$$\nu_{\mu}$$-Induced CC Coherent $$\pi^{+}$$ Production Off Carbon, Hydrocarbon, Iron, and Lead Using the MINERνA Detector
The inelastic coherent pion production induced by neutrinos is a rare process where the neutrino interacts with the nucleus as a whole. The nal state particles of the interaction are a lepton and a meson created in small angles with regards to the incoming neutrino direction. During the interaction, a small four-momentum is transferred to the nucleus, leaving it in its initial state (no nuclear breakup), with a recoil energy below the detection threshold. The process has been observed in both charged and neutral current interactions, in a variety of materials, from a few to hundreds of GeV. Experiments struggled to nd evidence of the charged current channel at low neutrino energies ( 1 GeV), until 2014 when the MINERvA collaboration, using both muon neutrinos and muon anti-neutrinos in a CH target, was able to observe it by looking at model-independent features of the interaction. This thesis also makes use of the MINERvA detector in the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab, to analyze the CC coherent production of pions, but with a more energetic and intense beam (2 < E < 20GeV , peaked at 6GeV ), and including measurements from hydrocarbon, carbon graphite, iron (steel) and lead targets, allowing a wide range of nuclear sizes. This work represents the rst simultaneous measurement of the CC coherent production of pions in dierent materials. The rst observation of the process using a pure carbon target, and the rst observation in iron and lead ever. Hints of the dependence of the interaction's cross section on the number of nucleons (A) in the nucleus are also shown (A-dependence of the interaction scaling). Current models predict a cross section scaling of A1=3, A2=3 or even an energy-dependent one.
- Research Organization:
- Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-07CH11359
- OSTI ID:
- 1638645
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-THESIS-2020-10; oai:inspirehep.net:1806526
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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