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Antielectron neutrinos at high-energy neutrino experiments: Identification strategies and physics potential

Felix Kling1,2, Toni Mäkelä1, and Josh McFayden3

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 013004 – Published 27 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9757-h3f6

Abstract

Most existing and proposed high-energy neutrino experiments have excellent muon charge identification capabilities, enabling the distinction of νμ and ν¯μ charged current interactions. In contrast, distinguishing electrons and positrons from νe and ν¯e interactions is typically impossible, as they quickly interact within the characteristically dense detector material and fail to reach the spectrometer. In this letter, we propose a compact and cost-effective plastic target, placed right before the spectrometer, to maximize the rate of electrons and positrons that reach the spectrometer before interacting. We demonstrate that, when installed at the FASER experiment, the Forward Physics Facility, or SHiP, this setup could enable the first separate measurement of νe and ν¯e cross sections at high energy. Additionally, this setup opens new opportunities to study forward particle production at collider neutrino experiments, such as constraining forward Λ hyperon production, and, by reducing flux uncertainties, significantly improve limits on nonstandard neutrino interactions in neutral currents.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 013004– Published 27 January, 2026
  • Received 2 July 2025
  • Accepted 5 January 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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