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©2022 American Physical Society. This work has been partially supported by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, under U.S. DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-06OR23177. The U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce this article for U.S. Government purposes. This work was supported by the Madrid Government under the Multiannual Agreement with Complutense University in the line Program to Stimulate Research for Young Doctors in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation), Project No. PR65/19-22430 (R.G.-J.); by the Project BARM-RILO-18-02 of University of Turin and from INFN, National Project NUCSYS (M.B.B.); by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) under Contract No. FIS2017-88410-P, by the Junta de Andalucía (Grants No. FQM160 and No. SOMM17/6105/UGR), and by the University of Tokyo ICRR's Inter-University Research Program FY2020, Ref. No. A07 (J.A.C. and G.D.M.); by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Flanders) and by the Special Research Fund, Ghent University (N.J., K.N., and A.N.); by the NCN Preludium Grant No. 2020/37/N/ST2/01751 and also by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Grant No. DIR WK/2017/05 (K.N.); by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 839481 (G.D.M.); by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, under U.S. DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-06OR23177 (J.W.V.O.); and by the Office of Nuclear Physics of the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant Contract No. DE-FG02-94ER40818 (T.W.D). The authors also thank Omar Benhar for kindly providing the model for the spectral function of 16O employed in this study. The computations of this work were performed in Brigit, the HPC server of the Complutense University of Madrid., We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence; i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with uncertainties of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state., Unión Europea. Horizonte 2020, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/FEDER, Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, under U.S. DOE United States Department of Energy (DOE), Comunidad de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Turin, INFN, National Project NUCSYS, ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) European Commission, Junta de Andalucía, Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Flanders) FWO, University of Tokyo ICRR's Inter-University Research Program FY2020, Ghent University, NCN Preludium Grant, Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland, Office of Nuclear Physics of the U.S. Department of Energy United States Department of Energy (DOE), Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence; i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with uncertainties of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state.

We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence; i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with uncertainties of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state.

We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence; i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with uncertainties of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state.

The general structure of semi-inclusive polarized electron scattering from polarized spin-1/2 targets is developed for use at all energy scales, from modest-energy nuclear physics applications to use in very high energy particle physics. The leptonic and hadronic tensors that enter in the formalism are constructed in a general covariant way in terms of kinematic factors that are frame dependent but model independent and invariant response functions which contain all of the model-dependent dynamics. In the process of developing the general problem the relationships to the conventional responses expressed in terms of the helicity components of the exchanged virtual photon are presented. For semi-inclusive electron scattering with polarized electrons and polarized spin-1/2 targets one finds that 18 invariant response functions are required, each depending on four Lorentz scalar invariants. Additionally it is shown how the semi-inclusive cross sections are related via integrations over the momentum of the selected coincidence particle and sums over open channels.

The super-scaling approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. The model is validated with the (e, e) data, including also inelastic contributions for the inclusive reaction. A discussion of semi-inclusive reactions and their implications for charge-changing reactions of neutrinos is also presented. A selection of results for the inclusive neutrino reactions with change of charge is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross-section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments.

The Super-Scaling Approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. A selection of results is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments., Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures; submitted to EPJ-ST

We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence, i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well, and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with an uncertainty of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state., Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures

The super-scaling approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. The model is validated with the (e, e) data, including also inelastic contributions for the inclusive reaction. A discussion of semi-inclusive reactions and their implications for charge-changing reactions of neutrinos is also presented. A selection of results for the inclusive neutrino reactions with change of charge is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross-section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments.

The super-scaling approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. The model is validated with the (e, e) data, including also inelastic contributions for the inclusive reaction. A discussion of semi-inclusive reactions and their implications for charge-changing reactions of neutrinos is also presented. A selection of results for the inclusive neutrino reactions with change of charge is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross-section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments.

The super-scaling approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. The model is validated with the $$(e,e')$$ ( e , e ′ ) data, including also inelastic contributions for the inclusive reaction. A discussion of semi-inclusive reactions and their implications for charge-changing reactions of neutrinos is also presented. A selection of results for the inclusive neutrino reactions with change of charge is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross-section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments.

