Search for light sterile neutrinos with the STEREO experiment

The stereo experiment is searching for a non-standard oscillation in the propagation of anti-neutrinos produced by a nuclear reactor which could be the sign for the existence of a sterile state of eV mass and the origin of the reactor anti-neutrino anomaly. In this paper, results from 66 days of reactor turned on and 138 days of reactor turned off are reported excluding large amplitude oscillations. A special focus is put on the data analysis and studies of correlated backgrounds. In particular the origin of the correlated background measured in reactor turned off periods is discussed. This background mainly originates from neutrons produced by cosmic radiation.