The Fermilab seminars are listed at: https://ad.fnal.gov/ADSeminars/

Speaker: Michael Wallbank, University of Cincinnati

Title:Optimizing the MCenter Beamline for the NOvA Test Beam Experiment

Zoom: Provided in weekly newsletter

Abstract:

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment designed to study a wide range of outstanding critical questions in neutrino physics. The experiment uses the NuMI neutrino beam and comprises two functionally-identical detectors, placed 1 km and 810 km from the beam source at Fermilab and Ash River, Minnesota, respectively. The NOvA Test Beam experiment uses a scaled-down NOvA detector to analyze well-understood charged particles to improve our understanding of the detector response and data analysis techniques.

A new tertiary beamline deployed at Fermilab can select and identify electrons, muons, pions, kaons and protons with energies from 0.3 to 2 GeV. Using these data, the Test Beam program will provide NOvA with a better understanding of the largest systematic uncertainties impacting NOvA’s analyses, including the detector modeling and simulation, calibration, and hadronic and electromagnetic energy resolution. The NOvA Test Beam experiment is located at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility on the MCenter beamline.

I will overview the program and discuss its current status and plans, including showing preliminary results from data collected between 2019 and 2021. I will also discuss the work done in improving understanding of and optimizing the MCenter beam for NOvA’s use.