Experimental study of the reaction nu n to mu /sup -/p

The authors measured the total cross-section for the quasi-elastic reaction nu n to mu /sup -/p as well as the differential cross-section with respect to the four-momentum transfer squared. A light propane- freon mixture was exposed to the CERN-PS neutrino beam: data were based on the analysis of 115000 pictures. 556 2-prong events compatible with the mu /sup -/p final state were selected. The ones satisfying a kinematical fit where the Fermi momentum of the target nucleon is taken into account were then selected from these. A correction was introduced to allow for nuclear effects. Nucleon mass could be deduced either from the differential cross-section integrated over the nu -energy spectrum or from the total cross-section as a function of neutrino energy. The authors' fitted nucleon mass values were in good agreement with predictions of V-A theory. (7 refs)