The Results of MINOS and the Future with MINOS+

TL;DR

MINOS and MINOS+ are long-baseline neutrino experiments that have measured neutrino oscillation parameters with high precision, explored exotic phenomena, and aim to further refine these measurements and constraints on sterile neutrinos.

Contribution

This paper reports the most precise measurements of atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters and extends the search for new physics using the MINOS+ data set.

Findings

Most precise measurement of Δm²₃₂

Constraints on θ₁₃, mass hierarchy, and θ₂₃ octant

Search for non-standard interactions and sterile neutrinos

Abstract

The MINOS experiment took data from 2005 up until 2012. This was superseded by MINOS+, the continuation of the two-detector, on-axis, long-baseline experiment based at Fermilab, and at the Soudan Underground Laboratory in northern Minnesota. By searching for the deficit of muon neutrinos at the Far Detector, MINOS/MINOS+ is sensitive to the atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters $\Delta m^{2}_{32}$ and $\theta_{23}$. By using the full MINOS data set looking at both \numu disappearance and \nue appearance in both neutrino and anti-neutrino configurations at the NuMI beam along with atmospheric neutrino data recorded at the FD, MINOS has made the most precise measurement of $\Delta m^{2}_{32}$. Using a full three-flavour framework and searching for \nue appearance MINOS/MINOS+ gains sensitivity to $\theta_{13}$, the mass hierarchy and the octant of $\theta_{23}$. Exotic phenomenon is also explored with the MINOS detectors looking for non-standard interactions and sterile neutrinos. The current MINOS+ era goals are to build on the previous MINOS results improving the precision on the three-flavour oscillation parameter measurements and strengthening the constraints placed on the sterile neutrino parameter space.