Neutrino interaction measurements with the MicroBooNE and ArgoNeuT liquid argon time projection chambers

Precise modeling of neutrino interactions on argon is crucial for the success of future experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) and the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program, which will use liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) technology. Argon is a large nucleus, and nuclear effects—both on the initial and final-state particles in the interaction—are expected to be large in neutrino–argon interactions. Therefore, measurements of neutrino scattering cross sections on argon will be of particular importance to future DUNE and SBN oscillation measurements. This article presents a review of neutrino–argon interaction measurements from the MicroBooNE and ArgoNeuT collaborations, using two LArTPC detectors that have collected data in the NuMI and Booster Neutrino Beams at Fermilab. Measurements are presented of charged-current muon neutrino scattering in the inclusive channel, the ‘0$$\pi $$ π ’ channel (in which no pions but some number of protons may be produced), and single pion production (including production of both charged and neutral pions). Measurements of electron neutrino scattering are presented in the form of $$\nu _e+\bar{\nu }_e$$ ν e + ν ¯ e inclusive scattering cross sections.

Evaluation of Real-Time Kinematic Positioning and Deformation Monitoring Using Xiaomi Mi 8 Smartphone

Modern low-cost electronic devices can achieve high precision for global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) and related applications. Recently, the pseudo-range and carrier phase have been directly obtained from a smartphone to establish a professional-level surveying device. Although promising results have been obtained by linking to an external GNSS antenna, the real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning performance requires further improvement when using the embedded smartphone antenna. We first investigate the observation quality characteristics of the Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphone. The carrier-to-noise-density ratio of L5/E5a signals is below that of L1/E1 signals, and the cycle slip and loss of lock are severe, especially for L5/E5a signals. Therefore, we use an improved stochastic model and ambiguity-resolution strategies to improve the short-baseline RTK positioning accuracy. Experimental results show that the ambiguity fixing rate can reach approximately 90% in 3 h of observations when using the embedded antenna, while the GPS/Galileo/BDS single-frequency combination is more suitable for smartphones. On the other hand, convergence takes 10–30 min, and the RTK positioning accuracy can reach 1 and 2 cm along the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, if ambiguity is resolved correctly. Moreover, we verify the feasibility of using a mass-produced smartphone for deformation monitoring. Results from a simulated dynamic deformation experiment indicate that a smartphone can recognise deformations as small as 2 cm.

Improvement of Multi-GNSS Precision and Success Rate Using Realistic Stochastic Model of Observations

With the advancement of multi-constellation and multi-frequency global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs), more observations are available for high precision positioning applications. Although there is a lot of progress in the GNSS world, achieving realistic precision of the solution (neither too optimistic nor too pessimistic) is still an open problem. Weighting among different GNSS systems requires a realistic stochastic model for all observations to achieve the best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) of unknown parameters in multi-GNSS data processing mode. In addition, the correct integer ambiguity resolution (IAR) becomes crucial in shortening the Time-To-Fix (TTF) in RTK, especially in challenging environmental conditions. In general, it is required to estimate various variances for observation types, consider the correlation between different observables, and compensate for the satellite elevation dependence of the observable precision. Quality control of GNSS signals, such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou can be performed by processing a zero or short baseline double difference pseudorange and carrier phase observations using the least-squares variance component estimation (LS-VCE). The efficacy of this method is investigated using real multi-GNSS data sets collected by the Trimble NETR9, SEPT POLARX5, and LEICA GR30 receivers. The results show that the standard deviation of observations depends on the system and the observable type in which a particular receiver could have the best performance. We also note that the estimated variances and correlations among different observations are also dependent on the receiver type. It is because the approaches utilized for the recovery techniques differ from one type of receiver to another kind. The reliability of IAR will improve if a realistic stochastic model is applied in single or multi-GNSS data processing. According to the results, for the data sets considered, a realistic stochastic model can increase the computed empirical success rate to 100% in multi-GNSS as well as a single system. As mentioned previously, the realistic precision of the solution can be achieved with a realistic stochastic model. However, using the estimated stochastic model, in fact, leads to better precision and accuracy for the estimated baseline components, up to 39% in multi-GNSS.

An Underwater Visual Navigation Method Based on Multiple ArUco Markers

Underwater navigation presents crucial issues because of the rapid attenuation of electronic magnetic waves. The conventional underwater navigation methods are achieved by acoustic equipment, such as the ultra-short-baseline localisation systems and Doppler velocity logs, etc. However, they suffer from low fresh rate, low bandwidth, environmental disturbance and high cost. In the paper, a novel underwater visual navigation is investigated based on the multiple ArUco markers. Unlike other underwater navigation approaches based on the artificial markers, the noise model of the pose estimation of a single marker and an optimal algorithm of the multiple markers are developed to increase the precision of the method. The experimental tests are conducted in the towing tank. The results show that the proposed method is able to localise the underwater vehicle accurately.

