Electron Scattering and Neutrino Scattering from Light Nuclei

最近发现的中微子振荡——即中微子从一种类型转变为另一种类型——证实了中微子具有质量。这一显著的结果引发了许多关于中微子及其相互作用的新问题。下一代中微子实验试图更详细地了解中微子，而对中微子核反应的精确理解对于计划和解释这些实验是必要的。这些反应与PI过去成功研究过的电子-原子核反应非常相似。在这个项目中，PI将把开发的电子-核散射方法应用于中微子实验。除了它们在回答有关中微子本身的问题方面的作用外，中微子核反应反应有可能揭示更多关于轻核的信息，特别是关于它们的组成部分，质子和中子的奇怪内容。PI将改进电子和中微子散射的计算，以确定最有希望的未来实验。该项目将为在美国进行的中微子和电子散射实验提供理论支持。PI将继续在俄亥俄州西北部的农村地区开展外展活动，并让感兴趣的本科生参与这项研究项目。电子从轻核散射提供了对核基态结构的见解。PI和她的合作者已经开发了电子-氘核散射的高精度描述。电子散射反应机制的所有要素都是描述同一原子核上的中微子散射反应所必需的。有许多令人兴奋的中微子散射实验正在进行或将在不久的将来进行。为了正确地解释中微子数据，对核物理的精确理解是必要的。实验组所使用的事件发生器的理论现状是相当基础的。PI将利用电子散射反应机理的知识来计算中微子散射。她将研究来自氘核的中性电流中微子散射。微分截面取决于核子的奇异度含量。利用氘核目标可以获取中子中包含的信息。PI将研究对描述核子奇异度含量的三个相关参数的敏感性，并将讨论如何在这些值上设置理论误差条。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The recent discovery of neutrino oscillations -- the change of neutrinos from one type to another -- has established that neutrinos have mass. This remarkable result has led to a lot of new questions about neutrinos and their interactions. The next-generation neutrino experiments seek to understand neutrinos in greater detail and a precise understanding of neutrino-nucleus reactions is necessary to plan and interpret these experiments. These reactions are very similar to electron-nucleus reactions that the PI has investigated successfully in the past. In this project, the PI will apply the approach developed for electron-nucleus scattering to the neutrino experiments. Beside their role in answering questions about the neutrinos themselves, neutrino-nucleus reactions reactions have the potential to reveal more information about light nuclei, in particular about the strangeness content of their building blocks, protons and neutrons. The PI will refine the calculation of electron and neutrino scattering in order to identify the most promising future experiments. This project will provide theoretical support to both neutrino and electron scattering experiments performed in the US. The PI will continue to do outreach in rural northwestern Ohio and involve interested undergraduate students in this research project.Electron scattering from light nuclei provides insights on the structure of the nuclear ground state. The PI and her collaborators have developed a high precision description of electron-deuteron scattering. All elements of the electron scattering reaction mechanism are necessary to describe neutrino scattering reactions on the same nuclei. There are many exciting neutrino scattering experiments that are running now or will run in the near future. In order to correctly interpret the neutrino data, a precise understanding of the nuclear physics involved is necessary. The current state of theory in the event generators used by experimental groups is fairly basic. The PI will adapt the knowledge of the electron scattering reaction mechanism to calculate the neutrino scattering. She will investigate neutral current neutrino scattering from the deuteron. The differential cross section depends on the strangeness content of the nucleons. Using a deuteron target allows one to access the information contained in the neutron. The PI will investigate the sensitivity to the three relevant parameters describing the strangeness content of the nucleon, and will discuss ways to put a theoretical error bar on these values.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.