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Measurement of the axial vector form factor from antineutrino–proton scattering

Author

Listed:
  • T. Cai

    (University of Rochester
    York University)

  • M. L. Moore

    (University of Rochester
    Stanford University)

  • A. Olivier

    (University of Rochester)

  • S. Akhter

    (AMU Campus)

  • Z. Ahmad Dar

    (AMU Campus
    Department of Physics, William & Mary)

  • V. Ansari

    (AMU Campus)

  • M. V. Ascencio

    (Sección Física, Departamento de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
    Iowa State University)

  • A. Bashyal

    (Oregon State University
    High Energy Physics/Center for Computational Excellence Department, Argonne National Laboratory)

  • A. Bercellie

    (University of Rochester)

  • M. Betancourt

    (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • A. Bodek

    (University of Rochester)

  • J. L. Bonilla

    (Universidad de Guanajuato)

  • A. Bravar

    (University of Geneva)

  • H. Budd

    (University of Rochester)

  • G. Caceres

    (Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas
    University of California at Davis)

  • M. F. Carneiro

    (Oregon State University
    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas
    Brookhaven National Laboratory)

  • G. A. Díaz

    (University of Rochester)

  • H. Motta

    (Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas)

  • J. Felix

    (Universidad de Guanajuato)

  • L. Fields

    (University of Notre Dame)

  • A. Filkins

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary)

  • R. Fine

    (University of Rochester
    Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • A. M. Gago

    (Sección Física, Departamento de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)

  • H. Gallagher

    (Tufts University)

  • S. M. Gilligan

    (Oregon State University)

  • R. Gran

    (University of Minnesota – Duluth)

  • E. Granados

    (Universidad de Guanajuato)

  • D. A. Harris

    (York University
    Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • S. Henry

    (University of Rochester)

  • D. Jena

    (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • S. Jena

    (IISER Mohali)

  • J. Kleykamp

    (University of Rochester
    University of Mississippi)

  • A. Klustová

    (Imperial College London)

  • M. Kordosky

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary)

  • D. Last

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • T. Le

    (Tufts University)

  • A. Lozano

    (Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas)

  • X.-G. Lu

    (University of Warwick
    University of Oxford)

  • E. Maher

    (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts)

  • S. Manly

    (University of Rochester)

  • W. A. Mann

    (Tufts University)

  • C. Mauger

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • K. S. McFarland

    (University of Rochester)

  • B. Messerly

    (University of Pittsburgh
    University of Minnesota)

  • J. Miller

    (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María)

  • O. Moreno

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary
    Universidad de Guanajuato)

  • J. G. Morfín

    (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • D. Naples

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • J. K. Nelson

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary)

  • C. Nguyen

    (University of Florida)

  • V. Paolone

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • G. N. Perdue

    (University of Rochester
    Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)

  • K.-J. Plows

    (University of Oxford)

  • M. A. Ramírez

    (Universidad de Guanajuato
    University of Pennsylvania)

  • R. D. Ransome

    (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)

  • H. Ray

    (University of Florida)

  • D. Ruterbories

    (University of Rochester)

  • H. Schellman

    (Oregon State University)

  • C. J. Solano Salinas

    (Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería)

  • H. Su

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • M. Sultana

    (University of Rochester)

  • V. S. Syrotenko

    (Tufts University)

  • E. Valencia

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary
    Universidad de Guanajuato)

  • N. H. Vaughan

    (Oregon State University)

  • A. V. Waldron

    (Imperial College London
    Queen Mary University of London)

  • M. O. Wascko

    (Imperial College London)

  • C. Wret

    (University of Rochester)

  • B. Yaeggy

    (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
    University of Cincinnati)

  • L. Zazueta

    (Department of Physics, William & Mary)

Abstract

Scattering of high energy particles from nucleons probes their structure, as was done in the experiments that established the non-zero size of the proton using electron beams1. The use of charged leptons as scattering probes enables measuring the distribution of electric charges, which is encoded in the vector form factors of the nucleon2. Scattering weakly interacting neutrinos gives the opportunity to measure both vector and axial vector form factors of the nucleon, providing an additional, complementary probe of their structure. The nucleon transition axial form factor, FA, can be measured from neutrino scattering from free nucleons, νμn → μ−p and $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n , as a function of the negative four-momentum transfer squared (Q2). Up to now, FA(Q2) has been extracted from the bound nucleons in neutrino–deuterium scattering3–9, which requires uncertain nuclear corrections10. Here we report the first high-statistics measurement, to our knowledge, of the $${\bar{\nu }}_{\mu }\,p\to {\mu }^{+}n$$ ν ¯ μ p → μ + n cross-section from the hydrogen atom, using the plastic scintillator target of the MINERvA11 experiment, extracting FA from free proton targets and measuring the nucleon axial charge radius, rA, to be 0.73 ± 0.17 fm. The antineutrino–hydrogen scattering presented here can access the axial form factor without the need for nuclear theory corrections, and enables direct comparisons with the increasingly precise lattice quantum chromodynamics computations12–15. Finally, the tools developed for this analysis and the result presented are substantial advancements in our capabilities to understand the nucleon structure in the weak sector, and also help the current and future neutrino oscillation experiments16–20 to better constrain neutrino interaction models.

Suggested Citation

  • T. Cai & M. L. Moore & A. Olivier & S. Akhter & Z. Ahmad Dar & V. Ansari & M. V. Ascencio & A. Bashyal & A. Bercellie & M. Betancourt & A. Bodek & J. L. Bonilla & A. Bravar & H. Budd & G. Caceres & M., 2023. "Measurement of the axial vector form factor from antineutrino–proton scattering," Nature, Nature, vol. 614(7946), pages 48-53, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:614:y:2023:i:7946:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05478-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05478-3
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