The \gamma-ray production in neutral-current neutrino oxygen interaction in the energy range above 100 MeV

TL;DR

This paper calculates the gamma-ray production cross section from neutral-current neutrino-oxygen interactions above 100 MeV, highlighting the dominant role of residual nucleus deexcitation and providing insights for neutrino detection.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed calculation of gamma-ray production cross sections from neutral-current neutrino-oxygen interactions above 100 MeV, emphasizing the importance of specific nuclear states.

Findings

Gamma-ray production cross section exceeds inelastic scattering above 200 MeV.

Deexcitation of the 1p_{3/2} state dominates gamma-ray emission.

Branching ratio for gamma-ray emission >6 MeV is approximately 41%.

Abstract

We calculate the cross section of the gamma-ray production from neutral-current neutrino-oxygen quasi-elastic interaction, $\nu+\^{16}O \rightarrow \nu +p+^{15}N*$, or $\nu+^{16}O \rightarrow \nu+n+^{15}O*$, in which the residual nuclei (15N* or 15O*) lead to the gamma-ray emission with gamma-ray energy >6 MeV at the branching ratio of 41%. Above 200 MeV, this cross section dominates over that of gamma-ray production from the inelastic reaction, $\nu+^{16}O->\nu+^{16}O*$. In the present calculation, spectral function and the spectroscopic factors of $1p_{1/2}, 1p_{3/2} and 1s_{1/2}$ states are essential. The gamma-ray production is dominated by the deexcitation of $1p_{3/2}$ state of the residual nucleus.