The results obtained in Mainz in 1982 year were check up. The analysis of data from this work was made at momentum transfer range $q = 0.25 ÷0.75 fm^{-1}$ using the model independent form factor (the expansion of form factor in a power series of $q^2$) and the form factor corresponding to the distribution of charge density in the shell model framework. We found a 3% systematical overestimation in Mainz data.
In connection with a review article on inclusive quasi-elastic electron-nucleus scattering submitted to Reviews of Modern Physics, we have collected as many cross sections as possible, and placed them in an web-archive. This brief note is intended to alert potential users of these data to this resource.
We investigate the sensitivity of the medium effect in the high-density region on the nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering in the framework of the double-folding (DF) model with the complex $G$-matrix interaction. The medium effect including three-body-force (TBF) effect is investigated with two methods. In the both methods, the medium effect is clearly seen on the potential and the elastic cross section. Finally, we make clear the crucial role of the TBF effect up to $k_F =$ 1.6 fm$^{-1}$ in the nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering.
The total reaction cross section $σ_{\rm{reac}}$ is a valuable measure for the prediction of $α$-induced reaction cross sections within the statistical model and for the comparison of scattering of tightly bound projectiles to weakly bound and exotic projectiles. Here we provide the total reaction cross sections $σ_{\rm{reac}}$ derived from our previously published angular distributions of $α$-elastic scattering on $^{89}$Y, $^{92}$Mo, $^{112,124}$Sn, and $^{144}$Sm at energies around the Coulomb barrier.
Available data on the polarization of the secondary proton (as a function of its momentum $K$) in the inelastic ({\it p, p$'$}) reactions with the $^{9}$Be, $^{12}$C, and $^{40}$Ca nuclei and differential cross section data (the momentum distributions) for the reactions at the initial proton energy 1 GeV and scattering angles $Θ$=21$^\circ$ and $Θ$=24.5$^\circ$ were analysed in a range of the high momenta $K$ close to the momentum corresponding to the proton elastic scattering off the investigated nucleus. A structure in the polarization and momentum distribution data at the high momenum $K$, …
Pion-nucleus elastic scattering at energies above the Delta(1232) resonance is studied using both pi+ and pi- beams on 12C, 40Ca, 90Zr, and 208Pb. The present data provide an opportunity to study the interaction of pions with nuclei at energies where second-order corrections to impulse approximation calculations should be small. The results are compared with other data sets at similar energies, and with four different first-order impulse approximation calculations. Significant disagreement exists between the calculations and the data from this experiment.
We investigate the property of the high-density nuclear matter probed by the nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering in the framework of the double-folding (DF) model with the complex $G$-matrix interaction. The medium effect including three-body-force (TBF) effect is investigated with present two methods based on the frozen density approximation (FDA). The medium effect is clearly seen on the potential and the elastic cross section for the $^{16}$O + $^{16}$O system at $E/A =$ 70 MeV. The crucial role of the medium effect is also confirmed with other effective nucleon-nucleon ($NN$) interactions. …
Rates of coherent neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering at a high-intensity stopped-pion neutrino source in various detector materials (relevant for novel low-threshold detectors) are calculated. Sensitivity of a coherent neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering experiment to new physics is also explored.
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS) has the largest predicted cross-section of all low-energy neutrino couplings. However, as a neutral-current interaction, the only experimental signature of CE$ν$NS is a low-energy nuclear recoil, which made its detection challenging. CE$ν$NS remained unobserved for over four decades. This thesis describes the experiment that resulted in a CE$ν$NS observation at a 6.7-sigma confidence level. A low-background, 14.6-kg CsI[Na] scintillator was exposed to the neutrino emissions from the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laborator…
This article presents a review of the field of inclusive quasi-elastic electron-nucleus scattering. It discusses the approach used to measure the data and includes a compilation of data available in numerical form. The theoretical approaches used to interpret the data are presented. A number of results obtained from the comparison between experiment and calculation are then reviewed. The analogies and differences to other fields of physics exploiting quasi-elastic scattering from composite systems are pointed out.
