Data to NEUT and GENIE MC Generators Prediction CC1pi+/CCQE Ratio Comparison for Neutrino Interactions with T2K P?ØD Detector as Input to T2K Oscillation Analysis

Abstract

Historically, neutrinos were introduces by W. Pauli in 1930. A non-zero rest mass is required to explain the oscillation phenomenon discovered by Super-Kamiokande experiment using atmospheric neutrinos, and later reaffirmed using atmospheric neutrinos and other atmospheric and accelerator experiments. The T2K experiment is an off-axis long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. It utilizes the intense nu_mu beam generated at the J-PARC accelerator complex in Tokai, Japan. It has a near detector, ND280, at 280m from the proton target, and Super-Kamiokande as far detector at 295 km. The cross-section measurement of the single charged current pi+ production in neutrino interactions is to contribute to our understanding of the background for measurement of the theta_13 mixing angle. However, this cross-section is not known well in the energy region ~0.6GeV that is the peak energy of the T2K neutrino beam. This affects the MC predicted neutrino reaction rates for both near and far detectors. This dissertation compares the ratio of the single charged current pi+ production rate over the charged current quasi-elastic production rate between the data and the predictions of neutrino interaction MC event generators (NEUT and GENIE) using the Pi-Zero detector (POD), a part of the ND280 near detector. This is done for both the water-in and water-out data of 9.89*10^19 and 3.57*10^19 protons on target respectfully. Additionally, the design, construction and the calibration of the POD detector and its constituents, such as extruded scintillator and multi-pixel silicon photo detectors, are explained.