Analysis of the Q^2-dependence of charged-current quasielastic processes in neutrino-nucleus interactions

We discuss the observed disagreement between the Q^2 distributions of neutrino-nucleus quasielastic events, measured by a number of recent experiments, and the predictions of Monte Carlo simulations based on the relativistic Fermi gas model. The results of our analysis suggest that these discrepancies are likely to be ascribable to both the breakdown of the impulse approximation and the limitations of the Fermi gas description. Several issues related to the extraction of the Q^2 distributions from the experimental data are also discussed, and new kinematical variables, which would allow for an improved analysis, are proposed.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

A Sterile Neutrino Search with Kaon Decay-at-rest

Monoenergetic muon neutrinos (235.5 MeV) from positive kaon decay-at-rest are considered as a source for an electron neutrino appearance search. In combination with a liquid argon time projection chamber based detector, such a source could provide discovery-level sensitivity to the neutrino oscillation parameter space indicative of a sterile neutrino. Current and future intense >3 GeV kinetic energy proton facilities around the world can be employed for this experimental concept.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

The \gamma-ray production in neutral-current neutrino oxygen interaction in the energy range above 100 MeV

We calculate the cross section of the gamma-ray production from neutral-current neutrino-oxygen quasi-elastic interaction, $\nu+\^{16}O \rightarrow \nu +p+^{15}N*$, or $\nu+^{16}O \rightarrow \nu+n+^{15}O*$, in which the residual nuclei (15N* or 15O*) lead to the gamma-ray emission with gamma-ray energy >6 MeV at the branching ratio of 41%. Above 200 MeV, this cross section dominates over that of gamma-ray production from the inelastic reaction, $\nu+^{16}O->\nu+^{16}O*$. In the present calculation, spectral function and the spectroscopic factors of $1p_{1/2}, 1p_{3/2} and 1s_{1/2}$ states are essential. The gamma-ray production is dominated by the deexcitation of $1p_{3/2}$ state of the residual nucleus

Numerical Implementation of lepton-nucleus interactions and its effect on neutrino oscillation analysis

We discuss the implementation of the nuclear model based on realistic nuclear spectral functions in the GENIE neutrino interaction generator. Besides improving on the Fermi gas description of the nuclear ground state, our scheme involves a new prescription for $Q^2$ selection, meant to efficiently enforce energy momentum conservation. The results of our simulations, validated through comparison to electron scattering data, have been obtained for a variety of target nuclei, ranging from carbon to argon, and cover the kinematical region in which quasi elastic scattering is the dominant reaction mechanism. We also analyse the influence of the adopted nuclear model on the determination of neutrino oscillation parameters.Comment: 19 pages, 35 figures, version accepted by Phys. Rev.

Estimate of the theoretical uncertainty of the cross sections for nucleon knockout in neutral-current neutrino-oxygen interactions

Free nucleons propagating in water are known to produce gamma rays, which form a background to the searches for diffuse supernova neutrinos and sterile neutrinos carried out with Cherenkov detectors. As a consequence, the process of nucleon knockout induced by neutral-current quasielastic interactions of atmospheric (anti)neutrinos with oxygen needs to be under control at the quantitative level in the background simulations of the ongoing and future experiments. In this paper, we provide a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty associated with the theoretical description of the nuclear cross sections, estimating it from the discrepancies between the predictions of different models.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Electron-hadron shower discrimination in a liquid argon time projection chamber

By exploiting structural differences between electromagnetic and hadronic showers in a multivariate analysis we present an efficient Electron-Hadron discrimination algorithm for liquid argon time projection chambers, validated using Geant4 simulated data

Electron scattering and neutrino physics

A thorough understanding of neutrino–nucleus scattering physics is crucial for the successful execution of the entire US neutrino physics program. Neutrino– nucleus interaction constitutes one of the biggest systematic uncertainties in neutrino experiments—both at intermediate energies affecting long-baseline deep underground neutrino experiment, as well as at low energies affecting coherent scattering neutrino program—and could well be the difference between achieving or missing discovery level precision. To this end, electron– nucleus scattering experiments provide vital information to test, assess and validate different nuclear models and event generators intended to test, assessThe authors acknowledge the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through the Cluster of Excellence 'Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions,U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) PRISMA+ EXC 2118/1German Research Foundation (DFG)FWO PID2019-107564GB-I00Spanish Ministerio de Economa y Competitividad (SEIDI-MINECO)CERCA program of the Generalitat de Cataluny

Precision measurement of the neutrino velocity with the ICARUS detector in the CNGS beam

During May 2012, the CERN-CNGS neutrino beam has been operated for two weeks for a total of 1.8 10^17 pot in bunched mode, with a 3 ns narrow width proton beam bunches, separated by 100 ns. This tightly bunched beam structure allows a very accurate time of flight measurement of neutrinos from CERN to LNGS on an event-by-event basis. Both the ICARUS-T600 PMT-DAQ and the CERN-LNGS timing synchronization have been substantially improved for this campaign, taking ad-vantage of additional independent GPS receivers, both at CERN and LNGS as well as of the deployment of the "White Rabbit" protocol both at CERN and LNGS. The ICARUS-T600 detector has collected 25 beam-associated events; the corresponding time of flight has been accurately evaluated, using all different time synchronization paths. The measured neutrino time of flight is compatible with the arrival of all events with speed equivalent to the one of light: the difference between the expected value based on the speed of light and the measured value is tof_c - tof_nu = (0.10 \pm 0.67stat. \pm 2.39syst.) ns. This result is in agreement with the value previously reported by the ICARUS collaboration, tof_c - tof_nu = (0.3 \pm 4.9stat. \pm 9.0syst.) ns, but with improved statistical and systematic errors.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, 1 tabl