We present a study of neutrino-nucleus interactions at the T2K experiment based on the GiBUU transport model. The aim of T2K is to measure $ u_e$ appearance and $theta_{13}$, but it will also be able to do a precise measurement of $ u_mu$ disappearance. The former requires a good understanding of $pi^0$ production while the latter is closely connected with a good understanding of quasielastic scattering. For both processes we investigate the influence of nuclear effects and particular final-state interactions on the expected event rates taking into account the T2K detector setup.
We have extended our model for charged current neutrino-nucleus interactions to neutral current reactions. For the elementary neutrino-nucleon interaction, we take into account quasielastic scattering, Delta excitation and the excitation of the resonances in the second resonance region. Our model for the neutrino-nucleus collisions includes in-medium effects such as Fermi motion, Pauli blocking, nuclear binding, and final-state interactions. They are implemented by means of the Giessen Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (GiBUU) coupled-channel transport model. This allows us to study exclusive channels, namely pion production and nucleon knockout. We find that final-state interactions modify considerably the distributions through rescattering, charge-exchange and absorption. Side-feeding induced by charge-exchange scattering is important in both cases. In the case of pions, there is a strong absorption associated with the in-medium pionless decay modes of the Delta, while nucleon knockout exhibits a considerable enhancement of low energy nucleons due to rescattering. At neutrino energies above 1 GeV, we also obtain that the contribution to nucleon knockout from Delta excitation is comparable to that from quasielastic scattering.
[Background] Meticulous modeling of neutrino-nucleus interactions is essential to achieve the unprecedented precision goals of present and future accelerator-based neutrino-oscillation experiments. [Purpose] Confront our calculations of charged-current quasielastic cross section with the measurements of MiniBooNE and T2K, and to quantitatively investigate the role of nuclear-structure effects, in particular, low-energy nuclear excitations in forward muon scattering. [Method] The model takes the mean-field (MF) approach as the starting point, and solves Hartree-Fock (HF) equations using a Skyrme (SkE2) nucleon-nucleon interaction. Long-range nuclear correlations are taken into account by means of the continuum random-phase approximation (CRPA) framework. [Results] We present our calculations on flux-folded double differential, and flux-unfolded total cross sections off $^{12}$C and compare them with MiniBooNE and (off-axis) T2K measurements. We discuss the importance of low-energy nuclear excitations for the forward bins. [Conclusions] The CRPA predictions describe the gross features of the measured cross sections. They underpredict the data (more in the neutrino than in the antineutrino case) because of the absence of processes beyond pure quasielastic scattering in our model. At very forward muon scattering, low-energy nuclear excitations ($omega < $ 50 MeV) account for nearly 50% of the flux-folded cross section.
An accurate description of the nuclear response functions for neutrino scattering in the Gev region is essential for the interpretation of present and future neutrino oscillation experiments. Due to the close similarity of electromagnetic and weak scattering processes, we will review the status of the scaling approach and of relativistic modeling for the inclusive electron scattering response functions in the quasielastic and $Delta$-resonance regions. In particular, recent studies have been focused on scaling violations and the degree to which these imply modifications of existing predictions for neutrino reactions. We will discuss sources and magnitude of such violations, emphasizing similarities and differences between electron and neutrino reactions.
We illustrate the connection between electron and neutrino scattering off nuclei and show how the former process can be used to constrain the description of the latter. After reviewing some of the nuclear models commonly used to study lepton-nucleus reactions, we describe in detail the SuSAv2 model and show how its predictions compare with the available electron- and neutrino-scattering data over the kinematical range going from the quasi-elastic peak to pion-production and highly inelastic scattering.
Different approaches to the calculation of neutrino-nucleus cross sections are summarized. Potential impact of improving the nuclear physics input into neutrino interactions and cross section calculations on uncovering new physics is discussed using the example of reactor anomaly. Importance of a thorough understanding of neutrino interactions in astrophysics and cosmology is highlighted.