Measurement of neutrino velocity with the MINOS detectors and NuMI neutrino beam

TL;DR

This paper reports a measurement of neutrino velocity using the MINOS detectors and NuMI beam, finding results consistent with the speed of light and setting an upper limit on neutrino mass.

Contribution

It provides the first precise measurement of neutrino velocity over a long baseline and constrains neutrino mass using timing and energy data.

Findings

Neutrino velocity consistent with speed of light within uncertainties

Set an upper limit on neutrino mass at 50 MeV/c^2

Demonstrated the capability of MINOS detectors for precise timing measurements

Abstract

The velocity of a ~3 GeV neutrino beam is measured by comparing detection times at the Near and Far detectors of the MINOS experiment, separated by 734 km. A total of 473 Far Detector neutrino events was used to measure (v-c)/c = 5.1 +/- 2.9 x 10^-5 (at 68% C.L.). By correlating the measured energies of 258 charged-current neutrino events to their arrival times at the Far Detector, a limit is imposed on the neutrino mass of m_nu < 50 MeV/c^2 (99% C.L.).