Neutrino Scattering Research Articles

Test of the Model of “Running Axial Mass” Using NOvA Near Detector Data on Muon Neutrino Scattering on Nuclei

A phenomenological model of a “running axial mass” (MArun) was previously proposed to calculate cross sections for the quasielastic scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos on nuclei. It can be easily implemented in neutrino generators and has only two free parameters, which are obtained from the global fit to the experimental data on the total and differential cross sections for the quasielastic scattering of (anti)neutrinos on various nuclear targets. In this work, the NOvA near detector data on the total and differential cross sections for the scattering of muon neutrinos, are compared to the simulation performed using the GENIE neutrino Monte Carlo generator (v.3.4.0), which optionally allows for using the MArun model.

Exploring Semi-Inclusive Two-Nucleon Emission in Neutrino Scattering: A Factorized Approximation Approach

The semi-inclusive cross-section of two-nucleon emission induced by neutrinos and antineutrinos is computed by employing the relativistic mean field model of nuclear matter and the dynamics of meson-exchange currents. Within this model, we explore a factorization approximation based on the product of an integrated two-hole spectral function and a two-nucleon cross-section averaged over hole pairs. We demonstrate that the integrated spectral function of the uncorrelated Fermi gas can be analytically computed, and we derive a simple, fully relativistic formula for this function, showcasing its dependency solely on both missing momentum and missing energy. A prescription for the average momenta of the two holes in the factorized two-nucleon cross-section is provided, assuming that these momenta are perpendicular to the missing momentum in the center-of-mass system. The validity of the factorized approach is assessed by comparing it with the unfactorized calculation. Our investigation includes the study of the semi-inclusive cross-section integrated over the energy of one of the emitted nucleons and the cross-section integrated over the emission angles of the two nucleons and the outgoing muon kinematics. A comparison is made with the pure phase-space model and other models from the literature. The results of this analysis offer valuable insights into the influence of the semi-inclusive hadronic tensor on the cross-section, providing a deeper understanding of the underlying nuclear processes.

Detection and Calibration of Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils for Dark Matter and Neutrino Scattering Experiments

Detection of low-energy nuclear recoil events plays a central role in searches for particle dark matter interactions with atomic matter and studies of coherent neutrino scatters. Precise nuclear recoil calibration data allow the responses of these dark matter and neutrino detectors to be characterized and enable in situ evaluation of an experiment's sensitivity to anticipated signals. This article reviews the common methods for detection of nuclear recoil events and the wide variety of techniques that have been developed to calibrate detector response to nuclear recoils. We summarize the main experimental factors that are critical for accurate nuclear recoil calibrations, investigate mitigation strategies for different backgrounds and biases, and discuss how the presentation of calibration results can facilitate comparison between experiments. Lastly, we discuss the challenges for future nuclear recoil calibration efforts and the physics opportunities they may enable.

Scattering of neutrinos by a rotating black hole accounting for the electroweak interaction with an accretion disk

In this paper, we study spin effects in the neutrino gravitational scattering by a supermassive black hole with a magnetized accretion disk having a finite thickness. We exactly describe the propagation of ultrarelativistic neutrinos on null geodesics and solve the spin precession equation along each neutrino trajectory. The interaction of neutrinos with the magnetic field is due to the nonzero diagonal magnetic moment. Additionally, neutrinos interact with plasma of the accretion disk electroweakly within the Fermi approximation. These interactions are obtained to change the polarization of incoming neutrinos, which are left particles. The fluxes of scattered neutrinos, proportional to the survival probability of spin oscillations, are derived for various parameters of the system. In particular, we are focused on the matter influence on the outgoing neutrinos flux. The possibility to observe the predicted effects for astrophysical neutrinos is briefly discussed.

