Research Goals
MicroBooNE is an attempt
to measure neutrino mixing angles. To achieve this, electron-neutrino events
arising from a beam of muon-neutrinos need to be differentiated to detect
flavor changes. Our goal was to create a procedure to reliably identify these
electron-neutrino events and reject all of the other background events. This
was accomplished by examining simulations of MicroBooNE events generated by
Monte Carlo methods using LArSoft (Liquid Argon Software) and determining
specific characteristics inherent to different interactions.
To see what some of
these events or the LArSoft EventDisplay look like, please check out the poster
or presentation.
Research Progress
Week 1: Learning
about the MicroBooNE experiment, the theory behind neutrino oscillations, and
how to run and operate LArSoft.
Weeks 2 and 3:
Learned about different scattering modes (quasi-eleactic, resonant,
deep-inelastic) and modes of interaction (charged-current or neutral-current.)
Began generating and examining single particle simulations with the TruthView
function of LArSoft.
Week 4 and 5:
Examining simulated neutrino events. Began using the EventDisplay function of
LArSoft.
Week 6: Started
looking at simulations for specific interactions, both CC and NC for QE, RES,
and DIS. Began hand-scanning.
Week 7: First steps
in formulating an algorithmic procedure to differentiate CC 
e events.
Week 8: Finished
creating procedure. Conducted an efficiency test to analyze procedure.
Week 9: Attended a
MicroBooNE collaboration meeting at Fermilab and presented findings.
Week 10: Created
final reports and presentation.
Algorithmic Procedure
Step 1:
- Discard all
events not containing a primary interaction vertex.
- These are
intractable and can not be used.
Step 2:
- Discard all events
not containing an electromagnetic shower.
- Charged-current
νe events will always produce an electron, which creates a
tell-tale shower.
Step 3:
- Discard all
events containing distinctive μ tracks.
- μ’s have
characteristically long, straight, minimum ionizing tracks.
- μ’s are
produced in charged-current νμ events and as such can be
ruled out.
Step 4:-Determine the shower origin and discard non-electron
induced events.
- The candidates
are: π0, π+, γ, and electrons.
- γ’s leave gaps between the shower and
the vertex and can be identified by this.
- π+’s
go through a decay before showering and can be found through bends in their
tracks.
Results and Conclusions
An efficiency trial was conducted with 100 random events of all types. Our algorithmic procedure was able to reject 98% of the background noise and keep all of the νe signal. However, several π0 ’s were misidentified as electrons. Further studies still need to be conducted on π0 identification as well as on heavier particles, such as K+, Σ+, Λ0.