The present paper highlights the data analysis status of the OPERA experiment. The experiment was designed to perform the neutrino interactions analysis on event-by-event basis, and optimized to search for $\nu_{ \mu} \rightarrow \nu_{ \tau}$ oscillation in appearance mode, also allowing to perform a $\nu_{ e}$ appearance search. We review the data simulation and the analysis chains implemented to search for $\nu_{ \tau}$ interactions. The main kinematical parameters sensitive to the neutrino flavor are discussed, the uncertainties of the event parameter estimation are reviewed, and the main sources of background for the $\nu_{ \mu} \rightarrow \nu_{ \tau}$ oscillation search are examined. The topologies of the two first $\nu_{ \tau}$ candidate events are presented. Finally, we review the status of the $\nu_{ e}$ appearance search and present the constraints set by the OPERA experiment on the mixing angle $\theta_{ 13}$ and on the LSND/MiniBooNE anomaly.
Categories: hep-ex astro-ph.HE hep-ph physics.ins-det