Speaker
Description
For better understanding of neutrino properties, we require precision measurements of the oscillation parameters. Presently the systematic uncertainties in these parameters are large, to which 20-25\% arises due to the lack in the understanding of $\nu/\bar \nu$-N and $\nu/\bar \nu$-A cross sections. Future high precision measurements require the systematic uncertainties to be reduced to 2-3\% level. Theoretical as well experimental works are being performed worldwide. In the few GeV energy region, MINER$\nu$A is the best experimental effort in this direction. MINER$\nu$A uses fine-grained tracking detector commissioned for recording (anti)neutrino interactions produced by the NuMI beamline at the Fermilab. MINER$\nu$A is dedicated to extract $\nu/\bar \nu$-A cross sections on a variety of nuclear targets ($C$, $H_2O,~He,~Fe,~Pb$ and $CH$) and study nuclear medium effects by obtaining the cross section ratios. MINER$\nu$A ran in two modes, low energy ($\langle E_\nu\rangle \sim 3.5GeV$) and medium energy ($\langle E_\nu\rangle \sim 6GeV$).
In this symposium we shall present the preliminary results for charged current antineutrino deep inelastic scattering (DIS) [$\bar \nu_\mu + N(bound~inside~nuclear~target) \to \mu^+ + X(jet~of~hadrons)$] cross sections in the medium energy mode of MINER$\nu$A. The events observed are restricted to the region of 2$\leq E_{\bar \nu_\mu}\leq $50 GeV, 2 $\leq E_{\mu} \leq$ 50GeV and muon scattering angle $\theta_\mu<17^o$ with respect to the beam. Moreover, this DIS analysis employs cuts on the center of mass energy of hadronic system $W>2GeV$ and four momentum transfer squared $Q^2>1~GeV^2$. We shall discuss various techniques used in the cross section extraction at MINER$\nu$A for passive as well as active targets. The results of $\frac{\sigma^A}{E_{\bar \nu}}$ vs $E_{\bar \nu_\mu}$ and $\frac{d \sigma^A}{dx_{Bj}}$ vs $x_{Bj}$ (fraction of the momentum carried by the struct parton) for $A = Fe,~Pb,~C,~CH$ shall be presented. The ultimate aim of this study is to extract the cross section ratio of $C$, $Fe$ and $Pb$ to $CH$. This will be the first direct measurement of nuclear effects in DIS with antineutrinos.
| Session | Neutrino Physics |
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