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M. Valverde

Publications and source records attributed to M. Valverde.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Chiral Symmetry and Neutrino Pion Production off the Nucleon

The neutrino pion production off the nucleon is traditionally described in the literature by means of the weak excitation of the Delta(1232) resonance and its subsequent decay into N pi. Here, we present results from a model that includes also some background terms required by chiral symmetry. We show that the contribution of these terms is sizeable and leads to significant effects in total and partially integrated pion production cross sections at intermediate energies of interest for neutrino oscillation experiments. Finally, we discuss parity-violating contributions to the pion angular differential cross section induced by the interference of these non-resonant terms with the Delta piece.

hep-ex↗

Pion Production in Neutrino-Nucleon Reactions

We construct a model for the weak pion production off the nucleon, which in addition to the weak excitation of the $Δ(1232)$ resonance and its subsequent decay into $Nπ$, it includes also some background terms required by chiral symmetry. We re-fit the $C_5^A(q^2)$ form factor to the flux averaged $ν_μp \to μ^-pπ^+$ ANL $q^2-$differential cross section data, finding a substantially smaller contribution of the $Δ$ pole mechanism than traditionally assumed in the literature. We also show that the interference between the Delta pole and the background terms produces parity-violating contributions to the pion angular differential cross section.

nucl-th↗

Weak Pion Production off the Nucleon

We develop a model for the weak pion production off the nucleon, which besides the Delta pole mechanism (weak excitation of the $Δ(1232)$ resonance and its subsequent decay into $Nπ$), includes also some background terms required by chiral symmetry. We re-fit the $C_5^A(q^2)$ form factor to the flux averaged $ν_μp \to μ^-pπ^+$ ANL $q^2-$differential cross section data, finding a substantially smaller contribution of the Delta pole mechanism than traditionally assumed in the literature. Within this scheme, we calculate several differential and integrated cross sections, including pion angular distributions, induced by neutrinos and antineutrinos and driven both by charged and neutral currents. In all cases we find that the background terms produce quite significant effects and that they lead to an overall improved description of the data, as compared to the case where only the Delta pole mechanism is considered. We also show that the interference between the Delta pole and the background terms produces parity-violating contributions to the pion angular differential cross section, which are intimately linked to $T-$odd correlations in the contraction between the leptonic and hadronic tensors. However, these latter correlations do not imply a genuine violation of time reversal invariance because of the existence of strong final state interaction effects.

hep-ph↗

Can One Distinguish Tau Neutrinos from Antineutrinos in Neutral-Current Pion Production Processes?

A potential way to distinguish tau-neutrinos from antineutrinos, below the tau-production threshold, but above the pion production one, is presented. It is based on the different behavior of the neutral current pion production off the nucleon, depending on whether it is induced by neutrinos or antineutrinos. This procedure for distinguishing tau-neutrinos from antineutrinos neither relies on any nuclear model, nor it is affected by any nuclear effect (distortion of the outgoing nucleon waves, etc...). We show that neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries occur both in the totally integrated cross sections and in the pion azimuthal differential distributions. To define the asymmetries for the latter distributions we just rely on Lorentz-invariance. All these asymmetries are independent of the lepton family and can be experimentally measured by using electron or muon neutrinos, due to the lepton family universality of the neutral current neutrino interaction. Nevertheless and to estimate their size, we have also used the chiral model of hep-ph/0701149 at intermediate energies. Results are really significant since the differences between neutrino and antineutrino induced reactions are always large in all physical channels.

hep-ph↗

Nuclear effects on lepton polarization in charged-current quasielastic neutrino scattering

We use a correlated local Fermi gas (LFG) model, which accounts also for long distance corrections of the RPA type and final-state interactions, to compute the polarization of the final lepton in charged-current quasielastic neutrino scattering. The present model has been successfully used in recent studies of inclusive neutrino nucleus processes and muon capture. We investigate the relevance of nuclear effects in the particular case of $τ$ polarization in tau-neutrino induced reactions for several kinematics of relevance for neutrino oscillation experiments.

nucl-th↗

Charged and Neutral Current Neutrino Induced Nucleon Emission Reactions

By means of a Monte Carlo cascade method, to account for the rescattering of the outgoing nucleon, we study the charged and neutral current inclusive one nucleon knockout reactions off nuclei induced by neutrinos. The nucleon emission process studied here is a clear signal for neutral--current neutrino driven reactions, and can be used in the analysis of future neutrino experiments.

hep-ph↗

Theoretical uncertainties on quasielastic charged-current neutrino-nucleus cross sections

