MeV Scale Physics in Microboone

Date of Award

Summer 7-16-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physics

Advisor(s)

Soderberg, Mitchell

Keywords

de-excitation gammas, energy threshold, MeV, neutrino, neutrons, Supernovae

Subject Categories

Astrophysics and Astronomy | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Physics

Abstract

This thesis presents the reconstruction and measurement of low-energy electromagnetic activity associated with beam neutrino interactions within the MicroBooNE Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC). LArTPCs have proven to be excellent detectors to measure neutrino interaction cross sections and are being used to perform precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters. The work presented in this thesis has demonstrated unprecedentedly low, sub-MeV energy thresholds that have increased sensitivity of LArTPCs to detect neutrino interactions from core collapse supernovae and Muon Decay at Rest (μDAR). In addition, such low thresholds have also increased measurement sensitivity for interactions from Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) candidates such as millicharged particles and nuclear and electron recoils from dark matter candidate particles. On the reconstruction side, this work has established an energy resolution of 6.3% for electromagnetic activity in the 0-5 MeV energy range within the MicroBooNE LArTPC. Additionally this work presents the quantitative analysis of the low-energy activity emanating from G-10 support ribs in MicroBooNE and discusses how such activity could be a problematic source of background for low-energy physics analyses in future neutrino detectors such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE).

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