The Super-Scaling Approach (SuSA) model, based on the analogies between electron and neutrino interactions with nuclei, is reviewed and its application to the description of neutrino-nucleus scattering is presented. The contribution of both one- and two-body relativistic currents is considered. A selection of results is presented where theoretical predictions are compared with cross section measurements from the main ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments., Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures; submitted to EPJ-ST

We study neutrino-nucleus charged-current reactions on finite nuclei for the situation in which an outgoing muon and a proton are detected in coincidence, i.e., we focus on semi-inclusive cross sections. We limit our attention to one-body current interactions (quasielastic scattering) and assess the impact of different nuclear effects in the determination of the neutrino energy. We identify the regions in phase space where the neutrino energy can be reconstructed relatively well, and study whether the cross section in those regions is significant. Our results indicate that it is possible to filter more than 50% of all events according to the muon and proton kinematics, so that for the DUNE and T2K fluxes the neutrino energy can be determined with an uncertainty of less than 1% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed neutrino energy does not depend strongly on how one treats the final-state interactions and is not much affected by the description of the initial state. On the other hand, the estimations of the uncertainty on the neutrino energy show important sensitivity to the modeling of the initial state., Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures

International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC) (27th.2019.Glasgow, Scotland). O. M. acknowledges support from the E.U. Marie Curie IOF project ELECTROWEAK and from Ministerio de Ciencia (Spain) under grant agreements RTI2018-098868-B-I00 and PGC2018-093636-B-I00. T. W. D. acknowledges support from the D.O.E. Office of Nuclear Physics (U. S.) under grant contract DE-FG02-94ER40818., There has been recent interest in low energy, high luminosity polarized electron beams for studies of parity-violating (PV) electron scattering, such as the MESA accelerator at Mainz or an upgraded FEL facility at Jefferson Lab. Accurate measurements of the PV asymmetry in elastic electron scattering from nuclei can be used to determine Standard Model couplings, such as the weak-mixing angle or higher-order radiative corrections, as well as to extract specific information on the nuclear and nucleon structure. To this end, low uncertainties are required from modelling some confounding nuclear and nuclear structure effects, including isospin mixing, nucleon strangeness content or Coulomb distortion of electron wave functions. We estimate the sizes and theoretical uncertainties of such effects for a carbon 12 target. An experimental precision in the PV asymmetry of a few tenths of a percent may be reachable under certain kinematic conditions, that are also discussed for the same nuclear target. This high precision PV asymmetry in elastic electron scattering can also be used to relate in a very simple manner the elastic electron-nucleus scattering cross section with the elastic neutrino-nucleus cross section. This novel relationship allows us to exploit experimentally well-determined quantities to predict unknown or recently measured observables, such as coherent neutrino-nucleus cross sections. This idea can be extended to link electron scattering to an even more uncertain magnitude: the direct detection rate of hypothetical weak-interacting dark matter particles through axial and/or vector elastic interactions with nuclei., Unión Europea. FP7, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), D.O.E. Office of Nuclear Physics (U. S.), Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

We show that the quasielastic (QE) response calculated with the superscaling approach (SuSAv2) model, that relies on the scaling phenomenon observed in the analysis of (e,e′) data and on the relativistic mean-field theory, is very similar to that from a relativistic distorted-wave impulse approximation model when only the real part of the optical potentials is employed. The coincidence between the results from these two completely independent approaches, which satisfactorily agree with the inclusive data, reinforces the reliability of the quasielastic predictions stemming from both models and sets constraints for the QE response. We also study the low-energy and momentum-transfer region of the inclusive response by confronting the results of the relativistic mean-field model with those of the Hartree-Fock continuum random-phase approximation model, which accounts for nuclear long-range correlations. Finally, we present a comparison of our results with the recent Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) (e,e′) data for argon, titanium, and carbon, finding good agreement with the three data sets.

We show that the quasielastic (QE) response calculated with the superscaling approach (SuSAv2) model, that relies on the scaling phenomenon observed in the analysis of (e,e′) data and on the relativistic mean-field theory, is very similar to that from a relativistic distorted-wave impulse approximation model when only the real part of the optical potentials is employed. The coincidence between the results from these two completely independent approaches, which satisfactorily agree with the inclusive data, reinforces the reliability of the quasielastic predictions stemming from both models and sets constraints for the QE response. We also study the low-energy and momentum-transfer region of the inclusive response by confronting the results of the relativistic mean-field model with those of the Hartree-Fock continuum random-phase approximation model, which accounts for nuclear long-range correlations. Finally, we present a comparison of our results with the recent Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) (e,e′) data for argon, titanium, and carbon, finding good agreement with the three data sets.

