What can we learn from neutrino electron scattering?

Abstract

Precision tests of the standard model are essential for constraining models of new physics. Neutrino-electron elastic scattering offers a clean probe into many electroweak effects that are complimentary to the more canonical measurements done at collider facilities. Such reactions are rare, even as compared with the already tiny cross sections for neutrino-nucleon scattering, and competitive precision measurements have historically been challenging to obtain. Because of new existing and proposed high-flux neutrino sources, this is about to change. We present a topical survey of precision measurements that can be done with neutrino-electron scattering in light of these new developments. Specifically, we consider four distinct neutrino sources: nuclear reactors, neutrino factories, beta beams, and conventional beams. For each source we estimate the expected future precision of several representative observables, including the weak mixing angle, neutrino magnetic moments, and potential leptonic ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ couplings. We find that future neutrino-electron scattering experiments should add nontrivially to our understanding of fundamental physics.