Neutrinos for geophysics

The Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein solution to the solar-neutrino deficit provides a range for the acceptable neutrino parameters (Δm² and sin 2θ₀). If the vacuum mixing angle θ₀ is not too small, the resulting neutrino oscillation length in matter is comparable to the radius of the earth. For such appropriate neutrino parameters we study neutrino oscillations inside the earth. The core of the earth is taken as a sphere with constant density 11 g/cm³, while the mantle, surrounding the core, is taken to be a spherically symmetric shell of constant density 4.4 g/cm³. We obtain an exact, analytic expression for the probability that an electron-neutrino after traversing the earth, emerges as an electron-neutrino. Our results indicate that the neutrinos might serve as the ideal tools for earth tomography.     

3ν oscillations in matter and solar neutrino data

A method of searching for 3ν solutions of the solar neutrino problem in terms of 2ν solutions is proposed. It gives “iso-SNU strips” on the plot of Δm² versus sin²2θ. A combined analusis of Cl---Ar experiment data and results of the ⁸B neutrino flux measurement by νe scattering (Kamiokande II) is presented.     

Comments on CP, T and CPT violation in neutral kaon decays

We comment on CP, T and CPT violation in the light of interesting new data from the CPLEAR and KTeV Collaborations on neutral kaon decay asymmetries. Other recent data from the CPLEAR experiment, constraining possible violations of CPT and the ΔS=ΔQ rule, exclude the possibility that the semileptonic-decay asymmetry A_T measured by CPLEAR could be solely due to CPT violation, confirming that their data constitute direct evidence for T violation. The CP-violating asymmetry in K_L→e⁻e⁺π⁻π⁺ recently measured by the KTeV Collaboration does not by itself provide direct evidence for T violation, but we use it to place new bounds on CPT violation.     

τ→μγ and μ→eγ as probes of neutrino mass models

We discuss the possibility of discriminating between different supersymmetric see-saw models by improving the experimental sensitivity to charged lepton flavour violating processes. Assuming a hierarchical neutrino mass spectrum, we classify see-saw models according to how the hierarchy Δm²Δm²_atm is generated, and study the predictions of each class for the branching ratios of τ→μγ and μ→eγ. The process τ→μγ is found to be a particularly promising tool to probe the fundamental see-saw parameters, and especially to identify the origin of the large atmospheric mixing angle. Predictions for μ→eγ are more model-dependent. We point out that, even with an improvement of the experimental sensitivities by three orders of magnitude, both τ→μγ and μ→eγ could escape detection in models where Δm²_atm is determined by one of the lightest right-handed neutrinos.     

Neutrino oscillations induced by two-loop radiative mechanism

Two-loop radiative mechanism, when combined with an U(1)_L′ symmetry generated by L_e − L_μ − L_τ (=L′), is shown to provide an estimate of Δm²/Δm²_atm εm_e/m_τ, where ε measures the U(1)_L′-breaking. Since Δm²_atm 3.5×10⁻³ eV², we find that Δm² ε10⁻⁶ eV², which will fall into the allowed region of the LOW solution to the solar neutrino problem for ε 0.1.     

Exploring leptonic CP violation by reactor and neutrino superbeam experiments

We point out the possibility that reactor measurement of θ₁₃, when combined with high-statistics ν_e appearance accelerator experiments, can detect leptonic CP violation. Our proposal is based on a careful statistical analysis under reasonable assumptions on systematic errors, assuming 2 years running of the neutrino mode J-PARC → Hyper-Kamiokande experiment and a few years running of a reactor experiment with 100 t detectors at the Kashiwazaki–Kariwa nuclear power plant. We show that the method can be arranged to be insensitive to the intrinsic parameter degeneracy but is affected by the one due to unknown sign of Δm²₃₁.     

