Recent Results from the MINOS Experiment

MINOS is a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment using a neutrino beam from the Fermilab Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) facility. It is a two detector experiment with a 980 ton Near Detector at Fermilab and a 5400 ton Far Detector at a distance of 735 km in the Soudan mine in northern Minnesota. MINOS is a precision experiment to measure the oscillation parameters associated with the atmospheric neutrino mass splitting previously explored by the SuperKamiokande and K2K experiments. The experiment will also extend the existing limits on sub-dominant muon to electron neutrino oscillations and make the first neutrino/ anti-neutrino separated measurements of atmospheric neutrino oscillations. MINOS began data taking in the NuMI beam in March 2005 and has recorded data from over 1e20 protons on target. The performance of the MINOS detectors and the NuMI beam during the first year of operations will be described, and preliminary results from beam neutrinos in the Near and Far detectors are presented. This is the largest sample of neutrino interactions collected in a long baseline detector to date.