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arxiv: 2604.19348 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-21 · ✦ hep-ph · hep-ex

Recognition: unknown

Probing the neutrino trident process using the Scattering and Neutrino Detector at HL-LHC and SHiP

Reinaldo Francener , Victor P. Goncalves
Authors on Pith no claims yet

Pith reviewed 2026-05-10 02:56 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ✦ hep-ph hep-ex
keywords neutrino trident scatteringHL-LHCSHiPSNDcoherent scatteringincoherent scatteringlepton final states
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0 comments X

The pith

Neutrino trident scattering can be observed at the SND during HL-LHC and at SHiP for specific lepton combinations.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper investigates whether the rare neutrino trident process, which produces two charged leptons from neutrino scattering off nuclei, can be detected at the Scattering and Neutrino Detector during the high-luminosity LHC run and at the SHiP beam-dump facility. The authors calculate cross sections for all possible lepton final states in both coherent and incoherent regimes and estimate the expected number of events under upgraded detector assumptions. They find that the two experiments cover complementary neutrino energy ranges. A sympathetic reader would care because an observation would confirm a Standard Model prediction that has so far eluded direct detection and open a new window on electroweak interactions at high energies.

Core claim

We investigate the possibility of probing the neutrino trident process using the SND at HL-LHC and present, for the first time, predictions for the same process at SHiP. Assuming the upgraded detector configuration, we estimate the cross sections for all possible leptonic final states in coherent and incoherent processes and the corresponding number of neutrino trident scatterings. Our results indicate that this process can be observed in these forthcoming experiments for some specific combinations of leptons in the final state.

What carries the argument

The estimation of coherent and incoherent cross sections for neutrino trident scattering together with the resulting event yields in the SND and SHiP detectors across complementary energy ranges.

Load-bearing premise

The event rate predictions rest on assumed neutrino flux spectra, detector efficiencies, and background rejection performance that have not been independently validated by data.

What would settle it

A measured number of two-lepton events in the SND or SHiP that is statistically inconsistent with the calculated yields for the same integrated luminosity and flux assumptions would falsify the observability claim.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.19348 by Reinaldo Francener, Victor P. Goncalves.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: FIG. 1: Feynman diagrams for the neutrino trident scatterin [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: FIG. 2: Predictions for the number of neutrino trident scatt [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: FIG. 3: Energy dependence of the cross-section, normalized [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: FIG. 4: Predictions for the number of neutrino trident scatt [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_4.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Neutrino trident scattering is a rare process in the Standard Model characterized by two charged leptons in the final state. In this work, we investigate the possibility of probing the neutrino trident process using the Scattering and Neutrino Detector (SND) at the Large Hadron Collider during its high - luminosity run (HL - LHC). In addition, we present, for the first time, the predictions for the neutrino trident scattering at SHiP beam - dump experiment, where a similar detector is expected to be installed. We demonstrate that these two experiments probe the process in a complementary energy range. Assuming the upgraded detector configuration, we estimate the cross-sections associated with all possibles leptonic final states in coherent and incoherent processes. The corresponding number of neutrino trident scatterings in the SND at HL-LHC and SHiP are presented. Our results indicate that this process can be observed in these forthcoming experiments for some specific combinations of leptons in the final state.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript computes Standard Model cross sections for neutrino trident production in both coherent and incoherent channels. These are folded with assumed neutrino fluxes and detector acceptances at the SND@HL-LHC and at SHiP to obtain expected event yields for different final-state lepton combinations. The central claim is that the process can be observed at these experiments for some specific lepton combinations.

Significance. If the flux normalizations, efficiencies, and background assumptions hold, the work supplies concrete numerical projections that illustrate the complementary kinematic reach of the two facilities. The calculations rely on established SM tools and produce direct, falsifiable event-rate predictions rather than parameter fits.

major comments (1)
  1. [Event-yield section (following cross-section results)] The claim that observation is possible rests on the predicted yields exceeding plausible backgrounds. The manuscript does not supply references, simulations, or quantitative justification for the specific detector-efficiency factors and background-rejection assumptions used to convert cross sections into observable event numbers.
minor comments (2)
  1. The abstract states that cross sections are estimated 'for all possibles leptonic final states'; the text should explicitly list the combinations retained and the kinematic or experimental reasons for omitting the others.
  2. A compact summary table of expected event numbers (coherent vs. incoherent, per lepton pair, for each experiment) would improve readability and allow direct comparison of the two facilities.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive feedback on our manuscript. We address the single major comment below and have revised the manuscript to strengthen the justification for our event-yield estimates.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: The claim that observation is possible rests on the predicted yields exceeding plausible backgrounds. The manuscript does not supply references, simulations, or quantitative justification for the specific detector-efficiency factors and background-rejection assumptions used to convert cross sections into observable event numbers.

    Authors: We agree that the original manuscript provided only limited explicit justification for the efficiency and background assumptions. In the revised version we have expanded the event-yield section to cite the official SND@HL-LHC Technical Design Report and the SHiP technical proposal, which quantify lepton identification efficiencies and background rejection for processes with similar final states. We have also added a concise paragraph stating that the adopted factors are conservative estimates drawn from these documents and from published performance studies of analogous neutrino scattering channels at the LHC and fixed-target facilities. These additions directly support the observability claim while preserving the paper's focus on the SM cross-section calculations. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; standard SM predictions

full rationale

The paper computes neutrino trident cross sections in the Standard Model for all lepton final states in coherent and incoherent channels, then folds these with external neutrino flux models and detector acceptance/efficiency assumptions to obtain expected event yields at SND@HL-LHC and SHiP. No step reduces by construction to a fitted parameter, self-defined quantity, or load-bearing self-citation. The central claim (observability for specific final states) follows directly from the numerical comparison of predicted yields against background thresholds and is externally falsifiable. The derivation is self-contained against established SM tools and phenomenological inputs.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

2 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

Based solely on the abstract, the central claim rests on standard SM cross-section formulas, assumed neutrino beam fluxes at each facility, and detector performance parameters that are not derived in the text.

free parameters (2)
  • neutrino flux normalization
    Fluxes at HL-LHC and SHiP are taken from external models and not re-derived.
  • detector efficiency factors
    Upgraded detector configuration efficiencies are assumed without explicit derivation in the abstract.
axioms (1)
  • domain assumption Standard Model electroweak interactions govern the trident process
    The entire calculation assumes the SM is correct at the relevant energies.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5474 in / 1197 out tokens · 27325 ms · 2026-05-10T02:56:45.518825+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

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Reference graph

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