NOvA: Current Status and Future Reach

NOνA, the NuMI Off-Axis νe Appearance experiment will study νμ→νe oscillations, characterized by the mixing angle θ13. A complementary pair of detectors will be constructed ∼14 mrad off beam axis to optimize the energy profile of the neutrinos. This system consists of a surface based 14 kTon liquid scintillatior tracking volume located 810 km from the main injector source (NuMI) in Ash River, Minnesota and a smaller underground 222 Ton near detector at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). The first neutrino signals at the Ash River site are expected soon after the completion of 2012 Fermilab accelerator upgrades. In the meantime, a near detector surface prototype has been completed and neutrinos from two sources at FNAL have been observed using the same highly segmented PVC and liquid scintillator detector system that will be deployed in the full scale experiment. With the recent measurements of θ13 as input, updated sensitivities of NOνAʼs capability to ultimately determine the ordering of the neutrino masses and measure CP violation in neutrino oscillations will be provided. Additionally, design and initial performance characteristics of the surface prototype system along with implications for the full NOνAprogram will be presented.