Elastic scattering of alpha-particle and some tightly-bound light nuclei has shown the pattern of rainbow scattering at medium energies, which is due to the refraction of the incident wave by a strongly attractive nucleus-nucleus potential. This review gives an introduction to the physics of the nuclear rainbow based essentially on the optical model description of the elastic scattering. Since the realistic nucleus-nucleus optical potential (OP) is the key to explore this interesting process, an overview of the main methods used to determine the nucleus-nucleus OP is presented. The refractive …
High precision angular distribution data of ($α$,$α$) elastic scattering are presented for the nuclei $^{89}$Y, $^{92}$Mo, $^{106,110,116}$Cd, $^{112,124}$Sn, and $^{144}$Sm at energies around the Coulomb barrier. Such data with small experimental uncertainties over the full angular range (20-170 degrees) are the indispensable prerequisite for the extraction of local optical potentials and for the determination of the total reaction cross section $σ_{\rm{reac}}$. A systematic fitting procedure was applied to the presented experimental scattering data to obtain comprehensive local potential par…
The $γ$ process in supernova explosions is thought to explain the origin of proton-rich isotopes between Se and Hg, the so-called $p$ nuclei. The majority of the reaction rates for $γ$ process reaction network studies has to be predicted in Hauser-Feshbach statistical model calculations using global optical potential parameterizations. While the nucleon+nucleus optical potential is fairly known, for the $α$+nucleus optical potential several different parameterizations exist and large deviations are found between the predictions calculated using different parameter sets. By the measurement of e…
The effects of charge symmetry breaking in nucleon electromagnetic form factors on parity- violating elastic electron-12C scattering is studied, and found to be much smaller than other known effects. The analysis of a planned experiment is discussed.
We calculate differential cross sections for proton-nucleus elastic scattering by using a Glauber theory in the optical limit approximation and nucleon distributions that can be obtained in the framework of macroscopic nuclear models in a way dependent on the equation of state of uniform nuclear matter near the saturation density. We find that the peak angle calculated for unstable neutron-rich nuclei in the small momentum transfer regime increases as the parameter L characterizing the density dependence of the symmetry energy decreases. This is a feature associated with the L dependence of th…
We present recent measurements of neutrino charged current quasi-elastic (CC QE) scattering, nu_mu + p -> mu- + n. Measurements of CC QE on carbon near 1 GeV by MiniBooNE and SciBooNE, as well as measurements on iron at 3 GeV by MINOS, disagree with current interaction models, while measurements at higher energies on carbon by NOMAD show excellent agreement with those same models.
Large-angle elastic scattering of alpha-particle and strongly-bound light nuclei at a few tens MeV/nucleon has shown the pattern of rainbow scattering. This interesting process was shown to involve a significant overlap of the two colliding nuclei, with the total nuclear density well above the saturation density of normal nuclear matter (NM). For a microscopic calculation of the nucleus-nucleus potential within the folding model, we have developed a density dependent nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction based on the G-matrix interaction M3Y. Our folding analysis of the refractive 4He, 12C, and 16O…
Coherent elastic neutrino scattering on the 40Ar nucleus is computed with coupled-cluster theory based on nuclear Hamiltonians inspired by effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics. Our approach is validated by calculating the charge form factor and comparing it to data from electron scattering. We make predictions for the weak form factor, the neutron radius, and the neutron skin, and estimate systematic uncertainties. The neutron-skin thickness of 40Ar40 is consistent with results from density functional theory. Precision measurements from coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scatterin…
The COHERENT collaboration measured coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) for the first time at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, using a CsI[Na] detector. Here we discuss the nature of the CEvNS process, physics motivations, and experimental considerations for measuring CEvNS. We describe the CsI[Na] measurement, along with status and future of COHERENT.
