Searching for Sterile Neutrinos with MINOS

Abstract

This document presents the latest results for a 3+1 sterile neutrino search using the $10.56\times 10^{20}$ protons-on-target data set taken from 2005 - 2012. By searching for oscillations driven by a large mass splitting, MINOS is sensitive to the existence of sterile neutrinos through any energy dependent deviations using a charged current sample, as well as looking at any relative deficit between neutral current events between the far and near detectors. This document will discuss the novel analysis that enabled a search for sterile neutrinos setting a limit in the previously unexplored regions in the parameter space $\{\Delta m_{41}^2,{\sin }^2{\theta }_{24}\}$. The results presented can be compared to the parameter space suggested by LSND and MiniBooNE and complements other previous experimental searches for sterile neutrinos in the electron neutrino appearance channel.

Proceedings for 51st Rencontres de Moriond EW 2016 talk (8 pages)