Test of the Model of “Running Axial Mass” Using NOvA Near Detector Data on Muon Neutrino Scattering on Nuclei

A phenomenological model of a “running axial mass” (MArun) was previously proposed to calculate cross sections for the quasielastic scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos on nuclei. It can be easily implemented in neutrino generators and has only two free parameters, which are obtained from the global fit to the experimental data on the total and differential cross sections for the quasielastic scattering of (anti)neutrinos on various nuclear targets. In this work, the NOvA near detector data on the total and differential cross sections for the scattering of muon neutrinos, are compared to the simulation performed using the GENIE neutrino Monte Carlo generator (v.3.4.0), which optionally allows for using the MArun model.