Work

Role of Final-State Interaction Modeling in Neutrino-Energy Reconstruction and Oscillation Measurements

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: 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 Δm_{32}^{2} or δ_{CP}, producing a potential degeneracy. Our analysis thereby underscores the urgent need for an improved characterization of FSI to enable robust constraints from near detectors through the development of theory-driven uncertainty parameterizations benchmarked with dedicated new measurements.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/5ckv-2hpk

Authors: Y. Liu, L. Munteanu, S. Dolan

Institutions: University of Chicago, European Organization for Nuclear Research

Language: English

Topic: Neutrino Physics Research

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,750

Funder: National Science Foundation