Model-independent determination of the axial mass parameter in quasielastic neutrino-nucleon scattering

Quasielastic neutrino-nucleon scattering is a basic signal process for neutrino oscillation studies. At accelerator energies, the corresponding cross section is subject to significant uncertainty due to the poorly constrained axial-vector form factor of the nucleon. A model-independent description of the axial-vector form factor is presented. Data from the MiniBooNE experiment for quasielastic neutrino scattering on carbon are analyzed under the assumption of a definite nuclear model. The value of the axial mass parameter, m_A=0.85^{+0.22}_{-0.07} +/- 0.09 GeV, is found to differ significantly from extractions based on traditional form factor models. Implications for future neutrino scattering and pion electroproduction measurements are discussed.
Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. v2: figure 3 added, journal version