Data Quality and Performance of the NOvA Prototype Detector

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the data quality and performance of the NOvA prototype detector, NDOS, during its commissioning phase, providing insights into its capabilities for neutrino detection and data monitoring.

Contribution

It presents the initial performance metrics of the NOvA NDOS prototype, a key step in understanding and optimizing the detector for neutrino experiments.

Findings

Initial data quality metrics established

Detector performance during commissioning analyzed

Insights into detector capabilities for neutrino detection

Abstract

The NOvA project is a long-baseline neutrino experiment. It utilizes the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab and consists of two functionally-identical liquid scintillator filled detectors. The detectors are placed 14 milliradians off-axis from the beam and 810 km apart. A 209 ton prototype detector, the Near Detector On the Surface (NDOS), was built and began taking initial neutrino data in December 2010. NDOS is 110 milliradians off-axis from the NuMI beam and also records neutrinos from the Booster Neutrino Beam. As NDOS is in the commissioning phase, metrics are being developed to improve understanding of the detector as well as monitor the quality of data. Performance of the prototype detector will be presented.