Precise Determination of Neutrino Flux with Hadron Production Measurements

Abstract

A precise prediction of the neutrino flux is a critical input for achieving the physics goals of accelerator-based neutrino experiments. In modern experiments, neutrino beams are created from the decays of secondary hadrons produced in hadron-nucleus interactions. Hadron production is the leading systematic uncertainty source on the neutrino flux prediction; therefore, its precise measurement is essential. In this proceedings, recent results and ongoing analyses of hadron production measurements by the NA61/SHINE experiment, as well as prospect for achievable precision on the flux predictions of T2K and Fermilab-based long-baseline neutrino experiments, will be presented. In addition, the necessity and prospects of further hadron production measurements by NA61/SHINE at CERN and the EMPHATIC experiment at Fermilab for the next generation neutrino experiments will be discussed.