Precision Measurements with High Energy Neutrino Beams

TL;DR

This review surveys high-energy neutrino deep inelastic scattering as a precision probe of the Standard Model, focusing on three pillars: nucleon structure and QCD evolution via structure functions $F_2$ and $xF_3$, neutrino charm production constraining the strange sea and CKM elements, and electroweak physics tested through neutrino cross sections and radiative corrections. It details the experimental landscape (CCFR, CDHSW, CHARM, CHARM II, BEBC), flux normalization techniques, and the extraction of $\alpha_s$, PDFs, and sum rules such as GLS and Adler, with CCFR providing the most precise neutrino-based QCD tests to date. Key results include $\alpha_s(M_Z^2) = 0.119 \pm 0.002\,(exp) \pm 0.004\,(scale)$, the GLS sum rule integral $\int xF_3 dx/x = 2.64 \pm 0.06$, and a strange-quark content $\kappa \approx 0.477$ with $m_c \approx 1.70$ GeV (NLO). Neutrino charm measurements yield $|V_{cd}| \approx 0.22$ and $|V_{cs}|$ lower bound $>0.69$ (90% CL), while electroweak analyses via Paschos-Wolfenstein and LS relations constrain $\sin^2\theta_W$ and related couplings, offering complementary tests to collider results. Collectively, these studies validate SM predictions at fixed-target energies, constrain new physics scenarios, and motivate upcoming facilities like NuTeV to sharpen precision in the neutrino sector.

Abstract

Neutrino scattering measurements offer a unique tool to probe the electroweak and strong interactions as described by the Standard Model (SM). Electroweak measurements are accessible through the comparison of neutrino neutral- and charged-current scattering. These measurements are complimentary to other electroweak measurements due to differences in the radiative corrections both within and outside the SM. Neutrino scattering measurements also provide a precise method for measuring the F_2(x,Q^2) and xF_3(x,Q^2 structure functions. The predicted Q^2 evolution can be used to test perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics as well as to measure the strong coupling constant, alpha _s, and the valence, sea, and gluon parton distributions. In addition, neutrino charm production, which can be determined from the observed dimuon events, allows the strange-quark sea to be investigated along with measurements of the CKM matrix element |V_{cd}| and the charm quark mass.

Figures (53)

• Figure 1: The first order Feynman diagram for deep inelastic neutrino scattering
• Figure 2: The kinematic regions accessible to the high statistics neutrino experiments discussed in this Review.
• Figure 3: Schematic representation of the CCFR detector. The neutrino beam travels from left to right. The target-calorimeter is on the left and the muon spectrometer (toroid) is on the right.
• Figure 4: The CCFR 744/770 neutrino and antineutrino event spectrum.
• Figure 5: Neutrino (solid) and antineutrino (open) measurements of $\sigma_{tot}/E_\nu$. Left plot: $\sigma_{tot}/E_\nu$ versus $E_\nu$ for iron targets. Circles -- CCFR E616, Squares-- CCFR E701, triangles -- CDHSW. Right plot: average $\sigma_{tot}/E$ for a variety of targets (isoscalar corrected). Dashed lines indicate average for iron data (see text). (The error bars include both statistical and systematic errors.)