Speaker
Description
The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is a gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detector located on the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab. Its primary physics goals include measuring neutron multiplicity in neutrino–nucleus interactions and determining the charged-current cross section of muon neutrinos. In addition to its physics program, ANNIE serves as a testbed for advanced detector technologies, including Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS).
WbLS is a novel detection medium that enables the simultaneous observation of Cherenkov and scintillation light, combining directional information with enhanced light yield. To study its performance in a neutrino beam environment, a 366 L cylindrical vessel filled with WbLS was deployed within ANNIE. The successful observation of both scintillation and Cherenkov components demonstrates the feasibility of hybrid event detection in a large-scale neutrino experiment.
This proof-of-concept opens the door to improved vertex reconstruction and particle identification through combined timing and topology information. Several dedicated analyses are planned to exploit the dual light signature in ANNIE. This poster presents an overview of the WbLS program in ANNIE and highlights recent results and future prospects.