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Title: First Double-Differential Cross Section Measurement of Neutral-Current π0 Production in Neutrino-Argon Scattering in the MicroBooNE Detector
We report the first double-differential cross section measurement of neutral-current neutral pion ( NC π 0 ) production in neutrino-argon scattering, as well as single-differential measurements of the same channel in terms of final states with and without protons. The kinematic variables of interest for these measurements are the π 0 momentum and the π 0 scattering angle with respect to the neutrino beam. A total of 4971 candidate NC π 0 events fully contained within the MicroBooNE detector are selected using data collected at a mean neutrino energy of 0.8 GeV from 6.4 × 10 20 protons on target from the Booster Neutrino Beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. After extensive data-driven model validation to ensure unbiased unfolding, the Wiener-singular-value-decomposition method is used to extract nominal flux-averaged cross sections. The results are compared to predictions from commonly used neutrino event generators, which tend to overpredict the measured NC π 0 cross section, especially in the 0.2 0.5 GeV / c π 0 momentum range and at forward scattering angles. Events with at least one proton present in the final state are also underestimated. This data will help improve the modeling of NC π 0 production, which represents a major background in measurements of charge-parity violation in the neutrino sector and in searches for new physics beyond the standard model.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2209601
PAR ID:
10649232
Author(s) / Creator(s):
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Corporate Creator(s):
Publisher / Repository:
APS
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Volume:
134
Issue:
16
ISSN:
0031-9007
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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