We study neutrino-induced nucleon knockout from nuclei. Expressions for the induced polarization are derived within the framework of the independent-nucleon model and the non-relativistic plane-wave approximation. Large dissimilarities in the nucleon polarization asymmetries are observed between neutrino- and antineutrino-induced processes. These asymmetries represent a potential way to distinguish between neutrinos and antineutrinos in neutral-current neutrino-scattering on nuclei. We discuss astrophysical applications of these polarization asymmetries. Our findings are illustrated for neutrino scattering on $^{ 16}$O and $^{ 208}$Pb.
Categories: nucl-th astro-ph