Neutral-current neutrino scattering from the deuteron leading to proton-neutron final states is considered using an approach that incorporates relativistic dynamics and consequently provides robust modeling at relatively high energies and momenta. In this work the focus is placed on the fully exclusive reaction where both the proton and neutron in the final state are assumed to be detected. Accordingly, the incident neutrino energy, the neutrino scattering angle and the scattered neutrino's energy can all be reconstructed. It is shown that for specific choices of kinematics the reaction proceeds mainly via scattering from the proton, while for other choices of kinematics it proceeds mainly from the neutron. Specific asymmetries are introduced to focus on these attributes. Measurements in both regions have the potential to yield valuable information on the nucleon's electroweak form factors at momentum transfers up to a (GeV/c)$^2$. In particular, the cross sections are shown to be very sensitive to the isoscalar axial-vector form factor, and sensitive but less so to the magnetic strangeness form factor. Comparisons with other reactions, specifically charge-changing neutrino reactions and both parity-conserving and -violating electron scattering, have the potential to provide new ways to test the Standard Model., Comment: 40 pages, 21 figures

We show that the quasielastic (QE) response calculated with the superscaling approach (SuSAv2) model, that relies on the scaling phenomenon observed in the analysis of (e,e′) data and on the relativistic mean-field theory, is very similar to that from a relativistic distorted-wave impulse approximation model when only the real part of the optical potentials is employed. The coincidence between the results from these two completely independent approaches, which satisfactorily agree with the inclusive data, reinforces the reliability of the quasielastic predictions stemming from both models and sets constraints for the QE response. We also study the low-energy and momentum-transfer region of the inclusive response by confronting the results of the relativistic mean-field model with those of the Hartree-Fock continuum random-phase approximation model, which accounts for nuclear long-range correlations. Finally, we present a comparison of our results with the recent Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) (e,e′) data for argon, titanium, and carbon, finding good agreement with the three data sets.

We show that the quasielastic (QE) response calculated with the superscaling approach (SuSAv2) model, that relies on the scaling phenomenon observed in the analysis of (e,e′) data and on the relativistic mean-field theory, is very similar to that from a relativistic distorted-wave impulse approximation model when only the real part of the optical potentials is employed. The coincidence between the results from these two completely independent approaches, which satisfactorily agree with the inclusive data, reinforces the reliability of the quasielastic predictions stemming from both models and sets constraints for the QE response. We also study the low-energy and momentum-transfer region of the inclusive response by confronting the results of the relativistic mean-field model with those of the Hartree-Fock continuum random-phase approximation model, which accounts for nuclear long-range correlations. Finally, we present a comparison of our results with the recent Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) (e,e′) data for argon, titanium, and carbon, finding good agreement with the three data sets.

©2019 American Physical Society. This work was partially supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund under Contracts No. DFNI-T02/19, No. DFNI-E02/6, and No. DNTS/Russia 01/3; by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grant No. 17-52-18057-bolga; by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) under Contracts No. FIS2014-59386-P, No. FIS2014-53448-C2-1, No. FIS2017-88410-P, No. FIS2017-85053-C2-1-P, and No. FPA2015-65035-P; by the Junta de Andalucía (Grants No. FQM-225, FQM160); by the INFN under project MANY-BODY; by the University of Turin under Contract No. BARMRILO-17; and partly (T.W.D.) by the U.S. Department of Energy under cooperative agreement DE-FC02-94ER40818. G.D.M. acknowledges support from a Junta de Andalucía fellowship (FQM7632, Proyectos de Excelencia 2011). M.B.B. acknowledges support from the "Emilie du Chatelet" programme of the P2IO LabEx (ANR-10-LABX-0038)., A detailed study of charged current quasielastic neutrino and antineutrino scattering cross sections on a C-12 target with no pions in the final state is presented. The initial nucleus is described by means of a realistic spectral function S(p, epsilon) in which nucleon-nucleon correlations are implemented by using natural orbitals through the Jastrow method. The roles played by these correlations and by final-state interactions are analyzed and discussed. The model also includes the contribution of weak two-body currents in the two-particle two-hole sector, evaluated within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The theoretical predictions are compared with a large set of experimental data for double-differential, single-differential, and total integrated cross sections measured by the MiniBooNE, MINER nu A, and T2K experiments. Good agreement with experimental data is found over the whole range of neutrino energies. The results are also in global good agreement with the predictions of the superscaling approach, which is based on the analysis of electron-nucleus scattering data, with only a few differences seen at specific kinematics., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/FEDER, Junta de Andalucía, Bulgarian National Science Fund, Russian Foundation for Basic Research, INFN under project MANY-BODY, University of Turin, U.S. Department of Energy, Junta de Andalucía fellowship, "Emilie du Chatelet" programme of the P2IO LabEx, Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

