Charged-current quasielastic neutrino scattering cross sections on 12 C with realistic spectral and scaling functions

Abstract

Charge-current quasielastic (anti)neutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target are analyzed using a spectral function S(p,E) that gives a scaling function in accordance with the (e,e′) scattering data. The spectral function accounts for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, it has a realistic energy dependence, and natural orbitals (NOs) from the Jastrow correlation method are used in its construction. In all calculations the standard value of the axial mass MA=1.032 GeV/c2 is used. The results are compared with those when NN correlations are not included, as in the relativistic Fermi gas model, or when harmonic-oscillator single-particle wave functions are used instead of NOs. The role of the final-state interactions (FSIs) on the theoretical spectral and scaling functions, as well as on the cross sections, is accounted for. A comparison of the results for the cases with and without FSI, as well as to results from the phenomenological scaling function obtained from the superscaling analysis, is carried out. Our calculations based on the impulse approximation underpredict the MiniBooNE data but agree with the data from the NOMAD experiment. The possible missing ingredients in the considered theoretical models are discussed.