Cross Section Measurements with Monoenergetic Muon Neutrinos

TL;DR

This paper discusses using monoenergetic 236 MeV muon neutrinos from kaon decay-at-rest to perform precise cross section measurements, aiding neutrino oscillation experiments and nuclear interaction studies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach for cross section measurements using monoenergetic neutrinos, providing a standard candle for energy reconstruction in neutrino experiments.

Findings

Potential for high-precision cross section measurements

Application as a neutrino interaction probe

Relevance for upcoming neutrino experiments

Abstract

The monoenergetic 236 MeV muon neutrino from charged kaon decay-at-rest ($K^+ \rightarrow \mu^+ \nu_\mu$) can be used to produce a novel set of cross section measurements. Applicable for short- and long-baseline accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiments, among others, such measurements would provide a "standard candle" for the energy reconstruction and interaction kinematics relevant for charged current neutrino events near this energy. This neutrino can also be exercised as a unique known-energy, purely weak interacting probe of the nucleus. A number of experiments are set to come online in the next few years that will be able to collect and characterize thousands of these events.