Remarks on stochastic non-linear birth and death models

The first part of this paper is an attempt to formulate and motivate additional work on the important problem of obtaining global bounds applicable to the controlled truncation of the paper relates specifically to the linear birth, quadratic death model. Asymptotic results are given for the first finite difference ΔT_m where T_m is the exactly known mean time to extinction starting from state m (m= 0,1,…). These results are in terms of the environmental carrying capacity n^* taken to be large. For m near zero ΔT_me^n*/(n^*)²; whereas, for m near n^*ΔT_m ≈ (π/2)^1/2/(n^*)^3/2. This indicates the vastly different time scales in those two regions of state space - with considerably slower action near extinction than near n^*.     

Discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillations**

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced by cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere. The zenith‐angle and energy dependence of the muon‐ and electron‐ neutrino events are observed in atmospheric neutrino experiments. Through these studies neutrino oscillations were discovered. In this article, studies of atmospheric neutrinos in the Kamiokande and Super‐Kamiokande experiments are described.     

Oscillation properties of active and sterile neutrinos and neutrino anomalies at short distances

A generalized phenomenological (3 + 2 + 1) model featuring three active and three sterile neutrinos that is intended for calculating oscillation properties of neutrinos for the case of a normal activeneutrino mass hierarchy and a large splitting between the mass of one sterile neutrino and the masses of the other two sterile neutrinos is considered. A new parametrization and a specific form of the general mixing matrix are proposed for active and sterile neutrinos with allowance for possible CP violation in the lepton sector, and test values are chosen for the neutrino masses and mixing parameters. The probabilities for the transitions between different neutrino flavors are calculated, and graphs representing the probabilities for the disappearance of muon neutrinos/antineutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos/antineutrinos in a beam of muon neutrinos/antineutrinos versus the distance from the neutrino source for various values of admissible model parameters at neutrino energies not higher than 50 MeV, as well as versus the ratio of this distance to the neutrino energy, are plotted. It is shown that the short-distance accelerator anomaly in neutrino data (LNSD anomaly) can be explained in the case of a specific mixing matrix for active and sterile neutrinos (which belongs to the a₂ type) at the chosen parameter values. The same applies to the short-distance reactor and gallium anomalies. The theoretical results obtained in the present study can be used to interpret and predict the results of ground-based neutrino experiments aimed at searches for sterile neutrinos, as well as to analyze some astrophysical observational data.     

Neutrino astronomy and massive long-lived particles from the big bang

We consider the neutrino flux from the decay of long-lived big-bang particles. The red-shift z_tr at which the neutrino transparency of the universe sets in is calculated as a function of neutrino energy: z_tr 1 × 10⁵ for TeV neutrinos and z_tr 3 × 10⁶ for 10 MeV neutrinos. One might expect the production of detectable neutrino flux at z z_tr, but, as demonstrated in this paper, the various upper limits, most notably due to nucleosynthesis and diffuse X- and gamma-rays, preclude this possibility. Unless the particle decay is strongly dominated by the pure neutrino channel, observable neutrino flux can be produced only at the current epoch, corresponding to red-shift z ≈ 0. For the thermal relics which annihilate through the gauge bosons of SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1) group, the neutrino flux can be marginally detectable at 0.1 < E_v < 10 TeV. As an example of non-thermal relics we consider gravitinos. If gravitinos are the lightest supersymmetric particles (LSP) they can produce the detectable neutrino flux in the form of a neutrino line with energy , where M_G is the gravitino mass. The flux strongly depends on the mechanisms of R-parity violation. It is shown that heavy gravitinos (M_G 100 GeV) can make up the dark matter in the universe.     

