Study of the Neutrino Magnetic Moment with the NOνA Near Detector

The NuMI Off-Axis ν_e Appearance (NOνA) Experiment is a long baseline neutrino experiment consisting of two detectors, a Near Detector (ND) at Fermilab in Batavia, IL, and a Far Detector (FD) in Ash River, MN. The ND observes the unoscillated neutrino beam while the FD is able to observe neutrinos which have oscillated. Because the ND does not observe oscillated neutrinos, it works in tandem with the FD to provide control measurements. However, the ND also has independent physics goals, such as observing processes which lead to physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). One such process is the existence of a neutrino magnetic moment (νMM). At leading order, neutrinos do not interact electromagnetically, but, by considering higher order perturbative effects, it becomes possible for neutrinos to have an effective coupling with a photon, resulting in a non-zero νMM emerging. Measurement of the neutrino magnetic moment can aid in the process of determining if neutrinos are Dirac or Majorana fermions, as well as provide insights into BSM physics. In this talk, we discuss the NOνA ND’s capabilities for making a direct measurement of the νMM. We also discuss event selection methods, background and systematics studies, and provide a sensitivity estimate, all with simulation results.