Elastic Neutrino-electron Scattering at the One-loop Level in the Standard Model

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive one-loop level calculation of elastic neutrino-electron scattering in the Standard Model, compares it with historical results, and applies it to predict event rates for upcoming reactor neutrino experiments, emphasizing the importance of radiative corrections.

Contribution

The paper presents the first complete one-loop differential cross section calculation in the SM using current parameters and applies it to reactor neutrino experiments, highlighting the significance of radiative corrections.

Findings

Excellent agreement with historical calculations when using the same parameters.

Updated cross section calculations for current neutrino experiments.

Demonstrates the necessity of including radiative corrections in precision neutrino measurements.

Abstract

In this paper, we perform a complete calculation of the differential cross section for elastic neutrino-electron scattering at the one-loop level in the Standard Model (SM), by using up-to-date values of relevant input parameters in the on-shell renormalization scheme. A careful comparison with the calculation done by Sarantakos, Sirlin and Marciano more than forty years ago in the same scheme is carried out, and an excellent agreement is found if the same values of input parameters are taken. Then we apply our results to compute the event rates for the detection of reactor antineutrinos in both JUNO and TAO experiments, which are now under construction and will soon be in operation. It should be emphasized that one-loop radiative corrections in the SM must be taken into account in the first place when searching for possible new-physics effects in the coming era of precision neutrino physics.