile neutrino effects are the cause of this anomalous result is considered and used to suggest further work. dc.language.iso en_US en_US dc.publisher Vanderbilt University. Department of Physics and Astronomy en_US dc.subject neutrino mixing en_US dc.subject neutrino oscillations en_US dc.subject oscillation parameters en_US dc.subject Daya Bay en_US dc.subject sterile neutrino en_US dc.subject theta 13 en_US dc.subject neutrino mass difference en_US dc.subject.lcsh Neutrinos en_US dc.subject.lcsh Oscillations en_US dc.subject.lcsh Neutrinos -- Mass en_US dc.subject.lcsh Nuclear reactors en_US dc.subject.lcsh Daya Wan he dian zhan (China) en_US dc.title An anomalous measurement of delta m31 squared from neutrino oscillations at the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment en_US dc.type Thesis en_US dc.description.college College of Arts and Science en_US dc.description.department Department of Physics and Astronomy en_US
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