Electron Scattering and Neutrino Scattering from Light Nuclei

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

The recent discovery of neutrino oscillations -- the change of neutrinos from one type to another -- has established that neutrinos have mass. This remarkable result has led to a lot of new questions about neutrinos and their interactions. The next-generation neutrino experiments seek to understand neutrinos in greater detail and a precise understanding of neutrino-nucleus reactions is necessary to plan and interpret these experiments. These reactions are very similar to electron-nucleus reactions that the PI has investigated successfully in the past. In this project, the PI will apply the approach developed for electron-nucleus scattering to the neutrino experiments. Beside their role in answering questions about the neutrinos themselves, neutrino-nucleus reactions reactions have the potential to reveal more information about light nuclei, in particular about the strangeness content of their building blocks, protons and neutrons. The PI will refine the calculation of electron and neutrino scattering in order to identify the most promising future experiments. This project will provide theoretical support to both neutrino and electron scattering experiments performed in the US. The PI will continue to do outreach in rural northwestern Ohio and involve interested undergraduate students in this research project. Electron scattering from light nuclei provides insights on the structure of the nuclear ground state. The PI and her collaborators have developed a high precision description of electron-deuteron scattering. All elements of the electron scattering reaction mechanism are necessary to describe neutrino scattering reactions on the same nuclei. There are many exciting neutrino scattering experiments that are running now or will run in the near future. In order to correctly interpret the neutrino data, a precise understanding of the nuclear physics involved is necessary. The current state of theory in the event generators used by experimental groups is fairly basic. The PI will adapt the knowledge of the electron scattering reaction mechanism to calculate the neutrino scattering. She will investigate neutral current neutrino scattering from the deuteron. The differential cross section depends on the strangeness content of the nucleons. Using a deuteron target allows one to access the information contained in the neutron. The PI will investigate the sensitivity to the three relevant parameters describing the strangeness content of the nucleon, and will discuss ways to put a theoretical error bar on these values. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.