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  • Open Access

Tensor interaction in coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering

Jiajun Liao*, Jian Tang†, and Bing-Long Zhang‡

  • *Contact author: liaojiajun@mail.sysu.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: tangjian5@mail.sysu.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: zhangblong@mail2.sysu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 035036 – Published 28 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/19yb-tstx

Abstract

Neutrino tensor interactions have gained prominence in the study of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) recently. We perform a systematical examination of the nuclear effect, which plays a crucial role in evaluating the cross section of CEνNS in the presence of tensor interactions. Our analysis reveals that the CEνNS cross section induced by tensor interactions is not entirely nuclear spin suppressed and can be enhanced by a few orders of magnitude compared to the conventional studies. The neutrino magnetic moment induced by the loop effect of tensor interactions is also taken into account due to its sizable contribution to the CEνNS cross section. We also employ data from the COHERENT experiment and recent observations of solar B8 neutrinos from dark matter direct detection experiments to scrutinize the parameter space of neutrino tensor interactions.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 035036– Published 28 August, 2025
  • Received 27 February 2025
  • Accepted 30 July 2025
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