Two different nuclear-medium effects are isolated using a low three-momentum transfer subsample of neutrino-carbon scattering data from the MINERvA neutrino experiment. The observed hadronic energy in charged-current $\nu_\mu$ interactions is combined with muon kinematics to permit separation of the quasielastic and $\Delta$(1232) resonance processes. First, we observe a small cross section at very low energy transfer that matches the expected screening effect of long-range nucleon correlations. Second, additions to the event rate in the kinematic region between the quasielastic and $\Delta$ resonance processes are needed to describe the data. The data in this kinematic region also has an enhanced population of multi-proton final states. Contributions predicted for scattering from a nucleon pair have both properties; the model tested in this analysis is a significant improvement but does not fully describe the data. We present the results as a double-differential cross section to enable further investigation of nuclear models. Improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments.
We present results on flux-normalized neutrino and antineutrino cross sections near y=0 from data obtained in the Fermilab narrow-band beam. We conclude that values of σ0=dσdy|y=0 are consistent with rising linearly with energy over the range 45<~Eν<~20.5 GeV. The separate averages of ν and ν¯, each measured to 4%, are equal to well within the errors. The best fit for the combined data gives σ0E=(0.719±0.035)×10−38 cm2/GeV at an average Eν of 100 GeV.
Measurements of flux-normalized neutrino and antineutrino total charged-current cross sections (σ) in the energy range 45<E<205 GeV are presented. We see no evidence for the anomalous sharp rise in σν¯σν reported by earlier authors. The neutrino cross section rises linearly with energy and with σE about 18% smaller than other measurements below 10 GeV. The average antineutrino slope at 55 GeV is consistent with measurements at low energy; however, a (20 ± 10)% increase is indicated over our energy range.
This paper reports on measurements of the total cross section for the inclusive reaction vμ+N, as a function of incident energy. Neutrinos and antineutrinos with energy in the range 3