2023-05-222023-05-222017ADAMSON, P. et al. Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA. Physical Review D, Washington, v. 96, n. 7, e072006, 2017. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006. Disponível em: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006. Acesso em: 16 maio 2023.e- 2470-00292470-0010http://repositorio.bc.ufg.br/handle/ri/22587We report results from the first search for sterile neutrinos mixing with active neutrinos through a reduction in the rate of neutral-current interactions over a baseline of 810 km between the NOvA detectors. Analyzing a 14-kton detector equivalent exposure of 6.05 × 1020 protons-on-target in the NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 95 neutral-current candidates at the Far Detector compared with 83.5 9.7ðstatÞ 9.4ðsystÞ events predicted assuming mixing only occurs between active neutrino species. No evidence for νμ → νs transitions is found. Interpreting these results within a 3 þ 1 model, we place constraints on the mixing angles θ24 < 20.8° and θ34 < 31.2° at the 90% C.L. for 0.05 eV2 ≤ Δm2 41 ≤ 0.5 eV2, the range of mass splittings that produce no significant oscillations over the Near Detector baseline.engAcesso AbertoArtigo10.1103/PhysRevD.96.072006