Reconciling cold dark matter with COBE/IRAS plus solar and atmospheric neutrino data

We present a model where an unstable MeV Majorana tau neutrino can naturally reconcile the cold dark matter model (CDM) with cosmological observations of large and small scale density fluctuations and, simultaneously, with data on solar and atmospheric neutrinos. The solar neutrino deficit is explained through long wavelength, so-called just-so oscillations involving conversions of ν_e into both ν_μ and a sterile species ν_s , while atmospheric neutrino data are explained through ν_μ to ν_e conversions. Future long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, as well as some reactor experiments will test this hypothesis. The model is based on the spontaneous violation of a global lepton number symmetry at the weak scale. This symmetry plays a key role in generating the cosmologically required decay of the ν_τ with lifetime τ_ντ ≈ 10²-10⁴ seconds, as well as the masses and oscillations of the three light neutrinos ν_e, ν_μ and ν_s required in order to account for solar and atmospheric neutrino data. It also leads to the invisibly decaying Higgs signature that can be searched at LEP and future particle colliders.     

A four-neutrino mixing scheme for observed neutrino data

It has been observed that simultaneous explanation of the solar and atmospheric neutrino deficits and the reported evidence for oscillation from the Los Alamos Liquid Scintillator Detector (LSND) requires at least one extra neutrino species in addition to the three known ones. The extra neutrino must be sterile with respect to the known weak interactions. We present a new mass matrix for these four neutrinos in which the LSND effect and the atmospheric neutrino deficit are governed by only one parameter. We investigate the phenomenological implications of such a mass matrix ansatz and suggest possible ways to understand it in gauge theories.     

Neutrino masses, mixing and hierarchy

We build a model to describe neutrinos based on strict hierarchy, incorporating as much as possible, the latest known data, for Δ_sol and Δ_atm, and for the mixing angles determined from neutrino oscillation experiments, including that from KamLAND. Since the hierarchy assumption is a statement about mass ratios, it lets us obtain all three neutrino masses. We obtain a mass matrix, M_ν and a mixing matrix, U, where both M_ν and U are given in terms of powers of Λ, the analog of the Cabibbo angle λ in the Wolfenstein representation, and two parameters, ρ and κ, each of order one. The expansion parameter, Λ, is defined by

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, and ρ expresses our ignorance of the lightest neutrino mass m₁, (m₁=ρΛ⁴m₃), while κ scales s₁₃ to the experimental upper limit, s₁₃=κΛ²≈0.16κ. These matrices are similar in structure to those for the quark and lepton families, but with Λ about 1.6 times larger than the λ for the quarks and charged leptons. The upper limit for the effective neutrino mass in double β-decay experiments is 4×10⁻³ eV if s₁₃=0 and 6×10⁻³ eV if s₁₃ is maximal. The model, which is fairly unique, given the hierarchy assumption and the data, is compared to supersymmetric extension and texture zero models of mass generation.     

Majorana neutrinos from inverse seesaw in warped extra dimension

We propose the inverse seesaw mechanism as a way to understand small Majorana masses for neutrinos in warped extra dimension models with seesaw scale in the TeV range. The ultra-small lepton number violation needed in implementing inverse seesaw mechanism in 4D models is explained in this model as a consequence of lepton number breaking occurring on the Planck brane. We construct realistic models based on this idea that fit observed neutrino oscillation data for both normal and inverted mass patterns. We compute the corrections to light neutrino masses from the Kaluza-Klein modes and show that they are small in the parameter range of interest. Another feature of the model is that the absence of global parity anomaly implies the existence of at least one light sterile neutrino with sterile and active neutrino mixing in the range suggested by the LSND and MiniBooNE observations.     

Hierarchical neutrino masses and large mixing angles from the Fritzsch texture of lepton mass matrices

We show that the Fritzsch texture of lepton mass matrices can naturally lead to the bi-large flavor mixing pattern, if three neutrinos have a normal but weak mass hierarchy (typically, m₁:m₂:m₃1:3:10). The effective mass of the tritium beta decay and that of the neutrinoless double beta decay are too small to be observable in this ansatz, but CP violation at the percent level is allowed and could be measured in long-baseline neutrino oscillations.     

