Neutrino Cross Sections: Low Energy

Omar Benhar

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arXiv · 2604.24577

Neutrino Cross Sections: Low Energy

Omar Benhar

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Abstract

Low-energy neutrino interactions with isolated nucleons are accurately described by the effective theory based on Fermi's groundbreaking description of neutron $\beta$-decay. On the other hand, the extension of this scheme to the case of neutrino interactions with nuclear matter -- the understanding of which is critical for the description of a variety of astrophysical processes -- involves non trivial difficulties, originating from the complexity of nuclear structure and dynamics. This chapter provides a concise introduction to the formalism of nuclear many-body theory, suitable to perform theoretical calculations of the nuclear matter response to neutrino interactions, as well as a detailed analysis of the relevant reaction mechanisms. The neutrino mean free path in nuclear matter and its implications for the description of astrophysical processes are also discussed.

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Omar Benhar. 2026-04-27. Neutrino Cross Sections: Low Energy. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24577

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