A search for oscillations of muon-neutrinos to electron-neutrinos

The author has searched in the heavy liquid bubble chamber BEBC for electron neutrino charge current events which could arise from oscillation of the muon neutrinos (average energy ∼1.5 GeV) obtained with a low energy proton beam at the CERN PS targeted 825 m upstream from BEBC. The appearance of electron neutrino CC interactions provides a sensitive indication of nu/sub μ/ → nu/sub e/ oscillation. The author observed 460 muon neutrino CC events and 4 electron neutrino CC events with an estimated background of 3.5 electron neutrino CC events. Using the likelihood ratio method to test the oscillation hypothesis, the author finds no evidence for nu/sub μ/ → nu/sub e/ oscillation and set the limits δm2 ≤ 0.13 eV2 (maximal mixing) and sin22theta ≤ 0.018 for δm2 = 3 eV2 at 90% confidence level