Nuclear Dependence in Antineutrino Scattering in Focus: Insights from MINERvA

Understanding both neutrino and antineutrino interactions in the few-GeV regime is necessary for precision measurements of neutrino oscillations. In particular, it is crucial to study the nuclear effects that can alter final-state topology and kinematics, potentially biasing neutrino energy reconstruction. MINERvA is a high-statistics cross-section experiment designed to study such nuclear effects in order to provide constraints on the underlying physics and support the advancement of neutrino interaction modelling.

This talk presents a comprehensive overview of MINERvA’s antineutrino analyses across a broad range of nuclear targets, including carbon, hydrocarbon, iron, and lead. Particular focus is given to new cross-section measurements of inclusive charged-current antineutrino scattering at a peak energy of approximately 6 GeV, covering a wide range of kinematic regimes and enabling the study of transitions between them. Within this context, an analysis of an exclusive CCQE-like subsample is presented, emphasising MINERvA’s ability to detect and analyse neutron production. Results from the shallow-inelastic scattering regime are also included, along with ongoing progress in deep-inelastic scattering analyses. These measurements provide important constraints on nuclear effects and contribute to a more complete understanding of antineutrino interactions.