First Data from DUNE's 2x2 Near Detector Prototype

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment currently under construction. One of the goals of DUNE is to measure neutrino oscillations in order to ascertain the neutrino mass ordering and to see if a violation of the CP-symmetry can be found between neutrinos and antineutrinos. DUNE's design consists of a suite of near and far detectors. A prototype of the liquid argon near detector called the 2x2 demonstrator has been developed to demonstrate the detector technology's capabilities and to perform initial measurements of neutrino interactions. The 2x2 demonstrator consists of four modular liquid time projection chambers placed in a single cryostat of liquid argon surrounded by upstream and downstream planes of scintillator strips from the MINERvA experiment which can be used to track the trajectories of charged particles within them. The 2x2 demonstrator can identify neutrino interactions from these trajectories and has recently collected its first round of data. Measuring neutrino interactions will constrain DUNE's systematic uncertainties when analyzing neutrino oscillations. This talk will discuss the design and status of the 2x2 demonstrator and will show some of the first data taken with the prototype.