We construct a coordinate-space chiral potential, including $\Delta$-isobar intermediate states in its two-pion-exchange component up to order $Q^3$ ($Q$ denotes generically the low momentum scale). The contact interactions entering at next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-next-to-leading orders ($Q^2$ and $Q^4$, respectively) are rearranged by Fierz transformations to yield terms at most quadratic in the relative momentum operator of the two nucleons. The low-energy constants multiplying these contact interactions are fitted to the 2013 Granada database, consisting of $2309 pp$ and $2982 np$ data (including, respectively, 148 and 218 normalizations) in the laboratory-energy range 0–300 MeV. For the total $5291 pp$ and $np$ data in this range, we obtain a ${\chi }^2/\mathrm{datum}$ of roughly 1.3 for a set of three models characterized by long- and short-range cutoffs, $R_{\mathrm{L}}$ and $R_{\mathrm{S}}$, respectively, ranging from $(R_{\mathrm{L}},R_{\mathrm{S}})=(1.2,0.8)$ fm down to $(0.8,0.6)$ fm. The long-range (short-range) cutoff regularizes the one- and two-pion exchange (contact) part of the potential.

The quasielastic (QE) contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron scattering model developed by Gil, Nieves, and Oset [Nucl. Phys. A627, 543 (1997); A627, 599 (1997)] is extended to the study of electroweak charged current (CC) induced nuclear reactions, at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The model accounts for, among other nuclear effects, long range nuclear [random phase approximation (RPA)] correlations, final state interaction (FSI), and Coulomb corrections. Predictions for the inclusive muon capture in ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$ and the reaction ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$ $({\nu }_{\mu },{\mu }^{-})X$ near threshold are also given. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role and their inclusion leads to one of the best existing simultaneous description of both processes, with accuracies of the order of 10–15 % for the muon capture rate and even better for the Liquid Scintillating Neutrino Detector (LSND) measurement.

Superscaling analyses of few-GeV inclusive electron scattering from nuclei are extended to include not only quasielastic processes, but also the region where $\Delta$ excitation dominates. With reasonable assumptions about the basic nuclear scaling function extracted from data and information from other studies of the relative roles played by correlation and meson-exchange-current effects, it is shown that the residual strength in the resonance region can be accounted for through an extended scaling analysis. One observes scaling upon assuming that the elementary cross section by which one divides the residual to obtain a new scaling function is dominated by the $N\to \Delta$ transition and employing a new scaling variable suited to the resonance region. This yields a good representation of the electromagnetic response in both the quasielastic and $\Delta$ regions. The scaling approach is then inverted and predictions are made for charge-changing neutrino reactions at energies of a few GeV, with focus placed on nuclei that are relevant to neutrino oscillation measurements. For this, a relativistic treatment of the required weak interaction vector and axial-vector currents for both quasielastic and $\Delta$-excitation processes is presented.

Using the $\delta$-shell representation we present a successful fit to neutron-proton and proton-proton scattering data below the pion production threshold. A detailed overview of the theory necessary to calculate observables with this potential is presented. A new data selection process is used to obtain the largest mutually consistent data base. The analysis includes data within the years 1950 to 2013. Using 46 parameters we obtain ${\chi }^2/N_{\mathrm{data}}=1.04$ with $N_{\mathrm{data}}=6713$ including normalization data. Phase shifts with error bars are provided.

We present a detailed study of charged-current neutrino-nucleus reactions in a fully relativistic framework and comparisons with recent experiments spanning an energy range from hundreds of MeV up to 100 GeV within the superscaling approach, which is based on the analysis of electron-nucleus scattering data and has been recently improved with the inclusion of relativistic mean field theory effects. We also evaluate and discuss the impact of two-particle two-hole meson-exchange currents on neutrino-nucleus interactions through the analysis of two-particle two-hole axial and vector contributions to weak response functions in a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The results show a fairly good agreement with experimental data over the whole range of neutrino energies.

We evaluate the quasielastic double differential neutrino cross sections obtained in a phenomenological model based on the superscaling behavior of electron scattering data. We compare our results with the recent experimental data for neutrinos of MiniBooNE and estimate the contribution of the vector meson-exchange currents in the 2p–2h sector