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Title: Identification of nuclear effects in neutrino-carbon interactions at low three-momentum transfer

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
 [1]
  1. Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY (United States). et al.

Two different nuclear-medium effects are isolated using a low three-momentum transfer subsample of neutrino-carbon scattering data from the MINERvA neutrino experiment. The observed hadronic energy in charged-current νμ interactions is combined with muon kinematics to permit separation of the quasielastic and Δ(1232) resonance processes. First, we observe a small cross section at very low energy transfer that matches the expected screening effect of long-range nucleon correlations. Second, additions to the event rate in the kinematic region between the quasielastic and Δ resonance processes are needed to describe the data. The data in this kinematic region also have an enhanced population of multiproton final states. Contributions predicted for scattering from a nucleon pair have both properties; the model tested in this analysis is a significant improvement but does not fully describe the data. We present the results as a double-differential cross section to enable further investigation of nuclear models. Furthermore, improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Contributing Organization:
MINERvA Collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1253013
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1238197
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB-15-498-ND; arXiv:1511.05944; PRLTAO; 1405301
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Vol. 116, Issue 7; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 84 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (10)

Pion-proton correlation in neutrino interactions on nuclei journal October 2019
Neutrino event generators: foundation, status and future journal September 2019
Analysis of the MINERvA antineutrino double-differential cross sections within the SuSAv2 model including meson-exchange currents journal June 2019
Neutrino–nucleus cross sections for oscillation experiments journal December 2017
Relativistic model of 2p-2h meson exchange currents in (anti)neutrino scattering journal April 2017
Search for Sterile Neutrinos in MINOS and MINOS+ Using a Two-Detector Fit. text January 2019
First measurement of electron neutrino appearance in NOvA text January 2016
Deuterium target data for precision neutrino-nucleus cross sections text January 2016
Search for active-sterile neutrino mixing using neutral-current interactions in NOvA text January 2017
Neutron measurements from anti-neutrino hydrocarbon reactions text January 2019


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