Proton transparency and neutrino physics: New methods and modeling
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Extracting accurate results from neutrino oscillation and cross section experiments requires accurate simulation of the neutrino-nucleus interaction. The rescattering of outgoing hadrons (final state interactions) by the rest of the nucleus is an important component of these interactions. We present a new measurement of proton transparency (defined as the fraction of outgoing protons that emerge without significant rescattering) using electron-nucleus scattering data recorded by the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory on helium, carbon, and iron targets. This analysis uses a new data-driven method to extract the transparency. It defines transparency as the ratio of electron-scattering events with a detected proton to quasi-elastic electron-scattering events where a proton should have been knocked out. Our results are consistent with previous measurements that determined the transparency from the ratio of measured events to theoretically predicted events. We find that the GENIE event generator, which is widely used by oscillation experiments to simulate neutrino-nucleus interactions, needs to better describe both the nuclear ground state and proton rescattering in order to reproduce our measured transparency ratios, especially at lower proton momenta.
DOI: 10.1103/7xct-5jcp
Authors: S. Dytman, M. Betancourt, N. Steinberg, L. B. Weinstein, A. Ashkenazi, J. Tena-Vidal, A. Papadopoulou, G. Chambers-Wall, J. Smith, P. Achenbach, J. S. Alvarado, M. J. Amaryan, H. Atac, L. Baashen, N. A. Baltzell, L. Barion, M. Bashkanov, M. Battaglieri, F. Benmokhtar, A. Bianconi, A. S. Biselli, M. Bondi, F. Bossù, S. Boiarinov, K.-Th. Brinkmann, W. J. Briscoe, W. K. Brooks, S. Bueltmann, V. D. Burkert, T. Cao, R. Capobianco, D. S. Carman, J. C. Carvajal, P. Chatagnon, V. Chesnokov, H. Chinchay, G. Ciullo, P. L. Cole, M. Contalbrigo, A. D’Angelo, N. Dashyan, R. De Vita, M. Defurne, A. Deur, S. Diehl, C. Djalali, R. Dupre, H. Egiyan, A. El Alaoui, L. El Fassi, L. Elouadrhiri, M. Farooq, S. Fegan, I. P. Fernando, A. Filippi, G. Gavalian, G. P. Gilfoyle, R. W. Gothe, L. Guo, K. Hafidi, H. Hakobyan, M. Hattawy, F. Hauenstein, T. B. Hayward, D. Heddle, A. Hobart, M. Holtrop, Yu-Chun Hung, Y. Ilieva, D. G. Ireland, E. L. Isupov, H. Jiang, H. S. Jo, S. Joosten, M. Khandaker, A. Kim, W. Kim, F. J. Klein, V. Klimenko, A. Kripko, V. Kubarovsky, S. E. Kuhn, L. Lanza, P. Lenisa, D. Marchand, V. Mascagna, D. Matamoros, B. McKinnon, T. Mineeva, M. Mirazita, V. Mokeev, C. Munoz Camacho, P. Nadel-Turonski, T. Nagorna, K. Neupane, D. Nguyen, S. Niccolai, M. Osipenko, L. L. Pappalardo, R. Paremuzyan, E. Pasyuk, S. J. Paul, W. Phelps, N. Pilleux, S. Polcher Rafael, J. W. Price, Y. Prok, T. Reed, J. Richards, M. Ripani, J. Ritman, A. A. Rusova, S. Schadmand, A. Schmidt, R. A. Schumacher, M. B. C. Scott, Y. G. Sharabian, E. V. Shirokov, S. Shrestha, N. Sparveris, M. Spreafico, S. Stepanyan, I. Strakovsky, S. Strauch, J. A. Tan, M. Tenorio, N. Trotta, R. Tyson, M. Ungaro, D. W. Upton, S. Vallarino, L. Venturelli, T. Vittorini, H. Voskanyan, E. Voutier, Y. Wang, D. P. Watts, U. Weerasinghe, X. Wei, M. H. Wood, L. Xu, N. Zachariou
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Old Dominion University, Tel Aviv University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie, Temple University, King Saud University, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, University of York, Duquesne University, University of Brescia, Fairfield University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay, CEA Paris-Saclay, Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, George Washington University, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, University of Connecticut, Florida International University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, University of New Hampshire, University of Ferrara, Lamar University, University of Rome Tor Vergata, A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Ohio University, William & Mary, Mississippi State University, Christopher Newport University, University of Virginia, University of Richmond, Argonne National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Glasgow, Kyungpook National University, Norfolk State University, University of La Serena, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Arizona State University, University of California, Riverside, California State University System, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Carnegie Mellon University, Canisius College
Language: English
Topic: Neutrino Physics Research
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, FACE Foundation, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Sezione di Padova, National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Research Foundation of Korea, Israel Science Foundation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Office of Science, Science and Technology Facilities Council, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Argonne National Laboratory, H2020 European Research Council, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4414897023