Alvarez-Ruso, L. et al, & Nieves, J. (2018). NuSTEC White Paper: Status and challenges of neutrino-nucleus scattering. Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys., 100, 1–68.
Abstract: The precise measurement of neutrino properties is among the highest priorities in fundamental particle physics, involving many experiments worldwide. Since the experiments rely on the interactions of neutrinos with bound nucleons inside atomic nuclei, the planned advances in the scope and precision of these experiments require a commensurate effort in the understanding and modeling of the hadronic and nuclear physics of these interactions, which is incorporated as a nuclear model in neutrino event generators. This model is essential to every phase of experimental analyses and its theoretical uncertainties play an important role in interpreting every result. In this White Paper we discuss in detail the impact of neutrino-nucleus interactions, especially the nuclear effects, on the measurement of neutrino properties using the determination of oscillation parameters as a central example. After an Executive Summary and a concise Overview of the issues, we explain how the neutrino event generators work, what can be learned from electron-nucleus interactions and how each underlying physics process – from quasi-elastic to deep inelastic scattering – is understood today. We then emphasize how our understanding must improve to meet the demands of future experiments. With every topic we find that the challenges can be met only with the active support and collaboration among specialists in strong interactions and electroweak physics that include theorists and experimentalists from both the nuclear and high energy physics communities.
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Yao, D. L., Alvarez-Ruso, L., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2017). Extraction of nucleon axial charge and radius from lattice QCD results using baryon chiral perturbation theory. Phys. Rev. D, 96(11), 116022–11pp.
Abstract: We calculate the nucleon axial form factor up to the leading one-loop order in a covariant chiral effective field theory with the Delta(1232) resonance as an explicit degree of freedom. We fit the axial form factor to the latest lattice QCD data and pin down the relevant low-energy constants. The lattice QCD data, for various pion masses below 400 MeV, can be well described up to a momentum transfer of similar to 0.6 GeV. The Delta(1232) loops contribute significantly to this agreement. Furthermore, we extract the axial charge and radius based on the fitted values of the low-energy constants. The results are g(A) = 1.237(74) and < r(A)(2)> = 0.263(38) fm(2). The obtained coupling g(A) is consistent with the experimental value if the uncertainty is taken into account. The axial radius is below but in agreement with the recent extraction from neutrino quasielastic scattering data on deuterium, which has large error bars. Up to our current working accuracy, r(A) is predicted only at leading order, i.e., the one-loop level. A more precise determination might need terms of O(p(5)).
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Rocco, N., Alvarez-Ruso, L., Lovato, A., & Nieves, J. (2017). Electromagnetic scaling functions within the Green's function Monte Carlo approach. Phys. Rev. C, 96(1), 015504–12pp.
Abstract: We have studied the scaling properties of the electromagnetic response functions of He-4 and C-12 nuclei computed by the Green's function Monte Carlo approach, retaining only the one-body current contribution. Longitudinal and transverse scaling functions have been obtained in the relativistic and nonrelativistic cases and compared to experiment for various kinematics. The characteristic asymmetric shape of the scaling function exhibited by data emerges in the calculations in spite of the nonrelativistic nature of the model. The results are mostly consistent with scaling of zeroth, first, and second kinds. Our analysis reveals a direct correspondence between the scaling and the nucleon-density response functions. The scaling function obtained from the proton-density response displays scaling of the first kind, even more evidently than the longitudinal and transverse scaling functions.
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Ren, X. L., Alvarez-Ruso, L., Geng, L. S., Ledwig, T., Meng, J., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2017). Consistency between SU(3) and SU(2) covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory for the nucleon mass. Phys. Lett. B, 766, 325–333.
Abstract: Treating the strange quark mass as a heavy scale compared to the light quark mass, we perform a matching of the nucleon mass in the SU(3) sector to the two-flavor case in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory. The validity of the 19low-energy constants appearing in the octet baryon masses up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order[1] is supported by comparing the effective parameters (the combinations of the 19couplings) with the corresponding low-energy constants in the SU(2) sector[2]. In addition, it is shown that the dependence of the effective parameters and the pion-nucleon sigma term on the strange quark mass is relatively weak around its physical value, thus providing support to the assumption made in Ref.[2] that the SU(2) baryon chiral perturbation theory can be applied to study n(f) = 2 + 1lattice QCD simulations as long as the strange quark mass is close to its physical value.
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Alvarez-Ruso, L., Hernandez, E., Nieves, J., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2016). Watson's theorem and the N Delta(1232) axial transition. Phys. Rev. D, 93(1), 014016–16pp.
Abstract: We present a new determination of the N Delta axial form factors from neutrino induced pion production data. For this purpose, the model of Hernandez et al. [Phys. Rev. D 76, 033005 (2007)] is improved by partially restoring unitarity. This is accomplished by imposing Watson's theorem on the dominant vector and axial multipoles. As a consequence, a larger C-5(A) (0), in good agreement with the prediction from the off-diagonal Goldberger-Treiman relation, is now obtained.
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Wang, E., Alvarez-Ruso, L., Hayato, Y., Mahn, K., & Nieves, J. (2015). Photon emission in neutral current interactions at the T2K experiment. Phys. Rev. D, 92(5), 053005–8pp.
