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  • Open Access

Precision beam diagnostics at the NuMI facility using muon monitor observations

Katsuya Yonehara*, Sudeshna Ganguly, and Don Athula Wickremasinghe

Pavel Snopok and Yiding Yu

  • *Contact author: yonehara@fnal.gov

Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 28, 082804 – Published 25 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/q6l6-wywy

Abstract

The Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) facility at Fermilab delivers an intense neutrino beam for multiple experiments by producing pions that decay into neutrinos, muons, and other particles. Magnetic horns—the primary pion focusing elements in the NuMI beamline—exhibit predominantly linear optics, enabling a predictable relationship between the proton beam and the resulting pion and muon phase spaces. This study has two primary objectives: first, to evaluate and confirm the linearity of the horn focusing mechanism using analytical models and numerical simulations; and second, to demonstrate that key beam parameters—such as proton beam intensity, beam position on target, and horn current—can be extracted from muon monitor observations within this linear optics framework. Using a machine learning model trained on spill-by-spill muon monitor data, we infer the horn current with a precision of ±0.05%, the beam intensity with ±0.1%, and the beam position on target with ±0.018  mm horizontally and ±0.013  mm vertically. This approach provides a reliable cross-check of beam parameters, helping to reduce systematic uncertainties that are critical for future experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, which will rely on the neutrino beam produced by the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility.

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