Testing New Physics Explanations of MiniBooNE Anomaly at Neutrino Scattering Experiments

Testable neutrino mass generation models have recently been proposed as a solution to the MiniBooNE excess. In this article, we show how neutrino scattering experiments, such as MINER$\nu$A and CHARM-II, can probe this class of models. We argue that by using sideband measurements of neutrino-electron scattering, we can significantly explore the parameter space motivated by the MiniBooNE results. Our new constraints show that a simultaneous explanation of the angular and energy distributions of the excess is in tension with neutrino-electron scattering data. We also provide an outlook of upcoming measurements that could further probe the new physics models of interest. In the context of those future measurements, we highlight the importance of control samples and improved theoretical understanding of neutrino-nucleus cross sections in the search for new physics in neutrino experiments.