Optimal Transport for $e/\pi^0$ Particle Classification in LArTPC Neutrino Experiments

The efficient classification of electromagnetic activity from $\pi^0$ and electrons remains an open problem in the reconstruction of neutrino interactions in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detectors. We address this problem using the mathematical framework of Optimal Transport (OT), which has been successfully employed for event classification in other HEP contexts and is ideally suited to the high-resolution calorimetry of LArTPCs. Using a publicly available simulated dataset from the MicroBooNE collaboration, we show that OT methods achieve state-of-the-art reconstruction performance in $e/\pi^0$ classification. The success of this first application indicates the broader promise of OT methods for LArTPC-based neutrino experiments.