Relativistic models for quasi-elastic neutrino scattering

Abstract

We present quasi-elastic neutrino-nucleus cross sections in the energy range from 150 MeV up to 5 GeV for the target nuclei 12C and 56Fe. A relativistic description of the nuclear dynamics and the neutrino-nucleus coupling is adopted. For the treatment of final-state interactions (FSI) we rely on two frameworks succesfully applied to exclusive electron-nucleus scattering: a relativistic optical potential and a relativistic multiple-scattering Glauber approximation. At lower energies, the optical-potential approach is considered to be the optimum choice, whereas at high energies a Glauber approach is more natural. Comparing the results of both calculations, it is found that the Glauber approach yields valid results down to the remarkably small nucleon kinetic energies of 200 MeV. We argue that the nuclear transparencies extracted from A(e,e'p) measurements can be used to obtain realistic estimates of the effect of FSI mechanisms on quasi-elastic neutrino-nucleus cross sections. We present two independent relativistic plane-wave impulse approximation (RPWIA) calculations of quasi-elastic neutrino-nucleus cross sections. They agree at the percent level, showing the reliability of the numerical techniques adopted and providing benchmark RPWIA results.