We argue that, in many situations, fits to elastic scattering data that were historically, and frequently still are, considered `good', are not justifiably so describable. Information about the dynamics of nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus scattering is lost when elastic scattering phenomenology is insufficiently ambitious. It is argued that in many situations, an alternative approach is appropriate for the phenomenology of nuclear elastic scattering of nucleons and other light nuclei. The approach affords an appropriate means of evaluating folding models, one that fully exploits available e…
The nuclear rainbow observed in the elastic $α$-nucleus and light heavy-ion scattering is proven to be due to the refraction of the scattering wave by a deep, attractive real optical potential. The nuclear rainbow pattern, established as a broad oscillation of the Airy minima in the elastic cross section, originates from an interference of the refracted far-side scattering amplitudes. It is natural to expect a similar rainbow pattern also in the inelastic scattering of a nucleus-nucleus system that exhibits a pronounced rainbow pattern in the elastic channel. Although some feature of the nucle…
Elastic scattering angular distribution for weakly bound nucleus $^{6}$Li on the deformed rare earth $^{159}$Tb target nucleus has been measured at energies around the Coulomb barrier. The elastic scattering cross sections for this reaction consist of inelastic contributions from low lying excited states of $^{159}$Tb. The pure elastic cross-sections have been extracted from the admixture of elastic and inelastic data. The optical model potential parameters for the system have been obtained from the extracted pure elastic scattering cross sections. Coupled channel calculations have been perfor…
Interpretation of current and future neutrino oscillation and electron scattering experiments requires knowledge of lepton-nucleon and lepton-nucleus interactions at the percent level. We study the exchange of photons between charged particles and the nuclear medium for (anti)neutrino-, electron-, and muon-induced reactions inside a large nucleus. While quantum electrodynamics (QED)-medium contributions are formally suppressed by two powers of the electromagnetic coupling constant $α$ when compared to the leading-order cross sections, low-energy modes and the nuclear size enhance the effect by…
Elastic scattering of antiprotons off $^4$He, $^{12}$C, and $^{16,18}$O is described for the first time with a totally microscopic approach based on the calculation of an optical potential (OP) describing the antiproton-target interaction. The OP is derived using the recent antiproton-nucleon ($\bar{p}N$) chiral interaction to calculate the $\bar{p}N$ $t$ matrix, while the target densities are computed with the ab initio no-core shell model using chiral interactions as well. Our results are in a good agreement with the existing experimental data and the results computed at different chiral ord…
Background: Calculating microscopic effective interactions (optical potentials) for elastic nucleon-nucleus scattering has already in the past led to a large body of work. For first-order calculations a nucleon-nucleon (\textit{NN}) interaction and a one-body density of the nucleus were taken as input to rigorous calculations of microscopic full-folding calculations. Purpose: Based on the spectator expansion of the multiple scattering series we employ a chiral next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) nucleon-nucleon interaction on the same footing in the structure as well as in the reaction calcul…
The sensitivity--or rather insensitivity--of the elastic proton-nucleus reaction to the neutron radius of 208Pb is investigated using a non-relativistic impulse-approximation approach. The energy region (Tlab=500 MeV and Tlab=800 MeV) is selected so that the impulse approximation may be safely assumed. Therefore, only free nucleon-nucleon scattering data are used as input for the optical potential. Further, the optical potential includes proton and neutron ground-state densities that are generated from accurately-calibrated models. Even so, these models yield a wide range of values (from 0.13 …
Neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering provides a unique laboratory to study the quantum mechanical coherency effects in electroweak interactions, towards which several experimental programs are being actively pursued. We report results of our quantitative studies on the transitions towards decoherency. A parameter ($α$) is identified to describe the degree of coherency, and its variations with incoming neutrino energy, detector threshold and target nucleus are studied. The ranges of $α$ which can be probed with realistic neutrino experiments are derived, indicating complementarity between projec…
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS), a process recently measured for the first time at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source, is directly sensitive to the weak form factor of the nucleus. The European Spallation Source (ESS), presently under construction, will generate the most intense pulsed neutrino flux suitable for the detection of CE$ν$NS. In this paper we quantify its potential to determine the root mean square radius of the point-neutron distribution, for a variety of target nuclei and a suite of detectors. To put our results in context we also derive, for the first time, …
