QED radiative corrections in inverse beta decay from virtual pions
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866908947770769408 |
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| author | Tomalak, Oleksandr |
| author_facet | Tomalak, Oleksandr |
| contents | Inverse beta decay (IBD), $\overlineν_e p \to e^+ n \left( γ\right)$, is the main detection channel for reactor and supernova antineutrinos. To provide precise IBD cross sections at antineutrino energies $E_{\overlineν_e} \gtrsim 10~\mathrm{MeV}$, we evaluate radiative corrections from virtual pions within the framework of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. At leading order, only the pion isospin-splitting contributions are not suppressed by the electron mass. At next-to-leading order, besides recoil effects, only the Wilson coefficient $c_4$ contributes to the kinematic dependence. However, its precise value is not relevant for IBD at relatively low energies since all next-to-leading order radiative corrections are relatively small. We find the kinematic dependence of the pion-induced QED radiative corrections at the level and below the uncertainty from the momentum dependence of the nucleon form factors. Our results enable sub-permille theoretical precision of charged-current elastic (anti)neutrino-nucleon scattering at antineutrino energies $E_{\overlineν_e} \gtrsim 10~\mathrm{MeV}$. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_07113 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | QED radiative corrections in inverse beta decay from virtual pions Tomalak, Oleksandr High Energy Physics - Phenomenology High Energy Physics - Experiment Nuclear Experiment Nuclear Theory Inverse beta decay (IBD), $\overlineν_e p \to e^+ n \left( γ\right)$, is the main detection channel for reactor and supernova antineutrinos. To provide precise IBD cross sections at antineutrino energies $E_{\overlineν_e} \gtrsim 10~\mathrm{MeV}$, we evaluate radiative corrections from virtual pions within the framework of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. At leading order, only the pion isospin-splitting contributions are not suppressed by the electron mass. At next-to-leading order, besides recoil effects, only the Wilson coefficient $c_4$ contributes to the kinematic dependence. However, its precise value is not relevant for IBD at relatively low energies since all next-to-leading order radiative corrections are relatively small. We find the kinematic dependence of the pion-induced QED radiative corrections at the level and below the uncertainty from the momentum dependence of the nucleon form factors. Our results enable sub-permille theoretical precision of charged-current elastic (anti)neutrino-nucleon scattering at antineutrino energies $E_{\overlineν_e} \gtrsim 10~\mathrm{MeV}$. |
| title | QED radiative corrections in inverse beta decay from virtual pions |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Phenomenology High Energy Physics - Experiment Nuclear Experiment Nuclear Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.07113 |