Identifying the Neutrino mass Ordering with INO and NOvA

TL;DR

This paper explores how combining data from NOvA and INO experiments, with specific detector capabilities, could determine the neutrino mass ordering by around 2020, leveraging recent measurements of neutrino mixing angles.

Contribution

It assesses the potential of joint NOvA and INO data to identify neutrino mass ordering, specifying detector requirements for significant sensitivity.

Findings

Achieving 10% energy and 10-degree direction reconstruction enables mass ordering determination.

Synergistic analysis enhances sensitivity compared to individual experiments.

Potential to determine neutrino mass hierarchy around 2020.

Abstract

The relatively large value of $\theta_{13}$ established recently by the Daya Bay reactor experiment opens the possibility to determine the neutrino mass ordering with experiments currently under construction. We investigate synergies between the NOvA long-baseline accelerator experiment with atmospheric neutrino data from the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). We identify the requirements on energy and direction reconstruction and detector mass for INO necessary for a significant sensitivity. If neutrino energy and direction reconstruction at the level of 10% and 10 degree can be achieved by INO a determination of the neutrino mass ordering seems possible around 2020.