arXiv subjects

Laura Munteanu

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Munteanu.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interaction-model dependence in calorimetric energy reconstruction methods due to non-linear material effects in modern neutrino detectors

Neutrino oscillation experiments rely on high precision neutrino energy reconstruction. A common reconstruction technique in LAr-TPCs and scintillators is via the calorimetric sum of visible particles created in the interaction. However, non-linearities in the detector response, such as Birks quenching for scintillators and recombination effects for TPCs, lead to ambiguities in the reconstruction of visible hadronic energies. Interaction-model-dependent assumptions are required to resolve these ambiguities, which introduces a bias in reconstruction of neutrino energy. This introduces a systematic uncertainty separate from the well-studied bias due to interaction-model dependent modelling of missing energy caused by, for example, the production of final state neutrons. In this work, we evaluate the interaction-model dependence of the bias caused by these material effects across multiple tunes of the GENIE, NEUT, NuWro, and GiBUU neutrino interaction event generators for cases representative of calorimetric energy reconstruction at the T2K (ND280), NO$\nu$A, MINER$\nu$A, $\mu$BooNE, and DUNE experiments. Using pure calorimetric reconstruction, our results show significant differences in the mean neutrino-energy reconstruction bias between models, at the level of $\sim$7-9\,MeV for scintillator detectors and $\sim$11-18\,MeV for argon-based detectors in the relevant energy range. The latter is shown to be reduced (down to $\sim$3.5\,MeV) when using an idealised hybrid energy reconstruction based on tracking and calorimetry. Overall, we conclude that neutrino-energy reconstruction bias due to material effects may imply non-negligible systematic uncertainties for neutrino oscillation and cross-section measurements, and discuss alternative analysis strategies to mitigate the issue.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

A Novel Approach to Short Baseline Oscillation Searches Using Neutrino Tagging with nuSCOPE

We present the first study of short-baseline neutrino oscillation searches using a tagged neutrino beamline, taking the proposed nuSCOPE facility at CERN as a benchmark. In this Letter we demonstrate that tagged neutrino beams, where the neutrino flavor, energy, and propagation distance are determined with exceptional event-by-event precision, provide a new experimental approach to search for non-standard neutrino oscillations. We evaluate the sensitivity to sterile-neutrino-induced oscillations in the $\nu_\mu$ disappearance, $\nu_\mu \rightarrow \nu_e$ appearance, and $\nu_e$ disappearance channels, demonstrating the ability to probe multiple flavor transitions and both appearance and disappearance modes within a single experiment. Our results show that tagged beams enable sensitivity improvements to mass-squared splittings spanning several orders of magnitude while substantially reducing the dependence on neutrino flux predictions that limits conventional searches. We find that nuSCOPE can probe a broad region of parameter space motivated by existing anomalies and extend coverage into previously unexplored territory, demonstrating the strong potential of tagged neutrino beams for precision oscillation physics.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Characterising the role of final state interactions on neutrino energy estimation in the DUNE and Hyper-K era

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) and Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) will measure neutrino oscillation parameters with an unprecedented precision that requires neutrino energy estimation to be controlled at the few-MeV level. A central challenge in achieving this is the modelling of the reinteractions of hadrons produced in neutrino-nucleus scatters with the residual nuclear medium, or final-state interactions (FSI). In this work we use state-of-the-art neutrino interaction event generators to review the impact of FSI modelling on the kinematic and calorimetric neutrino energy estimators used by Hyper-K and DUNE respectively, considering both the semi-classical intranuclear cascades (INCs) that dominate current simulations and a microscopic treatment based on a relativistic mean field calculation. We find that plausible variations of the FSI model introduce uncertainties on the neutrino energy estimation proxies that are at or above the precision on the energy scale control required for Hyper-K and DUNE projected neutrino oscillation sensitivities, highlighting the importance of careful FSI modelling to allow robust near detector constraints. We further demonstrate that the two experiments are sensitive to different aspects of the FSI models. Neutrino energy estimation at Hyper-K is most impacted by pion absorption and nuclear effects beyond the semi-classical paradigm, whilst the DUNE energy estimation is more affected by the modelling of how hadronic energy is shared between sources of visible and invisible energy in the detector. We discuss the implications of these findings for neutrino oscillation analyses and outline some of the key experimental and theoretical developments needed to bring FSI modelling uncertainties under control.

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arXiv2026

Benchmarking neutrino-nucleus quasielastic scattering model predictions against a missing energy profile obtained using a monoenergetic neutrino beam

We examine three exclusive nuclear ground state shell models implemented in the NEUT neutrino event generator and benchmark them against the recent JSNS$^2$ measurement of missing energy using a monoenergetic neutrino source. The nature of the measurement allows a detailed investigation of nuclear ground-state modeling using a neutrino source, and gives access to a direct measurement of the neutron spectral function in a $^{12}$C nucleus. The NEUT intranuclear cascade and nuclear deexcitation \textsc{NucDeEx} are used to simulate inelastic final-state interactions and nuclear deexcitations respectively. We find that the spectral function (SF) models perform better than relativistic mean field models in modeling both the ground state and the tail of the missing energy distribution when the NEUT cascade and nuclear excitation channels are turned on. We also find that taking into account the missing energy threshold for single nucleon knockout interactions results in all nuclear models being accepted based on the obtained $p$-values.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

