Electroweak single-pion production off the nucleon: from threshold to high invariant masses

TL;DR

This paper develops a hybrid model for electroweak single-pion production off nucleons, applicable across a wide energy range, combining low-energy chiral perturbation theory with high-energy Regge theory to improve predictions for neutrino-oscillation experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid model that seamlessly integrates low-energy and high-energy descriptions of single-pion production, extending the validity to higher invariant masses.

Findings

Model agrees with electron and neutrino scattering data

Provides accurate cross-section predictions from threshold to high W

Outperforms previous models at high energies

Abstract

[Background] Neutrino-induced single-pion production (SPP) provides an important contribution to neutrino-nucleus interactions, ranging from intermediate to high energies. There exists a good number of low-energy models in the literature to describe the neutrinoproduction of pions in the region around the Delta resonance. Those models consider only lowest-order interaction terms and, therefore, fail in the high-energy region (pion-nucleon invariant masses, $W$>2 GeV). [Purpose] Our goal is to develop a model for electroweak SPP off the nucleon, which is applicable to the entire energy range of interest for present and future neutrino-oscillation experiments. [Method] We start with the low-energy model of [Phys.Rev.D76,033005(2007)], which includes resonant contributions and background terms derived from the pion-nucleon Lagrangian of chiral-perturbation theory. Then, from the background contributions, we build a high-energy model using a Regge approach. The low- and high-energy models are combined, in a phenomenological way, into a hybrid model. [Results] The Hybrid model is identical to the low-energy model in the low-W region, but, for W>2 GeV, it implements the desired high-energy behavior dictated by Regge theory. We have tested the high-energy model by comparing with one-pion production data from electron and neutrino reactions. The Hybrid model is compared with electron-proton scattering data, with neutrino SPP data and with the predictions of the NuWro Monte Carlo event generator. [Conclusions] Our model is able to provide satisfactory predictions of the electroweak one-pion production cross section from pion threshold to high $W$. Further investigation and more data are needed to better understand the mechanisms playing a role in the electroweak SPP process in the high-W region, in particular, those involving the axial current contributions.