Results from the MINOS Experiment and New MINOS+ Data

TL;DR

The paper updates neutrino oscillation parameters using extended MINOS data, introduces initial MINOS+ results, and constrains sterile neutrino existence through disappearance searches.

Contribution

It provides the first combined three-flavour analysis with additional atmospheric data and presents initial MINOS+ findings and sterile neutrino search results.

Findings

Atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters refined

MINOS+ data consistent with previous analysis

Sterile neutrino parameter space significantly constrained

Abstract

The MINOS experiment took data for seven years between May 2005 and April 2012. Since then it has been reborn as the new MINOS+ experiment in the upgraded medium energy NuMI beam and started taking data in September 2013. An update to the MINOS standard oscillations three-flavour disappearance analysis is presented which includes 28% more atmospheric neutrino data. This combined three-flavour analysis calculates an atmospheric parameter best-fit point of $\Delta m_{32}^{2}=2.37^{+0.11}_{-0.07} \times 10^{-3}$~eV$^{2}$ and $\sin^{2}\theta_{23}=0.43^{+0.19}_{-0.05}$ for the inverted hierarchy, for which the MINOS fit shows a slight preference. A first look at the new MINOS+ beam data is presented. The new data is consistent with the combined three-flavour analysis. Finally, new MINOS results for the search for sterile neutrinos using neutrino disappearance are shown which cut out a significant amount of the allowed phase space for a sterile neutrino to exist.