Can neutrino-induced photon production explain the low energy excess in MiniBooNE?

TL;DR

This study investigates whether neutrino-induced photon production can account for MiniBooNE's low energy excess, finding that standard nuclear effects and anomalous couplings do not significantly alter the expected event rates.

Contribution

The paper provides a detailed calculation showing that neutrino-induced photon production, including nuclear effects and anomalous couplings, cannot explain the MiniBooNE low energy excess.

Findings

Computed event numbers align with previous estimates.

Nuclear effects do not significantly change the event rate.

Anomalous couplings' uncertainties are conservatively assessed.

Abstract

This report summarizes our study of Neutral Current (NC)-induced photon production in MiniBooNE, as motivated by the low energy excess in this experiment [A. A. Aquilar-Arevalo et al. (MiniBooNE Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 231801 (2007); 103, 111801 (2009)]. It was proposed that NC photon production with two anomalous photon-$Z$ boson-vector meson couplings might explain the excess. However, our computed event numbers in both neutrino and antineutrino runs are consistent with the previous MiniBooNE estimate that is based on their pion production measurement. Various nuclear effects discussed in our previous works, including nucleon Fermi motion, Pauli blocking, and the $\Delta$ resonance broadening in the nucleus, are taken into account. Uncertainty due to the two anomalous terms and nuclear effects are studied in a conservative way.