Neutrino (Antineutrino)-Nucleus Interactions in the Shallow- and Deep-Inelastic Scattering Regions

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current understanding and challenges of neutrino-nucleus interactions transitioning from the shallow-inelastic to deep-inelastic scattering regions, emphasizing the need for further theoretical and experimental research.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of the SIS to DIS transition region in neutrino interactions, highlighting gaps in knowledge and future research directions.

Findings

Limited experimental data in the SIS to DIS transition region.

Theoretical models are well-developed for DIS but less so for the transition region.

Current and future neutrino experiments need improved understanding of these interactions.

Abstract

In $\nu/\bar{\nu}$-N/A interactions SIS is technically defined in terms of the four-momentum transfer to the hadronic system as non-resonant meson production with $Q^2 \lessapprox 1~GeV^2$. This non-resonant meson production intermixes with resonant meson production in a regime of similar effective hadronic mass W of the interaction. As $Q^2$ grows and surpasses this $\approx 1~GeV^2$ limit, non-resonant interactions begin to take place with quarks within the nucleon indicating the start of DIS region. SIS and DIS regions have received varying degrees of attention from the community. While the theoretical / phenomenological study of $\nu$-nucleon and $\nu$-nucleus DIS scattering is advanced, such studies of a large portion of the SIS region, particularly the SIS to DIS transition region, have hardly begun. Experimentally, the SIS and the DIS regions for $\nu$-nucleon scattering have minimal results and only in the experimental study of the $\nu$-nucleus DIS region are there significant results for some nuclei. Since current and future neutrino oscillation experiments have contributions from both higher W SIS and DIS kinematic regions and these regions are in need of both considerable theoretical and experimental study, this review will concentrate on these SIS to DIS transition and DIS kinematic regions surveying our knowledge and the current challenges.