Can One Extract the Neutrino Oscillation Signature from the SuperKamiokande Experiment ? An Analysis of Neutrino Events Occurring outside the Detector

TL;DR

This paper critically examines the SuperKamiokande experiment's claim of detecting neutrino oscillations by analyzing upward muon events through simulations, finding no oscillatory signature and questioning the original interpretation.

Contribution

The study provides a simulation-based analysis of neutrino events outside the detector, offering alternative explanations for the observed oscillation signature claimed by SuperKamiokande.

Findings

No oscillatory signature found in simulations of upward muon events

Possible explanations for the discrepancy between simulation and SuperKamiokande data

Challenges the interpretation of observed oscillations in the original experiment

Abstract

The SuperKamiokande group assert that they have found an oscillatory signature in atmospheric neutrinos through the analysis of \textit{Fully Contained Events} and \textit{Partially Contained Events}. We have performed an $L/E$ (length/energy) analysis of \textit{Upward Through-Going Muon Events} and \textit{Stopping Muon Events} in a numerical computer simulations both with and without neutrino oscillations but were unable to find an oscillatory signature. We give likely explanations for the absence of the oscillatory signature in our simulations and its apparent presence in the SuperKamiokande data.