Afroditi Papaopoulou

Lepton-Nucleus Scattering Constraints For Neutrino Interactions And Oscillations

Abstract:
Neutrinos exist in one of three types or “flavors” (νe ,νµ or ντ ), which oscillate from one to another when propagating through space. This phenomenon is one of the few that cannot be described using the Standard Model of particle physics and its study can thus provide new insight into the nature of our universe. As neutrinos interact only via the weak force, they are experimentally detected only following their interactions with atomic nuclei. Our understanding of such interactions is crucial for measuring neutrino oscillations. In this talk I will review key open questions in the study of neutrino oscillations that drive the need for improved understanding of neutrino-nucleus interactions. I will then present our studies of such interactions using both neutrino and electron beams with the MicroBooNE and CLAS detectors and their impact on next-generation high-precision neutrino oscillation measurements with the DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande experiments.