Uncertainties on the $(-)nu_e/(-)nu_mu$ and $nu_e/nu_e$ cross-section ratio from the modeling of nuclear effects at 0.2 to 1.2 GeV neutrino energies and their impact on neutrino oscillation experiments

Dieminger, T. and Dolan, S. and Sgalaberna, D. and Nikolakopoulos, A. and Dealtry, T. and Bolognesi, S. and Pickering, L. and Rubbia, A. (2023) Uncertainties on the $(-)nu_e/(-)nu_mu$ and $nu_e/nu_e$ cross-section ratio from the modeling of nuclear effects at 0.2 to 1.2 GeV neutrino energies and their impact on neutrino oscillation experiments. Physical Review D, 108: L031301. ISSN 1550-7998

Abstract

The potential for mismodeling of νμ/νe, ¯νμ/¯νe, and νe/¯νe cross-section ratios due to nuclear effects is quantified by considering model spread within the full kinematic phase space for charged-current quasielastic interactions. Its impact is then propagated to simulated experimental configurations based on the Hyper-K and ESSνSB experiments. Although significant discrepancies between theoretical models is confirmed, it is found that these largely lie in regions of phase space that contribute only a very small portion of the flux-integrated cross sections. Overall, a systematic uncertainty on the oscillated flux-averaged νe/¯νe cross-section ratio is found to be ∼2 and ∼4% for Hyper-K and ESSνSB, respectively.