Characterizing Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers for Neutrino Physics When particle physicists want to study the fundamental particles of the universe, they cannot flip through a catalog to find the scientific instrument perfect for the task. They must develop their own tools and, rigorously test and improve upon their design. Scientific exploration can often be shunted by the quality of your instrument. Never is this more prevalent than our probe of neutrinos. Exclusively interacting with the weak force, peculiarly oscillating between its three ‘flavors’, and being one of the most abundant particles in the Universe, neutrinos are the quirkiest of the fundamental particles. Within their peculiarity may lie answers to questions we have not even posed yet. The predicament remains in designing the best instrument to investigate these particles. Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPC), because of their 3D and calorimetric resolution of particle interactions, are a major focus in the US Neutrino Program. Fermilab’s LArIAT (Liquid Argon In A Testbeam) experiment is focusing its efforts on calibrating the responses of these detectors, surprisingly not yet extensively studied. By placing the repurposed ArgoNeuT detector in a beam of charged particles of known momentum and type, the experiment seeks to measure and refine the LArTPC’s particle identification capabilities. The experiment has recently completed Run-II and is now planning for Run-III, which will begin in early 2017. This presentation will focus on recent research in the LArIAT experiment, particularly the world’s first pion cross-section measurement in liquid argon.

Faculty Mentor: Saima Farooq

On Behalf of the LArIAT Collaboration.