Radiative capture reactions play a crucial role in stellar nucleosynthesis but have proved challenging to determine experimentally. In particular, the large uncertainty ($\sim$100%) in the measured rate of the $^{12}$C$(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}$O reaction is the largest source of uncertainty in any stellar evolution model. With development of new high current energy-recovery linear accelerators (ERLs) and high density gas targets, measurement of the $^{16}$O$(e,e^\prime \alpha)^{12}$C reaction close to threshold using detailed balance opens up a new approach to determine the $^{12}$C$(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}$O reaction rate with significantly increased precision ($<$20%). We present the formalism to relate photo- and electro-disintegration reactions and consider the design of an optimal experiment to deliver increased precision. Once the new ERLs come online, an experiment to validate the new approach we propose should be carried out. This new approach has broad applicability to radiative capture reactions in astrophysics., Comment: 38 pages, 27 figures, version 2

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

We show that the quasielastic (QE) response calculated with the SuSAv2 (superscaling approach) model, that relies on the scaling phenomenon observed in the analysis of (e,e') data and on the relativistic mean-field theory, is very similar to that from a relativistic distorted wave impulse approximation model when only the real part of the optical potentials is employed. The coincidence between the results from these two completely independent approaches, which satisfactorily agree with the inclusive data, reinforces the reliability of the quasielastic predictions stemming from both models and sets constraints for the QE response. We also study the low energy and momentum transfer region of the inclusive response by confronting the results of the relativistic mean-field model with those of the Hartree-Fock continuum random-phase approximation model, which accounts for nuclear long-range correlations. Finally, we present a comparison of our results with the recent JLab (e,e') data for argon, titanium and carbon, finding good agreement with the three data sets., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures

We compare the predictions of the SuSAv2 model including two-particle two-hole meson-exchange currents with the recent JLab data for inclusive electron scattering on three different targets (C, Ar and Ti). The agreement is very good over the full energy spectrum, with some discrepancy seen only in the deep inelastic region. The 2p2h response, peaked in the dip region between the quasielastic and $\Delta$-resonance peak, is essential to reproduce the data. We also analyze the $k_F$ (Fermi momentum) dependence of the data in terms of scaling of second kind, showing that the 2p2h response scales very differently from the quasielastic one, in full accord with what is predicted by the model. The results represent a valuable test of the applicability of the model to neutrino scattering processes on different nuclei., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

Radiative capture reactions play a crucial role in stellar nucleosynthesis but have proved challenging to determine experimentally. In particular, the large uncertainty ($\sim$100%) in the measured rate of the $^{12}$C$(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}$O reaction is the largest source of uncertainty in any stellar evolution model. With development of new high current energy-recovery linear accelerators (ERLs) and high density gas targets, measurement of the $^{16}$O$(e,e^\prime \alpha)^{12}$C reaction close to threshold using detailed balance opens up a new approach to determine the $^{12}$C$(\alpha,\gamma)^{16}$O reaction rate with significantly increased precision ($<$20%). We present the formalism to relate photo- and electro-disintegration reactions and consider the design of an optimal experiment to deliver increased precision. Once the new ERLs come online, an experiment to validate the new approach we propose should be carried out. This new approach has broad applicability to radiative capture reactions in astrophysics., Comment: 38 pages, 27 figures, version 2

We present a detailed study of charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target obtained using a spectral function that gives a scaling function in accordance with the electron scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence and natural orbitals (NO’s) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, namely when harmonicoscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NO’s. A comparison of the results with recent experiments, as well as to results from the superscaling approach is done. The contribution of two-particle two-hole mesonexchange currents on neutrino–nucleus interactions is also considered within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

