Sterile Neutrino Searches with MicroBooNE: Electron Neutrino Disappearance

Abstract

A sterile neutrino is a well motivated minimal new physics model that leaves an imprint in neutrino oscillations. Over the last two decades, a number of hints pointing to a sterile neutrino have emerged, many of which are pointing near $m_4\sim 1$ eV. Here we show how MicroBooNE data can be used to search for electron neutrino disappearance using each of their four analysis channels. We find a hint for oscillations with the highest single channel significance of $2.4\sigma$ (using the Feldman-Cousins approach) coming from the Wire-Cell analysis and a simplified treatment of the experimental systematics. The preferred parameters are ${\sin }^2(2{\theta }_{14})=0.35_{-0.16}^{+0.19}$ and $\Delta m_{41}^2=1.25_{-0.39}^{+0.74}$ eV${}^2$. This region of parameter space is in good agreement with existing hints from source experiments, is at a similar frequency but higher mixing than indicated by reactor anti-neutrinos, and is at the edge of the region allowed by solar neutrino data. Existing unanalyzed data from MicroBooNE could increase the sensitivity to the $>3\sigma$ level.

11 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, maybe one sterile neutrino; comments welcome! v2: analysis significantly upgraded, conclusions similar

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