The sensitivity to New Physics of a low threshold scintillating argon bubble chamber measuring coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering in reactors is reported. Namely, light scalar mediators, sterile neutrino oscillations, unitarity violation, and non-standard interactions are studied. The results indicate that this detector could be able to set stronger constraints than current limits set by the recent COHERENT measurements. Considering the best scenario, a 100 kg detector located 30 m from a 2000 MW$_{th}$ reactor, a sterile neutrino search would cover most of the space parameter allowe…
Potential applications of neutrino detection to nuclear security have been discussed since the 1970s. Recent years have seen great progress in detector technologies based on inverse beta decay, with the demonstration of ton-scale surface-level detectors capable of high quality neutrino spectrum measurements. At the same time coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering has been experimentally confirmed in 2017 with neutrinos from stopped pion decay and there is a number of experiments aimed at seeing this reaction with reactor neutrinos. The large cross section and threshold-less nature of thi…
Development of large mass detectors for low-energy neutrinos and dark matter may allow supernova detection via neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering. An elastic-scattering detector could observe a few, or more, events per ton for a galactic supernova at 10 kpc ($3.1 \times 10^{20}$ m). This large yield, a factor of at least 20 greater than that for existing light-water detectors, arises because of the very large coherent cross section and the sensitivity to all flavors of neutrinos and antineutrinos. An elastic scattering detector can provide important information on the flux and spectrum of $ν_…
The 96.4 day exposure of a 3 kg ultra-low noise germanium detector to the high flux of antineutrinos from a power nuclear reactor is described. A very strong preference ($p<1.2\times10^{-3}$) for the presence of a coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS) component in the data is found, when compared to a background-only model. No such effect is visible in 25 days of operation during reactor outages. The best-fit CE$ν$NS signal is in good agreement with expectations based on a recent characterization of germanium response to sub-keV nuclear recoils. Deviations of order 60\% from t…
We present the first example of a rigorous uncertainty quantification on elastic Nucleus-Nucleus scattering at energies near the Coulomb barrier. Experimental data has been analyzed using an energy dependent effective optical model potential with physical constraints imposed. We confirm the compatibility of these uncertainties with the well known Coulomb threshold anomaly, explained in terms of a dispersive relation, and contrast our results with previous analyses that suggest otherwise.
The nuGeN experiment is aimed to investigate neutrino properties using antineutrinos from the reactor of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant. The experimental setup is located at about 11 meters from the center of the 3.1 GWth reactor core. Scattering of the antineutrinos from the reactor is detected with low energy threshold high purity germanium detector. Passive and active shieldings are used to suppress all kinds of backgrounds coming from surrounding materials and cosmic radiation. The description of the experimental setup together with the first results is presented. The data taken in regime…
We report the best limit on coherent elastic scattering of electron antineutrinos emitted from a nuclear reactor off germanium nuclei. The measurement was performed with the CONUS detectors positioned at 17.1m from the 3.9GWth reactor core of the nuclear power plant in Brokdorf, Germany. The antineutrino energies of less than 10 MeV assure interactions in the fully coherent regime. The analyzed dataset includes 248.7 kgd with the reactor turned on and background data of 58.8 kgd with the reactor off. With a quenching parameter of k = 0.18 for germanium, we determined an upper limit on the numb…
We study the sensitivity of detectors with directional sensitivity to coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS), and how these detectors complement measurements of the nuclear recoil energy. We consider stopped pion and reactor neutrino sources, and use gaseous helium and fluorine as examples of detector material. We generate Standard Model predictions, and compare to scenarios that include new, light vector or scalar mediators. We show that directional detectors can provide valuable additional information in discerning new physics, and we identify prominent spectral features in b…
We use a phenomenological nucleus-nucleus optical potential constructed in the light of a potential developed by Ginocchio to study the elastic angular distributions of different nuclear systems near Coulomb barrier. The differential cross section ratios of elastic to Rutherford are studied for systems $^{14}$N+$^{56}$Fe and $^{14}$N+$^{90}$Zr for several colliding energies. Our theoretical predictions are well competitive with the experimental data, and the significantly small imaginary part of the potential explains the elastic scattering cross section and threshold anomaly in both systems.