The role of final-state interaction modeling in neutrino energy reconstruction and oscillation measurements

We present a quantitative demonstration that, without additional theoretical and experimental efforts, realistic variations in final-state-interaction (FSI) modeling may alter reconstructed neutrino-energy spectra at next-generation long-baseline experiments by amounts comparable to, or larger than, variations induced by oscillation-parameter shifts at their projected precision. Using the DUNE flux and baseline as a case study, we show that these FSI-driven distortions can mimic the effects of changes in the oscillation parameters $\Delta m^2_{32}$ or $\delta_{\rm CP}$, producing a potential degeneracy. Our analysis thereby underscores the urgent need for an improved characterisation of FSI to enable robust constraints from near detectors through the development of theory-driven uncertainty parameterisations benchmarked with dedicated new measurements.

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arXiv2025

Implementation of the Martini-Ericson-Chanfray-Marteau RPA-based neutrino and antineutrino cross-section model in the GENIE neutrino event generator

We discuss the first implementation of the Martini-Ericson-Chanfray-Marteau random phase approximation-based (anti)neutrino cross-section model for quasielastic (1p1h) and multinucleon (2p2h and 3p3h) excitations in the widely used GENIE neutrino event generator. Validation steps are presented, in particular, through direct comparisons of GENIE cross-section output with original calculations performed by the authors of the model. Predictions for $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O, and $^{40}$Ar are compared with some available T2K and MicroBooNE experimental measurements showing a reasonable agreement.

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arXiv2024

Benchmarking neutrino interaction models via a comparative analysis of kinematic imbalance measurements from the T2K, MicroBooNE and MINERvA experiments

Recent neutrino-nucleus cross-section measurements of observables characterising kinematic imbalance from the T2K, MicroBooNE and MINERvA experiments are used to benchmark predictions from widely used neutrino interaction event generators. Given the different neutrino energy spectra and nuclear targets employed by the three experiments, comparisons of model predictions to their measurements breaks degeneracies that would be present in any single measurement. In particular, the comparison of T2K and MINERvA measurements offers a probe of energy dependence, whilst a comparison of T2K and MicroBooNE investigates scaling with nuclear target. In order to isolate the impact of individual nuclear effects, model comparisons are made following systematic alterations to: the nuclear ground state; final state interactions and multi-nucleon interaction strength. The measurements are further compared to the generators used as an input to DUNE/SBN and T2K/Hyper-K analyses. Whilst no model is able to quantitatively describe all the measurements, evidence is found for mis-modelling of A-scaling in multi-nucleon interactions and it is found that tight control over how energy is distributed among hadrons following final state interactions is likely to be crucial to achieving improved agreement. Overall, this work provides a novel characterisation of neutrino interactions whilst offering guidance for refining existing generator predictions.

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arXiv2023

Longitudinal kinematic imbalances in neutrino and antineutrino interactions for improved measurements of neutrino energy and the axial vector form factor

Current and future accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments require an improved understanding of nuclear effects in neutrino-nucleus interactions. One important systematic uncertainty is introduced by the collective impact of nuclear effects which bias the reconstruction of the neutrino energy, such as the nuclear removal energy. In this manuscript, we introduce a novel observable for accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments, the visible longitudinal momentum imbalance, reconstructed in charged current quasi-elastic interactions from the outgoing charged lepton and nucleon. We demonstrate it to be minimally dependent on the neutrino energy and sensitive to sources of bias in neutrino energy reconstruction. Furthermore, we show how the use of the longitudinal imbalance in antineutrino interactions in a target containing hydrogen allows for an improved, high-purity selection of the interactions on hydrogen. This approach offers the potential for precise measurements of the nuclear axial vector form factor as well as of the antineutrino flux.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

The role of de-excitation in the final-state interactions of protons in neutrino-nucleus interactions

Present and next generation of long-baseline accelerator experiments are bringing the measurement of neutrino oscillations into the precision era with ever-increasing statistics. One of the most challenging aspects of achieving such measurements is developing relevant systematic uncertainties in the modeling of nuclear effects in neutrino-nucleus interactions. To address this problem, state-of-the-art detectors are being developed to extract detailed information about all particles produced in neutrino interactions. To fully profit from these experimental advancements, it is essential to have reliable models of propagation of the outgoing hadrons through nuclear matter able to predict how the energy is distributed between all the final-state observed particles. In this article, we investigate the role of nuclear de-excitation in neutrino-nucleus scattering using two Monte Carlo cascade models: NuWro and INCL coupled with the de-excitation code ABLA. The ablation model ABLA is used here for the first time to model de-excitation in neutrino interactions. As input to ABLA, we develop a consistent simulation of nuclear excitation energy tuned to electron-scattering data. The paper includes the characterization of the leading proton kinematics and of the nuclear cluster production during cascade and de-excitation. The observability of nuclear clusters as vertex activity and their role in a precise neutrino energy reconstruction is quantified.

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