Measurement of $\pi^0$ Production in $\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$ Charged-Current Interactions in the NOvA Near Detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a precise measurement of muon antineutrino-induced neutral pion production in NOvA, comparing results with models and highlighting discrepancies in the Δ(1232) resonance region.

Contribution

First high-statistics measurement of antineutrino-induced neutral pion production on hydrocarbon at 2 GeV, providing data to test and refine neutrino interaction models.

Findings

Results agree with GENIE predictions.

Other models underestimate cross sections in the Δ(1232) region.

Most precise measurement of this process to date.

Abstract

We present a high-statistics measurement of muon antineutrino-induced charged-current neutral pion production on a hydrocarbon target using the NOvA Near Detector. The differential cross sections as functions of the momenta and angles of the outgoing pion and muon, the squared four-momentum transfer, and the invariant mass of the hadronic system at an average neutrino energy of 2~GeV are measured and compared with predictions from various neutrino interaction models. The results agree with the GENIE prediction but suggest that other models underestimate the cross section in the $\Delta$(1232) resonance region. These results represent the most precise measurement of antineutrino-induced neutral pion production to date.