Towards extracting the best possible results from NOvA

Abstract

The NuMI Off-Axis $\nu_{e}$ Appearance (NO$\nu$A) is the currently running leading long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, whose main physics goal is to explore the current issues in the neutrino sector, such as determination of the neutrino mass ordering, resolution of the octant of atmospheric mixing angle and to constrain the Dirac-type CP violating phase $\delta_{CP}$. In this paper, we would like to investigate whether it is possible to extract the best possible results from NO$\nu$A with a shorter time-span than its scheduled run period by analyzing its capability to discriminate the degeneracy among various neutrino oscillation parameters within four years of run time, with two years in each neutrino and antineutrino modes. Further, we study the same by adding the data from T2K experiment for a total of five years run with 3.5 years in neutrino mode and 1.5 years in antineutrino mode. We find that NO$\nu$A (2+2) has a better oscillation parameter degeneracy discrimination capability compared to its scheduled run period for four years, i.e, NO$\nu$A (3+1).