Search for an anomalous excess of charged-current quasi-elastic $\nu_e$ interactions with the MicroBooNE experiment using Deep-Learning-based reconstruction

The MicroBooNE collaboration Abratenko, P. ; An, R. ; Anthony, J. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.D 105 (2022) 112003, 2022.
Inspire Record 1953568 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.114859

We present a measurement of the $\nu_e$-interaction rate in the MicroBooNE detector that addresses the observed MiniBooNE anomalous low-energy excess (LEE). The approach taken isolates neutrino interactions consistent with the kinematics of charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE) events. The topology of such signal events has a final state with 1 electron, 1 proton, and 0 mesons ($1e1p$). Multiple novel techniques are employed to identify a $1e1p$ final state, including particle identification that use two methods of deep-learning-based image identification, and event isolation using a boosted decision-tree ensemble trained to recognize two-body scattering kinematics. This analysis selects 25 $\nu_e$-candidate events in the reconstructed neutrino energy range of 200--1200 MeV, while $29.0 \pm 1.9_\text{(sys)} \pm 5.4_\text{(stat)}$ are predicted when using $\nu_\mu$ CCQE interactions as a constraint. We use a simplified model to translate the MiniBooNE LEE observation into a prediction for a $\nu_e$ signal in MicroBooNE. A $\Delta \chi^2$ test statistic, based on the combined Neyman--Pearson $\chi^2$ formalism, is used to define frequentist confidence intervals for the LEE signal strength. Using this technique, in the case of no LEE signal, we expect this analysis to exclude a normalization factor of 0.75 (0.98) times the median MiniBooNE LEE signal strength at 90% ($2\sigma$) confidence level, while the MicroBooNE data yield an exclusion of 0.25 (0.38) times the median MiniBooNE LEE signal strength at 90% ($2\sigma$) confidence

7 data tables

Observed NuE data and background (+ LEE) prediction, including the muon neutrino background prediction from the empirical fit, for arXiv:2110.14080. The prediction incorporates the constraint from the 1mu1p sample

Observed NuE data and background (+ LEE) prediction, including the muon neutrino background prediction from the empirical fit, for arXiv:2110.14080. The prediction does not incorporate the constraint from the 1mu1p sample

NuE background fractional covariance matrix after the 1mu1p constraint from arXiv:2110.14080

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First Measurement of Energy-dependent Inclusive Muon Neutrino Charged-Current Cross Sections on Argon with the MicroBooNE Detector

The MicroBooNE collaboration Abratenko, P. ; An, R. ; Anthony, J. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 128 (2022) 151801, 2022.
Inspire Record 1954078 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.114863

We report a measurement of the energy-dependent total charged-current cross section $\sigma\left(E_\nu\right)$ for inclusive muon neutrinos scattering on argon, as well as measurements of flux-averaged differential cross sections as a function of muon energy and hadronic energy transfer ($\nu$). Data corresponding to 5.3$\times$10$^{19}$ protons on target of exposure were collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located in the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam with a mean neutrino energy of approximately 0.8~GeV. The mapping between the true neutrino energy $E_\nu$ and reconstructed neutrino energy $E^{rec}_\nu$ and between the energy transfer $\nu$ and reconstructed hadronic energy $E^{rec}_{had}$ are validated by comparing the data and Monte Carlo (MC) predictions. In particular, the modeling of the missing hadronic energy and its associated uncertainties are verified by a new method that compares the $E^{rec}_{had}$ distributions between data and an MC prediction after constraining the reconstructed muon kinematic distributions, energy and polar angle, to those of data. The success of this validation gives confidence that the missing energy in the MicroBooNE detector is well-modeled and underpins first-time measurements of both the total cross section $\sigma\left(E_\nu\right)$ and the differential cross section $d\sigma/d\nu$ on argon.

9 data tables

$\nu_\mu$CC inclusive total cross section per nucleon in each neutrino energy bin with statistical plus systematic uncertainty. The total uncertainty comes from the square root of the covariance matrix diagonal entries.

$\nu_\mu$CC inclusive differential cross section per nucleon in each muon energy bin with statistical plus systematic uncertainty. The total uncertainty comes from the square root of the covariance matrix diagonal entries.

$\nu_\mu$CC inclusive differential cross section per nucleon in each hadronic energy transfer bin with statistical plus systematic uncertainty. The total uncertainty comes from the square root of the covariance matrix diagonal entries.

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Version 3
Search for an anomalous excess of inclusive charged-current $\nu_e$ interactions in the MicroBooNE experiment using Wire-Cell reconstruction

The MicroBooNE collaboration Abratenko, P. ; An, R. ; Anthony, J. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.D 105 (2022) 112005, 2022.
Inspire Record 1953539 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.114862

We report a search for an anomalous excess of inclusive charged-current (CC) $\nu_e$ interactions using the Wire-Cell event reconstruction package in the MicroBooNE experiment, which is motivated by the previous observation of a low-energy excess (LEE) of electromagnetic events from the MiniBooNE experiment. With a single liquid argon time projection chamber detector, the measurements of $\nu_{\mu}$ CC interactions as well as $\pi^0$ interactions are used to constrain signal and background predictions of $\nu_e$ CC interactions. A data set collected from February 2016 to July 2018 corresponding to an exposure of 6.369 $\times$ 10$^{20}$ protons on target from the Booster Neutrino Beam at FNAL is analyzed. With $x$ representing an overall normalization factor and referred to as the LEE strength parameter, we select 56 fully contained $\nu_e$ CC candidates while expecting 69.6 $\pm$ 8.0 (stat.) $\pm$ 5.0 (sys.) and 103.8 $\pm$ 9.0 (stat.) $\pm$ 7.4 (sys.) candidates after constraints for the absence (eLEE$_{x=0}$) of the median signal strength derived from the MiniBooNE observation and the presence (eLEE$_{x=1}$) of that signal strength, respectively. Under a nested hypothesis test using both rate and shape information in all available channels, the best-fit $x$ is determined to be 0 (eLEE$_{x=0}$) with a 95.5% confidence level upper limit of $x$ at 0.502. Under a simple-vs-simple hypotheses test, the eLEE$_{x=1}$ hypothesis is rejected at 3.75$\sigma$, while the eLEE$_{x=0}$ hypothesis is shown to be consistent with the observation at 0.45$\sigma$. In the context of the eLEE model, the estimated 68.3% confidence interval of the $\nu_e$ hypothesis to explain the LEE observed in the MiniBooNE experiment is disfavored at a significance level of more than 2.6$\sigma$ (3.0$\sigma$) considering MiniBooNE's full (statistical) uncertainties.