International School on Nuclear Physics, Neutron Physics and Applications (22nd. 2017. Varna, Bulgaria). This work was partially supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund under Contracts No. DFNI-T02/19 and No. DFNI-E02/6., We compare the characteristics of the charged-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering obtained in two different nuclear models, the phenomenological SuperScaling Approximation and the model using a realistic spectral function S(p, epsilon) that gives a scaling function in accordance with the (e, e') scattering data, with the recent data published by the MiniBooNE, MINER nu A, and NOMAD collaborations. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations by using natural orbitals from the Jastrow correlation method and has a realistic energy dependence. Both models provide a good description of the MINERvA and NOMAD data without the need of an ad hoc increase of the value of the mass parameter in the axial-vector dipole form factor. The models considered in this work, based on the the impulse approximation (IA), underpredict the MiniBooNE data for the flux-averaged charged-current quasielastic nu(mu)((nu) over bar (mu))+ C-12 differential cross section per nucleon and the total cross sections, although the shape of the cross sections is represented by the approaches. The discrepancy is most likely due to missing of the effects beyond the IA, e.g., those of the 2p-2h meson exchange currents that have contribution in the transverse responses., Bulgarian National Science Fund, Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

We develop an asymmetric relativistic Fermi gas model for the study of the electroweak nuclear response in the quasielastic region. The model takes into account the differences between neutron and proton densities in asymmetric (N>Z) nuclei, as well as differences in the neutron and proton separation energies. We present numerical results for both neutral and charged-current processes, focusing on nuclei of interest for ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. We point out some important differences with respect to the commonly employed symmetric Fermi gas model.

We develop an asymmetric relativistic Fermi gas model for the study of the electroweak nuclear response in the quasielastic region. The model takes into account the differences between neutron and proton densities in asymmetric (N>Z) nuclei, as well as differences in the neutron and proton separation energies. We present numerical results for both neutral and charged-current processes, focusing on nuclei of interest for ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. We point out some important differences with respect to the commonly employed symmetric Fermi gas model.

We review some recent progress in the study of electroweak interactions in nuclei within the SuSAv2-MEC model. The model has the capability to predict (anti)neutrino scattering observables on different nuclei. The theoretical predictions are compared with the recent T2K $\nu_\mu-^{16}$O data and good agreement is found at all kinematics. The results are very similar to those obtained for $\nu_\mu-^{12}$C scattering, except at low energies, where some differences emerge. The role of meson-exchange currents in the two-particle two-hole channel is analyzed in some detail. In particular it is shown that the density dependence of these contributions is different from what is found for the quasielastic response., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, The 19th International Workshop on Neutrinos from Accelerators-NUFACT2017, 25-30 September, 2017, Uppsala, Sweden

We develop an asymmetric relativistic Fermi gas model for the study of the electroweak nuclear response in the quasielastic region. The model takes into account the differences between neutron and proton densities in asymmetric (N>Z) nuclei, as well as differences in the neutron and proton separation energies. We present numerical results for both neutral and charged-current processes, focusing on nuclei of interest for ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. We point out some important differences with respect to the commonly employed symmetric Fermi gas model.

We develop an asymmetric relativistic Fermi gas model for the study of the electroweak nuclear response in the quasielastic region. The model takes into account the differences between neutron and proton densities in asymmetric (N>Z) nuclei, as well as differences in the neutron and proton separation energies. We present numerical results for both neutral and charged-current processes, focusing on nuclei of interest for ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. We point out some important differences with respect to the commonly employed symmetric Fermi gas model.

We analyze the density dependence of the contribution of meson-exchange currents to the lepton-nucleus inclusive cross section in the two-particle two-hole channel. The model is based on the relativistic Fermi gas, where each nucleus is characterized by its Fermi momentum kF. We find that the 2p-2h nuclear response functions at their peaks scale as AkF2 for Fermi momentum going from 200 to 300 MeV/c and momentum transfer q from 2kF to 2 GeV/c. This behavior is different from what is found for the quasielastic response, which scales as A/kF. Additionally, the deep scaling region is also discussed and there the usual scaling behavior is found to be preferable.