Abstract: We have applied a microscopic model for single photon emission in neutral current interactions on nucleons and nuclei to determine the number and distributions of such events at the Super-Kamiokande detector, for the flux and beam exposure of the T2K experiment in neutrino mode. These reactions represent an effectively irreducible background in electron-(anti) neutrino appearance measurements aimed at a precise measurement of mixing angle theta(13) and the CP violating phase. We have obtained a total number of photon events that is twice as large as the one from the NEUT event generator (version 5.1.4.2) used in the analysis of T2K data. Detailed comparisons of energy and angular distributions for the nu μand (nu) over bar μfluxes have also been performed.
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Ren, X. L., Oset, E., Alvarez-Ruso, L., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2015). Antineutrino induced Lambda(1405) production off the proton. Phys. Rev. C, 91(4), 045201–11pp.
Abstract: We have studied the strangeness-changing antineutrino-induced reactions (v) over bar (l)p -> l(+)phi B, with phi B = K(-)p, (K) over bar (0)n, pi(0)Lambda, pi(0)Sigma(0), eta Lambda, eta Sigma(0), pi(+)Sigma(-), pi(-)Sigma(+), K+Xi(-), and K-0 Xi(0), using a chiral unitary approach. These ten coupled channels are allowed to interact strongly, using a kernel derived from the chiral Lagrangians. This interaction generates two Lambda(1405) poles, leading to a clear single peak in the pi Sigma invariant mass distributions. At backward scattering angles in the center-of-mass frame, (nu) over bar (mu)p -> mu(+)pi(0)Sigma(0) is dominated by the Lambda(1405) state at around 1420 MeV while the lighter state becomes relevant as the angle decreases, leading to an asymmetric line shape. In addition, there are substantial differences in the shape of pi Sigma invariant mass distributions for the three charge channels. If observed, these differences would provide valuable information on a claimed isospin I = 1, strangeness S = -1 baryonic state around 1400 MeV. Integrated cross sections have been obtained for the pi Sigma and (K) over barN channels and the impact of unitarization in the results has been investigated. The number of events with Lambda(1405) excitation in (nu) over bar μp collisions in the recent antineutrino run at the Main Injector Experiment for nu-A (MINER nu A) has also been obtained. We find that this reaction channel is relevant enough to be investigated experimentally and to be taken into account in the simulation models of future experiments with antineutrino beams.
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Wang, E., Alvarez-Ruso, L., & Nieves, J. (2015). Single photon events from neutral current interactions at MiniBooNE. Phys. Lett. B, 740, 16–22.
Abstract: The MiniBooNE experiment has reported results from the analysis of v(e) and (v) over bar (e) appearance searches, which show an excess of signal-like events at low reconstructed neutrino energies, with respect to the expected background. A significant component of this background comes from photon emission induced by (anti) neutrino neutral current interactions with nucleons and nuclei. With an improved microscopic model for these reactions, we predict the number and distributions of photon events at the MiniBooNE detector. Our results are compared to the MiniBooNE in situ estimate and to other theoretical approaches. We find that, according to our model, neutral current photon emission from single-nucleon currents is insufficient to explain the events excess observed by MiniBooNE in both neutrino and antineutrino modes.
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Alvarez-Ruso, L., Hayato, Y., & Nieves, J. (2014). Progress and open questions in the physics of neutrino cross sections at intermediate energies. New J. Phys., 16, 075015–62pp.
Abstract: New and more precise measurements of neutrino cross sections have renewed interest in a better understanding of electroweak interactions on nucleons and nuclei. This effort is crucial to achieving the precision goals of the neutrino oscillation program, making new discoveries, like the CP violation in the leptonic sector, possible. We review the recent progress in the physics of neutrino cross sections, putting emphasis on the open questions that arise in the comparison with new experimental data. Following an overview of recent neutrino experiments and future plans, we present some details about the theoretical development in the description of (anti) neutrino-induced quasielastic (QE) scattering and the role of multi-nucleon QE-like mechanisms. We cover not only pion production in nucleons and nuclei but also other inelastic channels including strangeness production and photon emission. Coherent reaction channels on nuclear targets are also discussed. Finally, we briefly describe some of the Monte Carlo event generators, which are at the core of all neutrino oscillation and cross-section measurements.
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Wang, E., Alvarez-Ruso, L., & Nieves, J. (2014). Photon emission in neutral-current interactions at intermediate energies. Phys. Rev. C, 89(1), 015503–21pp.
Abstract: Neutral-current photon emission reactions with nucleons and nuclei are studied. These processes are important backgrounds for nu(mu) -> nu(e) ((nu) over bar (mu) -> (nu) over bar (e)) appearance oscillation experiments where electromagnetic showers instigated by electrons (positrons) and photons are not distinguishable. At intermediate energies, these reactions are dominated by the weak excitation of the Delta(1232) resonance and its subsequent decay into N gamma. There are also nonresonant contributions that, close to threshold, are fully determined by the effective chiral Lagrangian of strong interactions. In addition, we have also included mechanisms mediated by nucleon excitations (N*) from the second resonance region above the Delta(1232). From these states, the contribution of the D-13 N*(1520) turns out to be sizable for (anti) neutrino energies above 1.5 GeV. We have extended the model to nuclear targets taking into account Pauli blocking, Fermi motion, and the in-medium Delta resonance broadening. We present our predictions for both the incoherent and coherent channels, showing the relevance of the nuclear corrections. We also discuss the target mass dependence of the cross sections. This study is important to reduce systematic effects in neutrino oscillation experiments.
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