The European Spallation Source (ESS), presently well on its way to completion, will soon provide the most intense neutron beams for multi-disciplinary science. Fortuitously, it will also generate the largest pulsed neutrino flux suitable for the detection of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CE$ν$NS), a process recently measured for the first time at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source. We describe innovative detector technologies maximally able to profit from the order-of-magnitude increase in neutrino flux provided by the ESS, along with their sensitivity to a rich particle physics …
Vector analyzing power for the proton-6He elastic scattering at 71 MeV/nucleon has been measured for the first time, with a newly developed polarized proton solid target working at low magnetic field of 0.09 T. The results are found to be incompatible with a t-matrix folding model prediction. Comparisons of the data with g-matrix folding analyses clearly show that the vector analyzing power is sensitive to the nuclear structure model used in the reaction analysis. The alpha-core distribution in 6He is suggested to be a possible key to understand the nuclear structure sensitivity.
We discuss two recent topics on heavy-ion quasi-elastic scattering at energies around the Coulomb barrier. The first topic is an application of quasi-elastic scattering at deep-subbarrier energies to extracting the surface diffuseness parameter of the nucleus-nucleus potential. The second topic is a coupled-channels analysis for the quasi-elastic barrier distribution for the $^{70}$Zn + $^{208}$Pb reaction. We show that the coupled-channels calculations which include the multi-phonon excitations in the colliding nuclei reproduce reasonably well the experimental excitation function for quasi-el…
Neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering ($ν{\rm A}_{el}$) provides a unique laboratory to study the quantum-mechanical (QM) coherency effects in electroweak interactions. The deviations of the cross-sections from those of completely coherent systems can be quantitatively characterized through a coherency parameter $α( q^2 )$. The relations between $α$ and the underlying nuclear physics in terms of nuclear form factors are derived. The dependence of cross-section on $α( q^2 )$ for the various neutrino sources is presented. The $α( q^2 )$-values are evaluated from the measured data of the COHERENT C…
Nuclear surface provides useful information on nuclear radius, nuclear structure as well as properties of nuclear matter. We discuss the relationship between the nuclear surface diffuseness and elastic scattering differential cross section at the first diffraction peak of high-energy nucleon-nucleus scattering as an efficient tool in order to extract the nuclear surface information from limited experimental data involving short-lived unstable nuclei. The high-energy reaction is described by a reliable microscopic reaction theory, the Glauber model. Extending the idea of the black sphere model,…
Background: Effective interactions for nucleon-nucleus ($NA$) elastic scattering from first principles require the use of the same nucleon-nucleon ($NN$) interaction in the structure and reaction calculations, and a consistent treatment of the relevant operators at each order. Purpose: Truncation uncertainties of chiral $NN$ forces have been studied for scattering observables in few-body systems and for bound state properties of light nuclei. We extend this to $NA$ elastic scattering. Methods: With the spectator expansion of multiple scattering theory and the no-core shell model, we use a chir…
Quasi-elastic scattering measurements have been performed using $^{16}$O and $^{24}$Mg projectiles off $^{90}$Zr at energies around the Coulomb barrier. Experimental data have been analyzed in the framework of coupled channels (CC) calculations using the code CCFULL. The quasi-elastic scattering excitation function and derived barrier distribution for $^{16}$O + $^{90}$Zr reaction are well reproduced by the CC calculations using the vibrational coupling strengths for $^{90}$Zr reported in the literature. Using these vibrational coupling strengths, a Bayesian analysis is carried out for $^{24}$…
