Search for neutrino oscillations on a long base-line at the CHOOZ nuclear power station

TL;DR

This paper details the CHOOZ experiment's methodology and analysis for detecting neutrino oscillations using a nuclear power station as a source, emphasizing calibration, systematic error treatment, and data interpretation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive description of the experimental setup, calibration, and analysis methods for neutrino oscillation search at CHOOZ, including new insights on confidence limits and systematic errors.

Findings

No evidence of neutrino oscillations was observed.

The experiment set new limits on neutrino mixing parameters.

Systematic uncertainties were carefully quantified and incorporated.

Abstract

This final article about the CHOOZ experiment presents a complete description of the electron antineutrino source and detector, the calibration methods and stability checks, the event reconstruction procedures and the Monte Carlo simulation. The data analysis, systematic effects and the methods used to reach our conclusions are fully discussed. Some new remarks are presented on the deduction of the confidence limits and on the correct treatment of systematic errors.