Scattering of low energy neutrinos and antineutrinos by neon and argon

The theory of scattering of low energy neutrinos and antineutrinos by atomic electrons has recently been developed [ I. B. Whittingham, Phys. Rev. D 105, 013008 (2022)] using the bound interaction picture in configuration space to fully implement the relationship between the neutrino helicities and the orbital and spin angular momenta of the atomic electrons. The energy spectra of ionization electrons produced by scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos with energies of 5, 10, 20, and 30 keV by hydrogen, helium and neon were calculated using Dirac screened Coulombic eigenfunctions. This paper reports further applications of this theory, to a new calculation of the energy spectra for neon, as the original calculation used some screening constants which underestimated the effects of screening in the inner subshells, and to scattering by argon. The results are presented as ratios to the corresponding quantities for scattering by $Z$ free electrons. The new spectra ratios for neon are larger than the original ratios by $\ensuremath{\approx}0.03$--$\ensuremath{\approx}0.14$, with the greatest increases occurring for 10 keV neutrinos and antineutrinos. Integrated spectra ratios range from 0.16 to 0.59 for neon, and from 0.15 to 0.48 for argon, as the neutrino energy increases from 5 to 30 keV.

A detailed analysis of the dynamics of fast neutrino flavor conversions with scattering effects

Abstract We calculate the dynamics of fast neutrino flavor conversions with Boltzmann collisions of neutrino scatterings in a homogeneous system. We find the enhancement or suppression of the flavor conversions in various setups of the collision terms. We analyze the mechanism of fast flavor conversions based on the motion of polarization vectors in the cylindrical coordinate analogous to a pendulum motion. The phases of the all the polarization vectors synchronize in the linear evolution phase, and the phase deviation from the Hamiltonian governs the neutrino flavor conversions. In a non-linear regime of flavor conversions, the collision terms induce a spiral motion of the polarization vector and gradually make the phase space smaller. The collision terms align all of the polarization vectors, and the flavor conversions eventually settle into equilibrium when the distributions of neutrinos become isotropic. Though our current analysis does not fully clarify the non-linear phenomena of fast flavor conversions, the framework of the pendulum motion gives a new insight into this complicated phenomenon that will be helpful in further studies.

Solar active-sterile neutrino conversion with atomic effects at dark matter direct detection experiments

The recent XENON1T excess can be explained by the solar active-sterile neutrino conversion with bound electrons via light mediator. Nevertheless, the atomic effects are usually omitted in the solar neutrino explanations. We systematically establish a second quantization formalism for both bound and ionized electrons to account for the atomic effects. This formalism is of great generality to incorporate various interactions for both neutrino and dark matter scatterings. Our calculation shows that the change in the cross section due to atomic effects can have important impact on the differential cross section. It is necessary to include atomic effects in the low-energy electron recoil signal at dark matter direct detection experiments even for energetic solar neutrinos. With the best-fit values to the XENON1T data, we also project the event rate at PandaX-4T, XENONnT, and LZ experiments.

Scattering of low energy neutrinos and antineutrinos by atomic electrons

Studies of neutrino mixing and oscillations, solar neutrinos as background in dark matter searches involving electron detection, detection of sterile neutrino warm dark matter, and of possible electromagnetic properties of neutrinos, have generated interest in the low energy O(10 keV) scattering of electron neutrinos and antineutrinos by atomic electrons where the binding of the atomic electron cannot be ignored. Of particular interest is the ionization of atoms by neutrinos and antineutrinos. Most existing calculations are based on modifications of the free electron differential cross section, which destroy the relationship between the neutrino helicities and the orbital and spin angular momenta of the atomic electrons. The present calculations maintain the full collision dynamics by formulating the scattering in configuration space using the Bound Interaction Picture, rather than the usual formulation in the Interaction Picture in momentum space as appropriate to scattering by free electrons. Energy spectra of ionization electrons produced by scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos with energies of 5, 10, 20, and 30 keV by hydrogen, helium and neon have been calculated using Dirac central field eigenfunctions and are presented as ratios to the spectra for scattering by free electrons. Binding effects increase strongly with atomic number, are largest for low neutrino energy and, for each neutrino energy, greatest at the high electron energy end of the spectrum. The most extreme effects of binding are for 5 keV scattering by Ne where the ratios are less than 0.1. The energy spectra are calculated for both a Coulombic final electron state and a free final electron state. The results indicate that the binding effects from the continuum state of the final electron are significant and can be comparable to those arising from the bound initial electron state.

