Phase space of electron- and muon-neutrino and antineutrino scattering off nuclei

Abstract

We discuss the electron and muon neutrino and antineutrino double-differential cross sections on carbon in the quasielastic as well as in the multinucleon and one pion production channels. By projecting them in the transferred momentum—transferred energy plane and in the neutrino energy—lepton scattering angle plane, as well as by performing simple considerations on the position of the quasielastic and Delta peaks and on their broadening, we explain the surprising dominance of the muon neutrino and antineutrino cross sections over the electron ones in particular kinematical conditions.