We present an analysis of MicroBooNE data with a signature of one muon, no pions, and at least one proton above a momentum threshold of $300\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{c}$ ($\mathrm{CC}0\mathrm{<ruby><rb>\pi </rb><rt>ぱい</rt></ruby>}Np$). This is the first differential cross-section measurement of this topology in neutrino-argon interactions. We achieve a significantly lower proton momentum threshold than previous carbon and scintillator-based experiments. Using data collected from a total of approximately $1.6\times {10}^{20}$ protons on target, we measure the muon neutrino cross section for the $\mathrm{CC}0\mathrm{<ruby><rb>\pi </rb><rt>ぱい</rt></ruby>}Np$ interaction channel in argon at MicroBooNE in the Booster Neutrino Beam which has a mean energy of around 800 MeV. We present the results from a data sample with estimated efficiency of 29% and purity of 76% as differential cross sections in five reconstructed variables: the muon momentum and polar angle, the leading proton momentum and polar angle, and the muon-proton opening angle. We include smearing matrices that can be used to “forward fold” theoretical predictions for comparison with these data. We compare the measured differential cross sections to a number of recent theory predictions demonstrating largely good agreement with this first-ever dataset on argon.

• Received 7 October 2020
• Accepted 24 November 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.112013

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Published by the American Physical Society