Neutrino-Atom Elastic Scattering: Insights from Particle Physics

[Rayan]

What happens generally when a neutrino/anti-neutrino collides with a light vs heavy atom?

My guess is, since neutrinos have very low cross section, their interaction is weak and therefore it will be an elastic scattering! For example:

$$ \overline{\nu} + He^3 \rightarrow \overline{\nu} + He^3 $$

and

$$ \nu + C^{12} \rightarrow \nu + C^{12} $$

But since I'm new to Particle physics and trying to learn by my own I'm not very sure!

 

[mfb]

Elastic scattering is always possible, inelastic reactions can be possible depending on the target nucleus and the neutrino energy. $\nu + T \rightarrow {}^3He + e^-$ is possible at any neutrino energy, for example, because tritium already has enough energy to decay even without neutrino.

 

[Vanadium 50]

A few points.

We usually write nuclei as ⁵⁰V..

Neutrinos and antineutrinos do different things. To a degree electron, muon and tau neutrinos do different things.

Interactions on matter can occur off a nuclear target or an electron target. The latter happens less often.

What you have drawn is called a "neutral current" event. They are less common than "charged current" events, when a neutrino comes in and a charged lepton goes out.

 

[Meir Achuz]

The neutrino was discovered in the interaction​

$${\bar\nu}+p\rightarrow n+e^+$$​