We estimate the theoretical uncertainties of the model developed in Phys. Rev. C70 055503 for inclusive quasielastic charged-current neutrino-nucleus reactions at intermediate energies. Besides we quantify the deviations of the predictions of this many body framework from those obtained within a simple Fermi gas model. An special attention has been paid to the ratio σ(μ)/σ(e) of interest for experiments on atmospheric neutrinos. We show that uncertainties affecting this ratio are likely smaller than 5%

hep-ph↗

Inclusive Nucleon Emission Induced by Quasi--Elastic Neutrino--Nucleus Interactions

We study the quasi--elastic contribution to the inclusive $(ν_l,ν_l N)$, $(ν_l,l^- N)$, $({\bar ν}_l,{\bar ν}_l N)$ and $({\bar ν}_l,l^+ N)$ reactions in nuclei using a Monte Carlo simulation method to account for the rescattering of the outgoing nucleon. As input, we take the reaction probability from the microscopical many body framework developed in Phys. Rev. {\bf C70} (2004) 055503 for charged-current induced reactions, while for neutral currents we use results from a natural extension of the model described in that reference. The nucleon emission process studied here is a clear signal for neutral--current neutrino driven reactions, that can be used in the analysis of future neutrino experiments.

hep-ph↗

Quasi-Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Reactions

The quasi-elastic contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron scattering model developed in A. Gil, J. Nieves, and E. Oset: Nucl. Phys. A 627 (1997) 543; is extended to the study of electroweak Charged Current (CC) induced nuclear reactions at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The model accounts for long range nuclear (RPA) correlations, Final State Interaction and Coulomb corrections. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role in the whole range of neutrino energies, up to 500 MeV, studied in this work. Predictions for inclusive muon capture for different nuclei, and for the reactions $^{12}$C$(ν_μ,μ^-)X$ and $^{12}$C$(ν_e,e^-)X$ near threshold are also given.

hep-ph↗

Equivalence between local Fermi gas and shell models in inclusive muon capture from nuclei

Motivated by recent studies of inclusive neutrino nucleus processes and muon capture within a correlated local Fermi gas model (LFG), we discuss the relevance of nuclear finite size effects in these reactions at low energy, in particular for muon capture. To disentangle these effects from others coming from the reaction dynamics we employ here a simple uncorrelated shell model that embodies the typical finite size content of the problem. The integrated decay widths of muon atoms calculated with this shell model are then compared for several nuclei with those obtained within the uncorrelated LFG, using in both models exactly the same theoretical ingredients and parameters. We find that the two predictions are in quite good agreement, within 1--7%, when the shell model density and the correct energy balance is used as input in the LFG calculation. The present study indicates that, despite the low excitation energies involved in the reaction, integrated inclusive observables, like the total muon capture width, are quite independent of the fine details of the nuclear wave functions.

nucl-th↗

Inclusive Quasi-Elastic Neutrino Reactions

The Quasi-Elastic contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron scattering model developed in Nucl. Phys. A 627 (1997) 543 is extended to the study of electroweak Charged Current induced nuclear reactions, at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The model accounts for long range nuclear (RPA) correlations, Final State Interaction and Coulomb corrections. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role in the whole range of neutrino energies, up to 500 MeV, studied in this work. Predictions for inclusive muon capture for different nuclei, and for the reactions $^{12}$C$(ν_μ,μ^-)X$ and $^{12}$C$(ν_e,e^-)X$ near threshold are also given.

nucl-th↗

Inclusive Quasi-Elastic Charged-Current Neutrino-Nucleus Reactions

The Quasi-Elastic (QE) contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron scattering model developed in Nucl. Phys. A627 (1997) 543 is extended to the study of electroweak Charged Current (CC) induced nuclear reactions, at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The model accounts for, among other nuclear effects, long range nuclear (RPA) correlations, Final State Interaction (FSI) and Coulomb corrections. Predictions for the inclusive muon capture in $^{12}$C and the reaction $^{12}$C $(ν_μ,μ^-)X$ near threshold are also given. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role and their inclusion leads to one of the best existing simultaneous description of both processes, with accuracies of the order of 10-15% per cent for the muon capture rate and even better for the LSND measurement.

nucl-th↗

Nuclear Many-Body Theory of Electroweak Interactions with Nuclei at Intermediate Energies

The Quasi-Elastic (QE) contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron model developed in reference \cite{GNO97} is extended to the study of electroweak Charged Current (CC) induced nuclear reactions at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. Long range nuclear (RPA) correlations, Final State Interaction (FSI) and Coulomb corrections are included within the model. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role in the whole range of neutrino energies, up to 500 MeV, studied in this work. Predictions for inclusive muon capture for different nuclei through the Periodic Table and for the reactions $^{12}$C $(ν_μ,μ^-)X$ and $^{12}$C $(ν_e,e^-)X$ near threshold are also given.

nucl-th↗