Searches for muon-to-electron (anti) neutrino flavor change

Employing an 800 MeV, high-intensity proton beam, the LSND experiment performed a sensitive search for neutrino oscillations and obtained evidence for flavor change. Although the KARMEN experiment observed no such evidence, a joint analysis of the two experiments shows that the data sets are compatible with neutrino oscillations occurring either in a band from 0.2 to 1 eV ² or in a region around 7 eV ². The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab was designed to test the LSND evidence for neutrino oscillations [C. Athanassopoulos et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 2650 (1995); 77, 3082 (1996); 81, 1774 (1998); A. Aguilar et al., Phys. Rev. D 64, 112007 (2001)]. The MiniBooNE oscillation result in neutrino mode [A. Aguilar-Arevalo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 231801 (2007); A. Aguilar-Arevalo et al. arXiv:0812.2243] shows no significant excess of events at higher energies (), although a sizeable excess is observed at lower energies (). The lack of a significant excess at higher energies allows MiniBooNE to rule out simple 2−ν oscillations as an explanation of the LSND signal. However, the low-energy excess is presently unexplained. Additional antineutrino data and NuMI data may allow the collaboration to determine whether the excess is due, for example, to a neutrino neutral-current radiative interaction or to neutrino oscillations involving sterile neutrinos and whether the excess is related to the LSND signal. If the excess is consistent with being due to sterile neutrinos or other new physics, then future experiments at FNAL (MicroBooNE & BooNE) or ORNL (OscSNS) or with the Low-Energy Neutrino Spectrometer (LENS) detector could confirm their existence.     

Is cosmology compatible with sterile neutrinos?

By combining data from cosmic microwave background experiments (including the recent WMAP third year results), large scale structure, and Lyman-alpha forest observations, we constrain the hypothesis of a fourth, sterile, massive neutrino. For the 3 massless+1 massive neutrino case, we bound the mass of the sterile neutrino to ms<0.26 eV (0.44 eV) at 95% (99.9%) C.L., which excludes at high significance the sterile neutrino hypothesis as an explanation of the LSND anomaly. We generalize the analysis to account for active neutrino masses and the possibility that the sterile abundance is not thermal. In the latter case, the contraints in the plane are nontrivial. For a mass of >1 or <0.05 eV, the cosmological energy density in sterile neutrinos is always constrained to be omeganu<0.003 at 95% C.L., but for a mass of approximately 0.25 eV, omeganu can be as large as 0.01.     

Are there sterile neutrinos at the eV scale?

New predictions for the antineutrino flux from nuclear reactors suggest that reactor experiments may have measured a deficit in this flux, which can be interpreted in terms of oscillations between the known active neutrinos and new sterile states. We perform a reanalysis of global short-baseline neutrino oscillation data in a framework with one or two sterile neutrinos. While one sterile neutrino is still not sufficient to reconcile the signals suggested by reactor experiments and by the LSND and MiniBooNE experiments with null results from other searches, we find that, with the new reactor flux prediction, the global fit improves considerably when two sterile neutrinos are introduced.     

Parametrization of seesaw models and light sterile neutrinos

The recent recomputation of the neutrino fluxes from nuclear reactors relaxes the tension between the LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies and disappearance data when interpreted in terms of sterile neutrino oscillations. The simplest extension of the Standard Model with such fermion singlets is the addition of right-handed sterile neutrinos with small Majorana masses. Even when introducing three right-handed neutrinos, this scenario has less free parameters than the 3 + 2 scenarios studied in the literature. This begs the question whether the best fit regions obtained can be reproduced by this simplest extension of the Standard Model. In order to address this question, we devise an exact parametrization of Standard Model extensions with right-handed neutrinos. Apart from the usual 3×3 neutrino mixing matrix and the 3 masses of the lightest neutrinos, the extra degrees of freedom are encoded in another 3×3 unitary matrix and 3 additional mixing angles. The parametrization includes all the correlations among masses and mixings and is valid beyond the usual seesaw approximation. Through this parametrization we find that the best fit regions for the LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies in a 3 + 2 scenario can indeed be reproduced despite the smaller number of degrees of freedom.