Neutral-current neutrino-nucleus scattering off I (127) and Cs (133): Coherent and incoherent contributions with electroweak refinements for odd-A nuclei

Abstract

Calculations of neutral-current neutrino-nucleus scattering cross sections are important for interpreting low- and intermediate-energy neutrino data, where terrestrial measurements remain limited. The first observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) in 2017 with a CsI[Na] detector at the Spallation Neutron Source reported results consistent with Standard Model expectations, motivating improved theoretical descriptions beyond the purely coherent regime. In this work, we calculate neutral-current scattering cross sections for 127I and 133Cs within a unified analytical framework that consistently incorporates coherent elastic, incoherent excitation, and spin-dependent axial contributions relevant for odd-A nuclei. A consistent distinction between nuclear and nucleon form factors is maintained throughout the formalism. The incoherent contribution is evaluated using structure-function methods, providing a physically motivated decomposition of the total cross section. Electroweak effects are included through momentum-transfer-dependent sin^2(theta_W) corrections in the MS-bar scheme together with flavor-dependent neutrino charge-radius contributions implemented consistently in the vector couplings. Cross sections are presented as functions of neutrino energy and for decay-at-rest neutrino spectra in the low-to-intermediate energy region where elastic and quasi-elastic processes dominate. Inclusion of incoherent and axial contributions enhances the total cross section near Enu ~ 10 MeV, while the incoherent component becomes dominant around Enu ~ 50 MeV. Expected interaction rates for decay-at-rest neutrinos are of order 0.1 events kg^-1 yr^-1 near a 40 keV recoil threshold. The results provide a systematic assessment of subleading contributions relevant for CsI-based detectors and astrophysical neutrino applications.