A new measurement of the quenching factor for low-energy nuclear recoils in CsI[Na] is presented. Past measurements are revisited, identifying and correcting several systematic effects. The resulting global data are well-described by a physics-based model for the generation of scintillation by ions in this material, in agreement with phenomenological considerations. The uncertainty in the new model is reduced by a factor of four with respect to an energy-independent quenching factor initially adopted as a compromise by the COHERENT collaboration. A significantly improved agreement with Standar…
We discuss various aspects of a neutrino physics program that can be carried out with the neutrino Beam-Dump eXperiment DRIFT ($ν$BDX-DRIFT) detector using neutrino beams produced in next generation neutrino facilities. $ν$BDX-DRIFT is a directional low-pressure TPC detector suitable for measurements of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS) using a variety of gaseous target materials which include carbon disulfide, carbon tetrafluoride and tetraethyllead, among others. The neutrino physics program includes standard model (SM) measurements and beyond the standard model (BSM) ph…
The deployment of a low-noise 3 kg p-type point contact germanium detector at the Dresden-II power reactor, 8 meters from its 2.96 GW$_{th}$ core, is described. This location provides an unprecedented (anti)neutrino flux of 8.1$\times 10^{13} ~\bar{ν_{e}}/$cm$^{2}$s. When combined with the 0.2 keV$_{ee}$ detector threshold achieved, a first measurement of CE$ν$NS from a reactor source appears to be within reach. We report on the characterization and abatement of backgrounds during initial runs, deriving improved limits on extensions of the Standard Model involving a light vector mediator, from…
The cross section for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS) depends on the response of the target nucleus to the external current, in the Standard Model (SM) mediated by the exchange of a $Z$ boson. This is typically subsumed into an object called the weak form factor of the nucleus. Here, we provide results for this form factor calculated using the large-scale nuclear shell model for a wide range of nuclei of relevance for current CE$ν$NS experiments, including cesium, iodine, argon, fluorine, sodium, germanium, and xenon. In addition, we provide the responses needed to captu…
We study the beam-normal single-spin asymmetry (BNSSA) in high-energy elastic electron scattering from several spin-0 nuclei. Existing theoretical approaches work in the plane-wave formalism and predict the BNSSA to scale as $\sim A/Z$ with the atomic number $Z$ and nuclear mass number $A$. While this prediction holds for light and intermediate nuclei, a striking disagreement in both the sign and the magnitude of BNSSA was observed by the PREX collaboration for $^{208}$Pb, coined the "PREX puzzle". To shed light on this disagreement, we go beyond the plane-wave approach which neglects Coulomb …
The physics reach of a low threshold (100 eV) scintillating argon bubble chamber sensitive to Coherent Elastic neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CE$ν$NS) from reactor neutrinos is studied. The sensitivity to the weak mixing angle, neutrino magnetic moment, and a light $Z'$ gauge boson mediator are analyzed. A Monte Carlo simulation of the backgrounds is performed to assess their contribution to the signal. The analysis shows that world-leading sensitivities are achieved with a one-year exposure for a 10 kg chamber at 3 m from a 1 MW$_{th}$ research reactor or a 100 kg chamber at 30 m from a 2000 MW…
The study of neutrino-nucleus interactions has recently seen rapid development with a new generation of accelerator-based neutrino experiments employing medium and heavy nuclear targets for the study of neutrino oscillations. A few unexpected results in the study of quasi-elastic scattering and single photon production have spurred a revisiting of the underlying nuclear physics and connections to electron-nucleus scattering. A thorough understanding and resolution of these issues is essential for future progress in the study of neutrino oscillations. A recent workshop hosted by the Institute o…
We calculate coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross sections on spin-0 nuclei (e.g. $^{40}$Ar and $^{28}$Si) at energies below 100 MeV within the Standard Model and account for all effects of permille size. We provide a complete error budget including uncertainties at nuclear, nucleon, hadronic, and quark levels separately as well as perturbative error. Our calculation starts from the four-fermion effective field theory to explicitly separate heavy-particle mediated corrections (which are absorbed by Wilson coefficients) from light-particle contributions. Electrons and muons runnin…
