Revisiting the 'LSND anomaly' II: critique of the data analysis

This paper, together with a preceding paper, questions the so-called `LSND anomaly': a 3.8~$\sigma$ excess of $\bar{\nu}_{\rm e}$ interactions over standard backgrounds, observed by the LSND Collaboration in a beam dump experiment with 800~MeV protons. That excess has been interpreted as evidence for the \anumtoanue\ oscillation in the $\Delta m^2$ range from 0.2~eV$^2$ to 2~eV$^2$. Such a $\Delta m^2$ range is incompatible with the widely accepted model of oscillations between three light neutrino species and would require the existence of at least one light `sterile' neutrino. In a preceding paper, it was concluded that the estimates of standard backgrounds must be significantly increased. In this paper, the LSND Collaboration's estimate of the number of $\bar{\nu}_{\rm e}$ interactions followed by neutron capture, and of its error, is questioned. The overall conclusion is that the significance of the `LSND anomaly' is not larger than 2.3~$\sigma$. \end{abstract}