Physics at Short Baseline Neutrino Experiments

Short baseline neutrino experiments feature neutrino detectors which are relatively close to a high intensity neutrino source. As a result of this proximity, these experiments offer a rich program of physics measurements. Although principally built to search for sterile neutrinos, short baseline neutrino experiments also enable unprecedented neutrino cross section measurements and searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. This thesis details work done in pursuit of these non-oscillation physics goals. First, I describe the JSNS2 experiment including its physics goals and detector design. Then, I present an upgrade to the existing JSNS2 data acquisition system that I developed as a part of the Michigan JSNS2 group. Additionally, I describe the data processing and event reconstruction software frameworks that I implemented to analyze the JSNS2 data. Next, I detail a neutrino cross section measurement made using neutrinos from kaon decay at rest at the MiniBooNE experiment. This measurement represents the first known-energy, weak-interaction-only probe of the nucleus. Finally, I discuss the capability of short baseline neutrino experiments to constrain models of new physics. I consider specific dark matter models and show how they can be constrained by the LSND and JSNS2 experiments. I also work in the specific context of the MiniBooNE low energy excess and show that new physics explanations of this anomaly are severely constrained by existing measurements.PHDPhysicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/174557/1/jrlowery_1.pd