Two different nuclear-medium effects are isolated using a low three-momentum transfer subsample of neutrino-carbon scattering data from the MINERvA neutrino experiment. The observed hadronic energy in charged-current $\nu_\mu$ interactions is combined with muon kinematics to permit separation of the quasielastic and $\Delta$(1232) resonance processes. First, we observe a small cross section at very low energy transfer that matches the expected screening effect of long-range nucleon correlations. Second, additions to the event rate in the kinematic region between the quasielastic and $\Delta$ resonance processes are needed to describe the data. The data in this kinematic region also has an enhanced population of multi-proton final states. Contributions predicted for scattering from a nucleon pair have both properties; the model tested in this analysis is a significant improvement but does not fully describe the data. We present the results as a double-differential cross section to enable further investigation of nuclear models. Improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments.
We present data on inclusive negative-hadron production from charged-current antineutrino interactions in a 21% Ne-H mixture. Inclusive single-particle distributions are presented and are shown to be insensitive to the momentum transferred to the hadron vertex. Comparisons made to inclusive data from π−p and π−n interactions indicate a close similarity between the hadrons resulting from π-nucleon and ν¯-nucleus interactions. The general features of the ν¯-nucleus data are found to be similar to those seen in ν¯p interactions. This last observation implies that ν¯p and ν¯n interactions are similar and that nuclear effects are small.
We have studied transverse momenta of charged hadrons in the current fragmentation region of charged current antineutrino- nucleon interactions observed in the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber. The measured momentum squared transverse to the v μ + plane (p out 2 ) of the negative hadrons varies as a function of Q 2 , W 2 and x as expected from t he leading order perturbative QCD calculations. Positively charged hadrons show a different transverse momentum behaviour as a function of Q 2 .
We have used the ratio between the production rates of $K^0$'s and $π^−$'s in antineutrino-nucleon interactions in the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber to measure the size of the SU (3) symmetry violation in the production of quark-antiquark pairs to be 0.27 ± 0.04. This value is significantly larger than the value obtained from a recent ep experiment. There is no apparent dependence of the $K^0$/$π^−$ ratio with $W^2 , Q ^2 , x_b$ or $p_T^2$ .
The results of a study of strange particle production in charged current $\bar{\nu}_{\mu} N$ interactions in the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber filled with a heavy $Ne-H_2$ mixture are presented. Production rates and average multiplicities of $K^0$'s and Λ's as functions of W 2 and Q 2 are given. The experimental data agree well with the quark-parton model predictions if a yield of 0.06 ± 0.02 of $K^0$'s and Λ's from charm production is included. Upper limits for D-meson production are given and the shape of the charmed quark fragmentation function is discussed. Inclusive production of the K ∗ (890) and Σ(1385) resonances is measured and it is shown that only about 5% of the K 0 mesons and Λ hyperons results from resonance decays. Relative production rates of neutral strange particles on proton and neutron targets are studied.
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We present results on inclusive particle production in the antineutrino charged current induced hadron jets observed in the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber. Fractional energy distributions, particle ratios and average multiplicities of the hadrons in the jets are measured. Ratios between the inclusive production rates of different mesons in the jets are studied to seek evidence for the d-quark origin of the observed hadrons. Good over-all agreement with the hypothesis of d-quark fragmentation with universal fragmentation functions obeying isospin systematics is established.
We present results on the experimental study of inelastic charged-current antineutrino-nucleon scattering in the energy range of 10–200 GeV. The data sample, consisting of about 6500 antineutrino-induced events, was obtained in the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber filled with a heavy neon-hydrogen mixture. The differential cross sections for ν μ N interactions are presented in terms of scaling variables x and y . The structure functions F 2 ν and xF 3 ν have been evaluated as functions of x and E ν . A deviation from the scaling hypothesis, similar to those found in other experiments on inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering, has been observed. The data are interpreted in the framework of the quark-parton model. Quark and antiquark distributions and their energy dependences are presented.
The first observation of μ + e + events produced in antineutrino interactions using the Fermilab 15 ft bubble chamber is reported. The relative yield of μ + e + events is (4.8 −3.2 +5.3 ) × 10 −4 of all charged-current events with antineutrino energy greater than 10 GeV. The observed V 0 rate is 1.0 −1.0 +1.2 per μ + e + event. Possible sources of these events are discussed.
Single neutral pion production via muon antineutrino charged-current interactions in plastic scintillator (CH) is studied using the \minerva detector exposed to the NuMI low-energy, wideband antineutrino beam at Fermilab. Measurement of this process constrains models of neutral pion production in nuclei, which is important because the neutral-current analog is a background for $\bar{\nu}_e$ appearance oscillation experiments. The differential cross sections for $\pi^0$ momentum and production angle, for events with a single observed $\pi^0$ and no charged pions, are presented and compared to model predictions. These results comprise the first measurement of the $\pi^0$ kinematics for this process.