Measurement of the \bar \nu_\mu- Hydrogen Charged-Current Elastic Cross Section in the NOvA Near Detector
We report a measurement of the total cross-section for muon antineutrino charged-current elastic scattering on hydrogen in the NOvA near detector using $12 \times 10^{20}$ protons-on-target in the NuMI beam, delivered from June 2016 to July 2019. An analysis based on topological and kinematic constraints allows the selection of the largest sample of (anti)neutrino-hydrogen interactions measured to date in the hydrogen-rich target (∼ 11%) of the NOvA detector. Backgrounds from (anti)neutrino interactions on heavier nuclei are determined using dedicated data control samples, significantly reducing the corresponding systematic uncertainties.