Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UNOS (Unifying Neutrino Observatories Searches)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-05-01 do 2022-10-31
The existence of additional neutrinos mass eigenstates is one of the open questions in Particle Physics. Several experiments have measured anomalous neutrino oscillations that the presence of a fourth neutrino could explain. The preferred mass splitting from these anomalies is in the region between 1 to 10 eV2.
The project Unifying Neutrino Observatories Searches aims to probe sterile neutrinos in the 1-10 eV2 mass splitting regime. The primary analysis uses atmospheric neutrinos with TeV energies detected with neutrino telescopes.
The main scientific objectives of UNOS are to (a) review the simulations tools focusing on the implementation of neutrino cross sections models in the TeV energy regime; (b) study new observables and samples to increase the sensitivity to Sterile Neutrinos with neutrino telescopes, and (c) update sterile neutrino searches using an analysis framework developed during this project.
Profiting from the data of two international collaborations, IceCube and KM3NeT, UNOS will provide world-leading constraints on sterile neutrinos.
The project Unifying Neutrino Observatories Searches aims to probe sterile neutrinos in the 1-10 eV2 mass splitting regime. The primary analysis uses atmospheric neutrinos with TeV energies detected with neutrino telescopes.
The main scientific objectives of UNOS are to (a) review the simulations tools focusing on the implementation of neutrino cross sections models in the TeV energy regime; (b) study new observables and samples to increase the sensitivity to Sterile Neutrinos with neutrino telescopes, and (c) update sterile neutrino searches using an analysis framework developed during this project.
Profiting from the data of two international collaborations, IceCube and KM3NeT, UNOS will provide world-leading constraints on sterile neutrinos.
During the first phase of the action, two working packages have been developed: (a) update simulations of neutrino interactions; (a) maximize observing power of TeV atmospheric neutrinos with IceCube.
a) The researcher has developed a new code to generate high-energy neutrino interactions called HEDIS. This code has been integrated into GENIE, an open-source neutrino generator widely used by the community. This code has been tested and made available in the simulation chain of both KM3NeT and IceCube.
Studying the propagation of neutrinos through Earth with HEDIS, the researcher and the Harvard team discovered a new mechanism to produce high-energy tau neutrinos. This work has led to a publication in Physical Review Letter (2022), which was shared in multiple press releases.
Currently, the researcher, in collaboration with researchers from NIKHEF, is developing a new method to describe structure functions in the low energy transfer regime. This calculation will allow us to compute the Deep Inelastic Scattering cross section from 10 GeV to 10 EeV. This work is a significant milestone of the project and one of the main deliverables for the scientific community.
b) Together with researchers from Harvard, MIT, and UTA, the researcher has defined the most relevant observables to constrain sterile neutrinos with neutrino telescopes.
They have developed a new tool to reject atmospheric muon using Boosted Decision Trees, reducing the background contamination and improving the selection efficiency compared to previous analyses. Using Neural Networks, neutrino interactions are classified as through-going and starting events. In addition, a new method to reconstruct the neutrino energy has been implemented. The new energy estimator significantly improved the energy resolution for neutrinos in the TeV energy regime.
This work has been presented to other IceCube members in internal meetings. The result has been thoroughly reviewed and accepted by the collaboration.
a) The researcher has developed a new code to generate high-energy neutrino interactions called HEDIS. This code has been integrated into GENIE, an open-source neutrino generator widely used by the community. This code has been tested and made available in the simulation chain of both KM3NeT and IceCube.
Studying the propagation of neutrinos through Earth with HEDIS, the researcher and the Harvard team discovered a new mechanism to produce high-energy tau neutrinos. This work has led to a publication in Physical Review Letter (2022), which was shared in multiple press releases.
Currently, the researcher, in collaboration with researchers from NIKHEF, is developing a new method to describe structure functions in the low energy transfer regime. This calculation will allow us to compute the Deep Inelastic Scattering cross section from 10 GeV to 10 EeV. This work is a significant milestone of the project and one of the main deliverables for the scientific community.
b) Together with researchers from Harvard, MIT, and UTA, the researcher has defined the most relevant observables to constrain sterile neutrinos with neutrino telescopes.
They have developed a new tool to reject atmospheric muon using Boosted Decision Trees, reducing the background contamination and improving the selection efficiency compared to previous analyses. Using Neural Networks, neutrino interactions are classified as through-going and starting events. In addition, a new method to reconstruct the neutrino energy has been implemented. The new energy estimator significantly improved the energy resolution for neutrinos in the TeV energy regime.
This work has been presented to other IceCube members in internal meetings. The result has been thoroughly reviewed and accepted by the collaboration.
UNOS is enhancing our knowledge in several frontiers of neutrino physics. First, we are testing the predictions of neutrino production in the atmosphere. In addition, we are fostering the development of new tools to simulate neutrino interactions. A better understating of these processes will boost the studies of other Beyond Standard Model scenarios like dark matter searches.
This project constitutes an excellent example of coordination between two international collaborations, IceCube and KM3NeT. It established a common ground for future joint analyses between different neutrino telescopes in Particle Physics. A clear example is the exchange of software tools developed as open-source code, like GENIE and nuSQUIDs. Moreover, this project improves the network between Harvard and IFIC, enabling scientists to communicate and exchange ideas more efficiently.
Finally, carrying out the first phase of this project in the US has significant societal implications. We have encouraged high school students from Spanish-speaking communities in the Boston area to become interested in cutting-edge research in particle physics, providing a unique opportunity for them to develop their scientific skills. This project thus serves as a bridge between different communities in the US and Europe, fostering technical and cultural exchange.
This project constitutes an excellent example of coordination between two international collaborations, IceCube and KM3NeT. It established a common ground for future joint analyses between different neutrino telescopes in Particle Physics. A clear example is the exchange of software tools developed as open-source code, like GENIE and nuSQUIDs. Moreover, this project improves the network between Harvard and IFIC, enabling scientists to communicate and exchange ideas more efficiently.
Finally, carrying out the first phase of this project in the US has significant societal implications. We have encouraged high school students from Spanish-speaking communities in the Boston area to become interested in cutting-edge research in particle physics, providing a unique opportunity for them to develop their scientific skills. This project thus serves as a bridge between different communities in the US and Europe, fostering technical and cultural exchange.