Impact of the $^5$Li resonance in $\alpha$-$p$ elastic scattering on precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters

Abstract

Precision measurements of four neutrino oscillation parameters, $\theta_{12}$, $\theta_{13}$, $\Delta m^2_{21}$, and |$\Delta m^2_{31}$|, face significant interference from a previously overlooked correlated background. Recent findings from the SNO+ and JUNO experiments reveal that cascade decays of $^{214}$Bi-$^{214}$Po in liquid scintillator detectors can mimic inverse beta decay signals from reactor and geoneutrinos, with a misidentification probability on the order of $10^{-4}$ when hydrogen neutron capture is used, a rate ten times higher than Geant4 simulations predicted. This work identifies the $^5$Li resonance in $\alpha$-$p$ elastic scattering as the underlying cause. For alpha energies above 5~MeV, the cross section is hundreds of times larger than that of Rutherford scattering. After correctly incorporating the differential cross section into Geant4, the misidentification probability is recalculated as 1.9$\times$10$^{-4}$. The simulated shape of the long tail in the alpha deposited energy also differs from the extrapolation models currently used by SNO+ and JUNO. These results will assist both experiments in more accurately estimating this novel background, thereby refining measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and the geoneutrino flux. Additionally, the study implies an overlooked background with a rate of 0.5 events per detector per day in the Daya Bay $\theta_{13}$ analysis using hydrogen neutron capture, leading to an increase of $\sin^22\theta_{13}$ by approximately 0.012. Consequently, the Particle Data Group's reported $\sin^2\theta_{13}$ value shall increase by about 0.006~(1$\sigma$).