Measurement of ${\nu }_{\mu }$ Charged-Current Inclusive ${\pi }^0$ Production in the NOvA Near Detector

Cross sections for the interaction ${\nu }_{\mu }A\to {\mu }^{-}{\pi }^{0}X$ with neutrino energies between 1 and 5~GeV are measured using a sample of 165k selected events collected in the NOvA experiment’s Near Detector, a hydrocarbon-based detector exposed to the NuMI neutrino beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Results are presented as a flux-averaged total cross section and as differential cross sections in the momenta and angles of the outgoing muon and ${\pi }^0$, the total four-momentum transfer, and the invariant mass of the hadronic system. Comparisons are made with predictions from a reference version of the GENIE neutrino interaction generator. The measured total cross section of ($3.57\pm 0.44)\times {10}^{-39}{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^2$ is $7.5\mathrm{\%}$ higher than the GENIE prediction but is consistent within experimental errors.