On the Possibility of Separating Coherent and Incoherent (Anti)neutrino Scattering on Nuclei

The discovery of coherent neutrino–nucleus scattering in the COHERENT experiment opened a source of new information for fundamental investigations in the realms of neutrino and nuclear physics, as well as in the realms of searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Owing to substantial momentum transfers, a feature peculiar to the kinematical region of this experiment is that the effect of coherence is mixed with a sizable incoherent contribution rather than being seen in a pure form. On one hand, this leads to additional systematic uncertainties in studying the neutrino component of the coherence effect as such. On the other hand, this makes it possible to study a dynamical transition between the coherent and incoherent scattering modes and, in principle, to separate them experimentally. In our opinion, a consistent measurement of the coherent and incoherent cross sections for (anti)neutrino scattering on a nucleus in the same experiment seems a unique possibility, and its implementation would of course provide new data for neutrino physics, as well as for nuclear and new physics. In the present study, it is shown that this possibility is implementable not only in experiments that explore coherent neutrino and antineutrino scattering on various nuclei at accelerators, where the neutrino energy reaches several hundred MeV units but also in reactor experiments, where antineutrino energies do not exceed 10 MeV. The respective estimation is based on the approach that controls qualitatively a ‘‘smooth transition’’ of the cross section for (anti)neutrino–nucleus scattering from a coherent (or elastic) to an incoherent (inelastic) mode. In the former case, the target nucleus remains in the initial quantum state, while, in the latter case, its quantum state changes. Observation of a specific number of photons that have rather high energies and which remove the excitation of the nucleus after its inelastic interaction with (anti)neutrinos is proposed to be used as a signal from such an inelastic process. An upper limit on the number of such photons is obtained in this study.

Concept of Coherence in Neutrino and Antineutrino Scattering off Nuclei

The concept of coherence in the scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos off nuclei is discussed. Motivated by the results of the COHERENT experiment, a new approach to coherence in these processes is proposed, which allows a unified description of the elastic (coherent) and inelastic (incoherent) contributions to the total cross section for neutrino and antineutrino scattering off nuclei at energies below 100 MeV. Experiments and physical problems for coherent scattering of (anti)neutrinos off nuclei are briefly discussed. The extended appendix covers the main points and conclusions of the proposed approach in pedagogical detail.

Magnetic and Thermal Effects in Neutrino Scattering in Hot and Dense Nuclear Matter

Neutrino scattering on nuclei embedded in the hot and dense matter typical of the core collapse of supernovae, neutron star mergers, and proto-neutron stars, is studied. At finite temperatures, neutrinos experience exo- and endo-energy scattering on nuclei due to the Gamow–Teller component of a neutral current. It is shown that the average transfer of energy due to neutrino–nucleus scattering changes from positive to negative values at neutrino energies around four times higher than the temperature of the matter.

Response Functions and Differential Cross Sections for Neutrino Scattering off \(^2\)H

Response Functions and Differential Cross Sections for Neutrino Scattering off \(^2\)H

Testing New Physics Explanations of the MiniBooNE Anomaly at Neutrino Scattering Experiments.

Heavy neutrinos with additional interactions have recently been proposed as an explanation to the MiniBooNE excess. These scenarios often rely on marginally boosted particles to explain the excess angular spectrum, thus predicting large rates at higher-energy neutrino-electron scattering experiments. We place new constraints on this class of models based on neutrino-electron scattering sideband measurements performed at MINERνA and CHARM-II. A simultaneous explanation of the angular and energy distributions of the MiniBooNE excess in terms of heavy neutrinos with light mediators is severely constrained by our analysis. In general, high-energy neutrino-electron scattering experiments provide strong constraints on explanations of the MiniBooNE observation involving light mediators.

Low-Noise HEMTs for Coherent Elastic Neutrino Scattering and Low-Mass Dark Matter Cryogenic Semiconductor Detectors

We present the noise performance of High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) developed by CNRS-C2N laboratory. Various HEMT's gate geometries with 2 pF to 230 pF input capacitance have been studied at 4 K. A model for both voltage and current noises has been developed with frequency dependence up to 1 MHz. These HEMTs exhibit low dissipation, excellent noise performance and can advantageously replace traditional Si-JFETs for the readout of high impedance thermal sensor and semiconductor ionization cryogenic detectors. Our model predicts that cryogenic germanium detectors of 30 g with 10 eV heat and 20 eVee baseline resolution are feasible if read out by HEMT based amplifiers. Such resolution allows for high discrimination between nuclear and electron recoils at low threshold. This capability is of major interest for Coherent Elastic Neutrino Scattering and low-mass dark matter experiments such as Ricochet and EDELWEISS.

