Ab initio study of $(\hat{\mathbf{I}}{½}_{\mathbf{\ell }},{\mathbf{\ell }}^{-})$ and $(\overline{\hat{\mathbf{I}}}{½}_{\mathbf{\ell }},{\mathbf{\ell }}^{+})$ inclusive scattering in ${}^{12}$C: confronting the MiniBooNE and T2K CCQE data

Abstract

We carry out an ab initio calculation of the neutrino flux-folded inclusive cross sections, measured on ${}^{12}$C by the MiniBooNE and T2K collaborations in the charged-current quasielastic (CCQE) regime. The calculation is based on realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions, and on a realistic nuclear electroweak current with one-and two-nucleon terms that are constructed consistently with these interactions and reproduce low-energy electroweak transitions. Numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo methods are utilized to compute the nuclear weak response functions, by fully retaining many-body correlations in the initial and final states and interference effects between one- and two-body current contributions. We employ a nucleon axial form factor of the dipole form with $\hat{I}{›}_A=1.0$ or $1.15$ GeV, the latter more in line with a very recent lattice QCD determination. The calculated cross sections are found to be in good agreement with the neutrino data of MiniBooNE and T2K, and antineutrino MiniBooNE data, yielding a consistent picture of nuclei and their electroweak properties across a wide regime of energy and momenta.

13 pages, 7 figures