Cross Section Measurements with Monoenergetic Muon Neutrinos

Abstract

The monoenergetic 236 MeV muon neutrino from charged kaon decay-at-rest ($K^+ \rightarrow μ^+ ν_μ$) can be used to produce a novel set of cross section measurements. Applicable for short- and long-baseline accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiments, among others, such measurements would provide a "standard candle" for the energy reconstruction and interaction kinematics relevant for charged current neutrino events near this energy. This neutrino can also be exercised as a unique known-energy, purely weak interacting probe of the nucleus. A number of experiments are set to come online in the next few years that will be able to collect and characterize thousands of these events.

8 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D.; typos fixed and references updated