Neutrino structure functions predictions for high‐energy and high‐precision neutrino experiments

A quantum chromodynamics (QCD)‐based analysis of the neutrino structure functions xF2, xF3, and ΔxF3 for charged current and neutral neutrino deep inelastic scattering (DIS) is performed focusing on high‐energy and high‐precision neutrino experiments. The investigation is done taking into account the color dipole formalism, considering a wide region of the kinematic variables Bjorken‐x, and boson virtuality Q2. We consider the state of the art on the dipole cross‐section, which describes successfully the deep inelastic inclusive and exclusive production. The theoretical predictions will be compared with the prospects for future experimental projects in the small‐x region, for instance, the neutrino scattering experiments Neutrino Scattering On Glass and Minerva.

Extracting Nuclear Form Factors from Coherent Neutrino Scattering

Extracting Nuclear Form Factors from Coherent Neutrino Scattering

Lepton-number-charged scalars and neutrino beamstrahlung

Experimentally, baryon number minus lepton number, $B-L$, appears to be a good global symmetry of nature. We explore the consequences of the existence of gauge-singlet scalar fields charged under $B-L$ -- dubbed lepton-number-charged scalars, LeNCS -- and postulate that these couple to the standard model degrees of freedom in such a way that $B-L$ is conserved even at the non-renormalizable level. In this framework, neutrinos are Dirac fermions. Including only the lowest mass-dimension effective operators, some of the LeNCS couple predominantly to neutrinos and may be produced in terrestrial neutrino experiments. We examine several existing constraints from particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology to the existence of a LeNCS carrying $B-L$ charge equal to two, and discuss the emission of LeNCS's via "neutrino beamstrahlung," which occurs every once in a while when neutrinos scatter off of ordinary matter. We identify regions of the parameter space where existing and future neutrino experiments, including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, are at the frontier of searches for such new phenomena.

Impact of neutrino background prediction for next generation dark matter xenon detector

Next generation direct dark matter detectors will have the sensitivity to detect neutrinos from several sources, among which atmospheric and diffuse supernova neutrinos, through the Standard Model reaction of Coherent Elastic Neutrino Scattering on nucleus. This reaction represents an irreducible background that can be expressed as a limit in the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles parameters plane. This limit is known as the “neutrino floor” and it has been obtained by other authors considering standard hypotheses for the neutrino-nucleus form factor and for the coherence of the scattering process. Since the coherent scattering has never been observed experimentally, it is licit to relax some hypotheses in the differential cross section and to evaluate the effect of such modifications on the neutrino floor prediction. In this contribution, we show a more accurate neutrino-nucleus form factor and we discuss the coherence hypothesis of the process in two extreme cases, namely the total coherence and the total decoherence regime. We derive the neutrino background event rate under these new assumptions, considering xenon as a target. The differences between the number of neutrino events and the implication for the next generation dark matter detectors, such as XENON1T/XENONnT, LZ and DARWIN, are discussed.

強磁場を持つ原始中性子星におけるニュートリノ散乱(中性子星,熱場の量子論とその応用,研究会報告)

強磁場を持つ原始中性子星におけるニュートリノ散乱(中性子星,熱場の量子論とその応用,研究会報告)

Testing keV sterile neutrino dark matter in future direct detection experiments

We determine constraints on sterile neutrino warm dark matter through direct detection experiments, taking XENON100, XENON1T and DARWIN as examples. If keV-scale sterile neutrinos scatter inelastically with bound electrons of the target material, an electron recoil signal is generated. This can be used to set limits on the sterile neutrino mass and its mixing with the active sector. While not competitive with astrophysical constraints from X-ray data, the constraints are the first direct laboratory bounds on sterile neutrino warm dark matter, and will be in some parts of parameter space the strongest limits on keV-scale neutrinos.