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Abstract Scattering of high energy particles from nucleons probes their structure, as was done in the experiments that established the non-zero size of the proton using electron beams 1 . The use of charged leptons as scattering probes enables measuring the distribution of electric charges, which is encoded in the vector form factors of the nucleon 2 . Scattering weakly interacting neutrinos gives the opportunity to measure both vector and axial vector form factors of the nucleon, providing an additional, complementary probe of their structure. The nucleon transition axial form factor, F A , can be measured from neutrino scattering from free nucleons, ν μ n → μ − p and $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n , as a function of the negative four-momentum transfer squared ( Q 2 ). Up to now, F A ( Q 2 ) has been extracted from the bound nucleons in neutrino–deuterium scattering 3–9 , which requires uncertain nuclear corrections 10 . Here we report the first high-statistics measurement, to our knowledge, of the $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }\,p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n cross-section from the hydrogen atom, using the plastic scintillator target of the MINERvA 11 experiment, extracting F A from free proton targets and measuring the nucleon axial charge radius, r A , to be 0.73 ± 0.17 fm. The antineutrino–hydrogen scattering presented here can access the axial form factor without the need for nuclear theory corrections, and enables direct comparisons with the increasingly precise lattice quantum chromodynamics computations 12–15 . Finally, the tools developed for this analysis and the result presented are substantial advancements in our capabilities to understand the nucleon structure in the weak sector, and also help the current and future neutrino oscillation experiments 16–20 to better constrain neutrino interaction models.
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Measurement of νˉμ\bar{\nu}_{\mu}νˉμ Charged-Current Single π−\pi^{-}π− Production on Hydrocarbon in the Few-GeV Region using MINERvA
The antineutrino scattering channel ¯νμCH→μ+π−X (nucleon(s)) is analyzed in the incident energy range 1.5 to 10 GeV using the MINERvA detector at Fermilab. Differential cross sections are reported as functions of μ+ momentum and production angle, π− kinetic energy and production angle, and antineutrino energy and squared four-momentum transfer. Distribution shapes are generally reproduced by simulations based on the GENIE, NuWro, and GiBUU event generators, however GENIE (GiBUU) overestimates (underestimates) the cross section normalizations by 8% (10%). Comparisons of data with the GENIE-based reference simulation probe conventional treatments of cross sections and pion intranuclear rescattering. The distribution of nontrack vertex energy is used to decompose the signal sample into reaction categories, and cross sections are determined for the exclusive reactions μ+π−n and μ+π−p. A similar treatment applied to the published MINERvA sample ¯νμCH→μ+π0X[nucleon(s)] has determined the μ+π0n cross section, and the latter is used with σ(π−n) and σ(π−p) to carry out an isospin decomposition of ¯νμ-induced CC(π). The ratio of magnitudes and relative phase for isospin amplitudes A3 and A1 thereby obtained are: R¯ν=0.99±0.19 and ϕ¯ν=93°±7°. Our results are in agreement with bubble chamber measurements made four decades ago.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1806849
- PAR ID:
- 10162879
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physical review
- Volume:
- 100
- ISSN:
- 1550-7998
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 052008
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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