135 data tables

Fully contained $\nu_e$CC data, signal, background, and LEE(x=1) predictions constrained by the $\nu_e$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC FC, $\nu_\mu$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ FC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ PC, and NC $\pi^0$ channels under a LEE(x=0) hypothesis. Note that here we show the sum of the constrained signal and constrained background; due to correlations between signal and background, this is not identical to constraining after summing signal and background, but the difference here is minimal. Note that the rightmost bin is an overflow bin, containing all events with reconstructed neutrino energy greater than 2.5 GeV. The background includes neutral current events, $\nu_\mu$CC events, events with a true neutrino interaction vertex outside the fiducial volume (3 cm inside the TPC active volume), and cosmic ray backgrounds. The signal includes the remaining intrinsic $\nu_e$CC events. The LEE(x=1) includes the predicted excess from an unfolding of the MiniBooNE LEE under a $\nu_e$CC hypothesis.

Fully contained $\nu_e$CC data, signal, background, and LEE(x=1) predictions constrained by the $\nu_e$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC FC, $\nu_\mu$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ FC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ PC, and NC $\pi^0$ channels under a LEE(x=0) hypothesis. Note that here we show the sum of the constrained signal and constrained background; due to correlations between signal and background, this is not identical to constraining after summing signal and background, but the difference here is minimal. Note that the rightmost bin is an overflow bin, containing all events with reconstructed neutrino energy greater than 2.5 GeV. The background includes neutral current events, $\nu_\mu$CC events, events with a true neutrino interaction vertex outside the fiducial volume (3 cm inside the TPC active volume), and cosmic ray backgrounds. The signal includes the remaining intrinsic $\nu_e$CC events. The LEE(x=1) includes the predicted excess from an unfolding of the MiniBooNE LEE under a $\nu_e$CC hypothesis.

Fully contained $\nu_e$CC data, signal, background, and LEE(x=1) predictions constrained by the $\nu_e$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC FC, $\nu_\mu$CC PC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ FC, $\nu_\mu$CC $\pi^0$ PC, and NC $\pi^0$ channels under a LEE(x=0) hypothesis. Note that here we show the sum of the constrained signal and constrained background; due to correlations between signal and background, this is not identical to constraining after summing signal and background, but the difference here is minimal. Note that the rightmost bin is an overflow bin, containing all events with reconstructed neutrino energy greater than 2.5 GeV. The background includes neutral current events, $\nu_\mu$CC events, events with a true neutrino interaction vertex outside the fiducial volume (3 cm inside the TPC active volume), and cosmic ray backgrounds. The signal includes the remaining intrinsic $\nu_e$CC events. The LEE(x=1) includes the predicted excess from an unfolding of the MiniBooNE LEE under a $\nu_e$CC hypothesis.

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Search for Neutrino-Induced Neutral Current $\Delta$ Radiative Decay in MicroBooNE and a First Test of the MiniBooNE Low Energy Excess Under a Single-Photon Hypothesis

The MicroBooNE collaboration Abratenko, P. ; An, R. ; Anthony, J. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 128 (2022) 111801, 2022.
Inspire Record 1937333 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.114860

We report results from a search for neutrino-induced neutral current (NC) resonant $\Delta$(1232) baryon production followed by $\Delta$ radiative decay, with a $\langle0.8\rangle$~GeV neutrino beam. Data corresponding to MicroBooNE's first three years of operations (6.80$\times$10$^{20}$ protons on target) are used to select single-photon events with one or zero protons and without charged leptons in the final state ($1\gamma1p$ and $1\gamma0p$, respectively). The background is constrained via an in-situ high-purity measurement of NC $\pi^0$ events, made possible via dedicated $2\gamma1p$ and $2\gamma0p$ selections. A total of 16 and 153 events are observed for the $1\gamma1p$ and $1\gamma0p$ selections, respectively, compared to a constrained background prediction of $20.5 \pm 3.65 \text{(sys.)} $ and $145.1 \pm 13.8 \text{(sys.)} $ events. The data lead to a bound on an anomalous enhancement of the normalization of NC $\Delta$ radiative decay of less than $2.3$ times the predicted nominal rate for this process at the 90% confidence level (CL). The measurement disfavors a candidate photon interpretation of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess as a factor of $3.18$ times the nominal NC $\Delta$ radiative decay rate at the 94.8% CL, in favor of the nominal prediction, and represents a greater than $50$-fold improvement over the world's best limit on single-photon production in NC interactions in the sub-GeV neutrino energy range

12 data tables

Data and MC comparison of the reconstructed $\pi^0$ momentum distribution for the 2$\gamma$1p selected events

Data/MC ratio as a function of reconstructed $\pi^0$ momentum for the 2$\gamma$1p selection

Data and MC comparison of the reconstructed $\pi^0$ momentum distribution for the 2$\gamma$0p selected events

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