LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

1997

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Robert Svoboda

Abstract

A 2.1 kton-yr exposure of data from the Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven detector has yielded 72 atmospheric neutrino events with a vertex contained inside the fiducial volume and at least 0.95 GeV of visible Cerenkov energy. The ratio of muon-like events with respect to the total number of events was calculated for the data and the Monte Carlo simulation. The ratio of these two ratios $({muon-like\over total})\sb{Data}/ ({muon-like\over total})\sb{MC}$ was found to be $1.1\sbsp{-0.12}{+0.07}(stat.)\pm\ 0.11(syst.).$ The zenith angle dependence of this ratio of ratios is consistent with being flat. The region of $sin\sp2(2\theta) > 0.5$ and $\delta m\sp2\ > 9.8 \times 10\sp{-3} eV\sp2$ has been excluded to the 90% confidence level for $\nu\sb{\mu} \to \nu\sb{\varepsilon}$ oscillations while the region of $sin\sp2(2\theta)\ > 0.7$ and $\delta m\sp2\ > 1.5 \times 10\sp{-2} eV\sp2$ has been excluded to the 90% confidence level for $\nu\sb{\mu} \to \nu\sb{\tau}$ oscillations. This dissertation describes in detail the analysis that produced these results. In addition, the Deep Under Water Muon And Neutrino Detector (DUMAND) is described in detail. Included is a description of the attempted construction of the DUMAND array in December of 1993.

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