Speaker
Description
The Axial Form Factor Extracted from Elementary Targets"
Abstract: Next generation neutrino oscillation experiments are poised to provide answers to key questions about the nature of the neutrino. The nucleon axial form factor is a vital ingredient for constructing nucleon amplitudes and predicting quasielastic scattering cross sections, a primary measurement process for flagship oscillation experiments. The uncertainty on this form factor has been historically underestimated and a model independent determination is not well constrained by elementary target data. To fulfill this experimental need, first principles Lattice QCD computations yield the interaction of a nucleon with a weak current in the absence of a nuclear medium. Results from LQCD calculations will significantly improve constraints on the form factor and permit factorization of uncertainties originating from nucleon and nuclear sources. In this talk, I will discuss the application of deuterium scattering and preliminary results from hydrogen scattering and LQCD calculations for extracting the axial form factor and its uncertainty. I will examine some of the discrepancies between extractions and outline a path toward improving the form factor uncertainty for next-generation neutrino experiments.