Instantaneous, Dual-Frequency, Multi-GNSS Precise RTK Positioning Using Google Pixel 4 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Smartphones for Zero and Short Baselines

The recent development of the smartphone Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipsets, such as Broadcom BCM47755 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 embedded, makes instantaneous and cm level real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning possible with Android-based smartphones. In this contribution we investigate the instantaneous single-baseline RTK performance of Samsung Galaxy S20 and Google Pixel 4 (GP4) smartphones with such chipsets, while making use of dual-frequency L1 + L5 Global Positioning System (GPS), E1 + E5a Galileo, L1 + L5 Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and B1 BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) code and phase observations in Dunedin, New Zealand. The effects of locating the smartphones in an upright and lying down position were evaluated, and we show that the choice of smartphone configuration can affect the positioning performance even in a zero-baseline setup. In particular, we found non-zero mean and linear trends in the double-differenced carrier-phase residuals for one of the smartphone models when lying down, which become absent when in an upright position. This implies that the two assessed smartphones have different antenna gain pattern and antenna sensitivity to interferences. Finally, we demonstrate, for the first time, a near hundred percent (98.7% to 99.9%) instantaneous RTK integer least-squares success rate for one of the smartphone models and cm level positioning precision while using short-baseline experiments with internal and external antennas, respectively.

Calorimetric classification of track-like signatures in liquid argon TPCs using MicroBooNE data

The MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located at Fermilab is a neutrino experiment dedicated to the study of short-baseline oscillations, the measurements of neutrino cross sections in liquid argon, and to the research and development of this novel detector technology. Accurate and precise measurements of calorimetry are essential to the event reconstruction and are achieved by leveraging the TPC to measure deposited energy per unit length along the particle trajectory, with mm resolution. We describe the non-uniform calorimetric reconstruction performance in the detector, showing dependence on the angle of the particle trajectory. Such non-uniform reconstruction directly affects the performance of the particle identification algorithms which infer particle type from calorimetric measurements. This work presents a new particle identification method which accounts for and effectively addresses such non-uniformity. The newly developed method shows improved performance compared to previous algorithms, illustrated by a 93.7% proton selection efficiency and a 10% muon mis-identification rate, with a fairly loose selection of tracks performed on beam data. The performance is further demonstrated by identifying exclusive final states in νμCC interactions. While developed using MicroBooNE data and simulation, this method is easily applicable to future LArTPC experiments, such as SBND, ICARUS, and DUNE.

Positioning Combination Method of USBL Using Four-Element Stereo Array

In the present article, an ultra-short baseline (USBL) combined location method based on three four-element stereo arrays is proposed. In order to solve the problem of the poor positioning effect of acoustic positioning under a high incident angle of signal, two kinds of four-element stereo arrays are designed, and the localization approach of the new array is given. At the same time, for the regular triangular pyramid array, a virtual array element is proposed to construct a planar cross array to improve the poor positioning effect of the regular triangular pyramid array at a low incident angle. This paper analyzes the positioning performance of three arrays. Combined with the traditional cross-planar array localization method, a set of positioning strategies to switch the two localization methods under different incident angles were designed. The switching thresholds of the two methods were analyzed by simulation. Simulation results show that the new arrays can locate stably at different incident angles and improve the overall positioning performance of the array.

Sterile Neutrinos with Neutrino Telescopes

Searches for light sterile neutrinos are motivated by the unexpected observation of an electron neutrino appearance in short-baseline experiments, such as the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) and the Mini Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE). In light of these unexpected results, a campaign using natural and anthropogenic sources to find the light (mass-squared-difference around 1 eV2) sterile neutrinos is underway. Among the natural sources, atmospheric neutrinos provide a unique gateway to search for sterile neutrinos due to the broad range of baseline-to-energy ratios, L/E, and the presence of significant matter effects. Since the atmospheric neutrino flux rapidly falls with energy, studying its highest energy component requires gigaton-scale neutrino detectors. These detectors—often known as neutrino telescopes since they are designed to observe tiny astrophysical neutrino fluxes—have been used to perform searches for light sterile neutrinos, and researchers have found no significant signal to date. This brief review summarizes the current status of searches for light sterile neutrinos with neutrino telescopes deployed in solid and liquid water.

A bathymetric mapping and SLAM dataset with high-precision ground truth for marine robotics

In recent years, sonar systems for surface and underwater vehicles have increased in resolution and become significantly less expensive. As such, these systems are viable at a wide range of price points and are appropriate for a broad set of applications on surface and underwater vehicles. However, to take full advantage of these high-resolution sensors for seafloor mapping tasks an adequate navigation solution is also required. In GPS-denied environments this usually necessitates a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technique to maintain good accuracy with minimal error accumulation. Acoustic positioning systems such as ultra short baseline (USBL) and long baseline (LBL) are sometimes deployed to provide additional bounds on the navigation solution, but the positional uncertainty of these systems is often much greater than the resolution of modern multibeam or interferometric side scan sonars. As such, subsurface vehicles often lack the means to adequately ground-truth navigation solutions and the resulting bathymetic maps. In this article, we present a dataset with four separate surveys designed to test bathymetric SLAM algorithms using two modern sonars, typical underwater vehicle navigation sensors, and high-precision (2 cm horizontal, 10 cm vertical) real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS ground truth. In addition, these data can be used to refine and improve other aspects of multibeam sonar mapping such as ray-tracing, gridding techniques, and time-varying attitude corrections.