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 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. | en_US |
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 |