We present a fast and efficient method to compute the inclusive two-particle two-hole (2p–2h) electroweak responses in the neutrino and electron quasielastic inclusive cross sections. The method is based on two approximations. The first neglects the motion of the two initial nucleons below the Fermi momentum, which are considered to be at rest. This approximation, which is reasonable for high values of the momentum transfer, turns out also to be quite good for moderate values of the momentum transfer q kF . The second approximation involves using in the “frozen” meson-exchange currents (MEC) an effective -propagator averaged over the Fermi sea. Within the resulting “frozen nucleon approximation”, the inclusive 2p–2h responses are accurately calculated with only a one-dimensional integral over the emission angle of one of the final nucleons, thus drastically simplifying the calculation and reducing the computational time. The latter makes this method especially well-suited for implementation in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators.

We present a fast and efficient method to compute the inclusive two-particle two-hole (2p–2h) electroweak responses in the neutrino and electron quasielastic inclusive cross sections. The method is based on two approximations. The first neglects the motion of the two initial nucleons below the Fermi momentum, which are considered to be at rest. This approximation, which is reasonable for high values of the momentum transfer, turns out also to be quite good for moderate values of the momentum transfer q kF . The second approximation involves using in the “frozen” meson-exchange currents (MEC) an effective -propagator averaged over the Fermi sea. Within the resulting “frozen nucleon approximation”, the inclusive 2p–2h responses are accurately calculated with only a one-dimensional integral over the emission angle of one of the final nucleons, thus drastically simplifying the calculation and reducing the computational time. The latter makes this method especially well-suited for implementation in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators.

We analyze the density dependence of the contribution of meson-exchange currents to the lepton-nucleus inclusive cross section in the two-particle two-hole channel. The model is based on the relativistic Fermi gas, where each nucleus is characterized by its Fermi momentum kF. We find that the 2p-2h nuclear response functions at their peaks scale as AkF2 for Fermi momentum going from 200 to 300 MeV/c and momentum transfer q from 2kF to 2 GeV/c. This behavior is different from what is found for the quasielastic response, which scales as A/kF. Additionally, the deep scaling region is also discussed and there the usual scaling behavior is found to be preferable.

We present a fast and efficient method to compute the inclusive two-particle two-hole (2p–2h) electroweak responses in the neutrino and electron quasielastic inclusive cross sections. The method is based on two approximations. The first neglects the motion of the two initial nucleons below the Fermi momentum, which are considered to be at rest. This approximation, which is reasonable for high values of the momentum transfer, turns out also to be quite good for moderate values of the momentum transfer q kF . The second approximation involves using in the “frozen” meson-exchange currents (MEC) an effective -propagator averaged over the Fermi sea. Within the resulting “frozen nucleon approximation”, the inclusive 2p–2h responses are accurately calculated with only a one-dimensional integral over the emission angle of one of the final nucleons, thus drastically simplifying the calculation and reducing the computational time. The latter makes this method especially well-suited for implementation in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators.

We analyze the density dependence of the contribution of meson-exchange currents to the lepton-nucleus inclusive cross section in the two-particle two-hole channel. The model is based on the relativistic Fermi gas, where each nucleus is characterized by its Fermi momentum kF. We find that the 2p-2h nuclear response functions at their peaks scale as AkF2 for Fermi momentum going from 200 to 300 MeV/c and momentum transfer q from 2kF to 2 GeV/c. This behavior is different from what is found for the quasielastic response, which scales as A/kF. Additionally, the deep scaling region is also discussed and there the usual scaling behavior is found to be preferable.

We present the predictions of the SuSAv2-MEC model for the double differential charged-current muonic neutrino (antineutrino) cross section on water for the T2K neutrino (antineutrino) beam. We validate our model by comparing with the available inclusive electron scattering data on oxygen and compare our predictions with the recent T2K $\nu_\mu$-$^{16}$O data, finding good agreement at all kinematics. We show that the results are very similar to those obtained for $\nu_\mu-^{12}$C scattering, except at low energies, and we comment on the origin of this difference. A factorized spectral function model of $^{16}$O is also included for purposes of comparison., Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, JLAB-THY-17-2586. Version 2 accepted for publication in Journal of Physics G: Nucl. Part. Phys

