Title
Identification of Nuclear Effects in Neutrino-Carbon Interactions at Low Three-Momentum Transfer
Date Issued
2016
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Rodrigues, PA
Demgen, J
Miltenberger, E
Aliaga, L
Altinok, O
Bellantoni, L
Bercellie, A
Betancourt, M
Bodek, A
Bravar, A
Budd, H
Cai, T
Carneiro, MF
Chvojka, J
Devan, J
Dytman, SA
Diaz, GA
Eberly, B
Elkins, M
Felix, J
Fields, L
Fine, R
Galindo, R
Gallagher, H
Ghosh, A
Golan, T
Gran, R
Harris, DA
Higuera, A
Hurtado, K
Publisher(s)
American Physical Society
Abstract
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. Improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments. © 2016 American Physical Society.
Volume
116
Issue
7
Number
82
Language
English
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84959422071
Source
Physical Review Letters
ISSN of the container
0031-9007
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica