Reassessment of the NuTeV determination of the weak mixing angle

Abstract

In light of the recent discovery of the importance of the isovector EMC effect for the interpretation of the NuTeV determination of sin2θW, it seems timely to reassess the central value and the errors on this fundamental Standard Model parameter derived from the NuTeV data. We also include earlier work on charge symmetry violation and the recent limits on a possible asymmetry between s and s̄ quarks. With these corrections we find a revised NuTeV result of sin2θW=0.2221±0.0013(stat)±0.0020(syst), which is in excellent agreement with the running of sin2θW predicted by the Standard Model. As a further check, we find that the separate ratios of neutral current to charge current cross-sections for neutrinos and for antineutrinos are both in agreement with the Standard Model, at just over one standard deviation, once the corrections described here are applied. © 2010 .