Semi-inclusive charge-changing neutrino reactions on targets of heavy water are investigated with the goal of determining the relative contributions to the total cross section of deuterium and oxygen in kinematics chosen to emphasize the former. The study is undertaken for conditions where the typical neutrino beam energies are in the few GeV region, and hence relativistic modeling is essential. For this, the previous relativistic approach for the deuteron is employed, together with a spectral function approach for the case of oxygen. Upon optimizing the kinematics of the final-state particles assumed to be detected (typically a muon and a proton) it is shown that the oxygen contribution to the total cross section is suppressed by roughly an order of magnitude compared with the deuterium cross section, thereby confirming that CC$\nu$ studies of heavy water can effectively yield the cross sections for deuterium, with acceptable backgrounds from oxygen. This opens the possibility of using deuterium to determine the incident neutrino flux distribution, to have it serve as a target for which the nuclear structure issues are minimal, and possibly to use deuterium to provide improved knowledge of specific aspects of hadronic structure, such as to explore the momentum transfer dependence of the isovector axial-vector form factor of the nucleon.

The theoretical formalism of inclusive lepton-nucleus scattering in the two-nucleon emission channel is discussed in the context of a simplified approach, the modified convolution approximation. This allows one to write the 2p2h responses of the relativistic Fermi gas as a folding integral of two 1p1h responses with the energies and momenta transferred to each nucleon. The idea behind this method is to introduce different average momenta for the two initial nucleons in the matrix elements of the two-body current, with the innovation that they depend on the transferred energies and momenta. This method treats exactly the two-body phase space kinematics, and reduces the formulae of the response functions from seven-dimensional integrals over momenta to much simpler three-dimensional ones. The applicability of the method is checked by comparing with the full results within a model of electroweak meson-exchange currents. The predictions are accurate enough, especially in the low-energy threshold region where the average momentum approximation works the best., Comment: 35 pages, 13 figures

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 requires 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.

We present a fast and efficient method to compute the inclusive two-particle two-hole (2p-2h) electroweak responses in the neutrino and electron quasielastic inclusive cross sections. The method is based on two approximations. The first neglects the motion of the two initial nucleons below the Fermi momentum, which are considered to be at rest. This approximation, which is reasonable for high values of the momentum transfer, turns out also to be quite good for moderate values of the momentum transfer $q\gtrsim k_F$. The second approximation involves using in the "frozen" meson-exchange currents (MEC) an effective $\Delta$-propagator averaged over the Fermi sea. Within the resulting "frozen nucleon approximation", the inclusive 2p-2h responses are accurately calculated with only a one-dimensional integral over the emission angle of one of the final nucleons, thus drastically simplifying the calculation and reducing the computational time. The latter makes this method especially well-suited for implementation in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures and 1 table

We analyze the density dependence of the contribution of meson-exchange currents to the lepton-nucleus inclusive cross section in the two-particle two-hole channel. The model is based on the relativistic Fermi gas, where each nucleus is characterized by its Fermi momentum kF. We find that the 2p-2h nuclear response functions at their peaks scale as AkF2 for Fermi momentum going from 200 to 300 MeV/c and momentum transfer q from 2kF to 2 GeV/c. This behavior is different from what is found for the quasielastic response, which scales as A/kF. Additionally, the deep scaling region is also discussed and there the usual scaling behavior is found to be preferable.

We present a fast and efficient method to compute the inclusive two-particle two-hole (2p–2h) electroweak responses in the neutrino and electron quasielastic inclusive cross sections. The method is based on two approximations. The first neglects the motion of the two initial nucleons below the Fermi momentum, which are considered to be at rest. This approximation, which is reasonable for high values of the momentum transfer, turns out also to be quite good for moderate values of the momentum transfer q kF . The second approximation involves using in the “frozen” meson-exchange currents (MEC) an effective -propagator averaged over the Fermi sea. Within the resulting “frozen nucleon approximation”, the inclusive 2p–2h responses are accurately calculated with only a one-dimensional integral over the emission angle of one of the final nucleons, thus drastically simplifying the calculation and reducing the computational time. The latter makes this method especially well-suited for implementation in Monte Carlo neutrino event generators.

We analyze the density dependence of the contribution of meson-exchange currents to the lepton-nucleus inclusive cross section in the two-particle two-hole channel. The model is based on the relativistic Fermi gas, where each nucleus is characterized by its Fermi momentum kF. We find that the 2p-2h nuclear response functions at their peaks scale as AkF2 for Fermi momentum going from 200 to 300 MeV/c and momentum transfer q from 2kF to 2 GeV/c. This behavior is different from what is found for the quasielastic response, which scales as A/kF. Additionally, the deep scaling region is also discussed and there the usual scaling behavior is found to be preferable.