Cosmology with massive neutrinos coupled to dark energy

Cosmological consequences of a coupling between massive neutrinos and dark energy are investigated. In such models, the neutrino mass is a function of a scalar field, which plays the role of dark energy. The evolution of the background and cosmological perturbations are discussed. We find that mass-varying neutrinos can leave a significant imprint on the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and even lead to a reduction of power on large angular scales.     

Realistic neutrinogenesis with radiative vertex correction

We propose a new model for naturally realizing light Dirac neutrinos and explaining the baryon asymmetry of the universe through neutrinogenesis. To achieve these, we present a minimal construction which extends the Standard Model with a real singlet scalar, a heavy singlet Dirac fermion and a heavy doublet scalar besides three right-handed neutrinos, respecting lepton number conservation and a Z₂$Z_2$ symmetry. The neutrinos acquire small Dirac masses due to the suppression of weak scale over a heavy mass scale. As a key feature of our construction, once the heavy Dirac fermion and doublet scalar go out of equilibrium, their decays induce the CP asymmetry from the interference of tree-level processes with the radiative vertex corrections (rather than the self-energy corrections). Although there is no lepton number violation, an equal and opposite amount of CP asymmetry is generated in the left-handed and the right-handed neutrinos. The left-handed lepton asymmetry would then be converted to the baryon asymmetry in the presence of the sphalerons, while the right-handed lepton asymmetry remains unaffected.     

Pseudo-Majoron as dark matter

We consider the singlet Majoron model with softly broken lepton number. This model contains three right-handed neutrinos and a singlet scalar besides the standard model fields. The real part of the singlet scalar develops a vacuum expectation value to generate the lepton number violation for seesaw and leptogenesis. The imaginary part of the singlet scalar becomes a massive pseudo-Majoron to be a dark matter candidate with testability by colliders, direct detection experiments and neutrino observations.     

Lepton number violation in softly broken supersymmetry (II)

We study the implications of explicit lepton-number violating soft operators in a general low-energy effective theory with softly broken supersymmetry. Nonzero but relatively small VEVs of scalar neutrinos could exist. In the case where the VEVs of scalar neutrinos vanish, appreciable coefficients of the lepton-number violating soft operators are allowed. We also emphasize the role played by the mixing between the superpartners of the left- and right-handed leptons in the lepton family number violating process μ→eγ.     

Conformal symmetry and the Standard Model

We re-examine the question of radiative symmetry breaking in the Standard Model in the presence of right-chiral neutrinos and a minimally enlarged scalar sector. We demonstrate that, with these extra ingredients, the hypothesis of classically unbroken conformal symmetry, besides naturally introducing and stabilizing a hierarchy, is compatible with all available data; in particular, there exists a set of parameters for which the model may remain viable even up to the Planck scale. The decay modes of the extra scalar field provide a unique signature of this model which can be tested at LHC.     

Acceleration Field of a Universe Modeled as a Mixture of Scalar and Matter Fields

A model of the Universe as a mixture of a scalar (inflaton or rolling tachyon from the string theory) and a matter field (classical particles) is analyzed. The particles are created at the expense of the gravitational energy through an irreversible process whereas the scalar field is supposed to interact only with itself and to be minimally coupled with the gravitational field. The irreversible processes of particle creation are related to the non-equilibrium pressure within the framework of the extended (causal or second-order) thermodynamic theory. The scalar field (inflaton or tachyon) is described by an exponential potential density added by a parameter which represents its asymptotic value and can be interpreted as the vacuum energy. This model can simulate three phases of the acceleration field of the Universe, namely, (a) an inflationary epoch with a positive acceleration followed by a decrease of the acceleration field towards zero, (b) a past decelerated period where the acceleration field decreases to a maximum negative value followed by an increase towards zero, and (c) a present accelerated epoch. For the energy densities there exist also three distinct epochs which begin with a scalar field dominated period followed by a matter field dominated epoch and coming back to a scalar field dominated phase.     

Connecting dark energy to neutrinos with an observable Higgs triplet

To connect the scalar field (acceleron) responsible for dark energy to neutrinos, the usual strategy is to add unnaturally light neutral singlet fermions (right-handed neutrinos) to the Standard Model. A better choice is actually a Higgs triplet, through the coupling of the acceleron to the trilinear Higgs triplet–double–doublet interaction. This hypothesis predicts an easily observable doubly-charged Higgs boson at the forthcoming Large Hadron Collider (LHC).     

Neutrinos,axions and conformal symmetry

We demonstrate that radiative breaking of conformal symmetry (and simultaneously electroweak symmetry) in the standard model with right-chiral neutrinos and a minimally enlarged scalar sector induces spontaneous breaking of lepton number symmetry, which naturally gives rise to an axion-like particle with some unusual features. The couplings of this ‘axion’ to standard model particles, in particular photons and gluons, are entirely determined (and computable) via the conformal anomaly, and their smallness turns out to be directly related to the smallness of the masses of the light neutrinos.     

Scalar flux in a uniform mean scalar gradient in homogeneous isotropic steady turbulence

Statistics of a passive scalar flux in a uniform mean scalar gradient convected by homogeneous isotropic steady turbulence are numerically studied by using very high resolution direct numerical simulation. It is found that the Nusselt number increases in proportion to the Péclet number and that the one point probability density function of the scalar flux is negatively skewed and exponential, and is insensitive to the variation of the Péclet number. The scalar field is studied by visualization, and the ramp-cliff structure and the mesa-canyon structure are observed along the directions parallel and perpendicular to the mean scalar gradient, respectively. The probability density function of the scalar flux is theoretically computed and found to be in good agreement with the numerical results. A Lagrangian statistical theory for the scalar flux is developed, which predicts that the scalar transfer flux is given by the time integral of the Lagrangian velocity autocorrelation and increases in proportion to the Péclet number, which is consistent with the results of the direct numerical simulation. A physical explanation of the asymmetry of the scalar flux PDF is explored.     

Nonlinear propagation of neutrinos in a strongly magnetized medium

The nonlinear propagation of an intense neutrino flux in an electron-positron plasma with equilibrium density and magnetic field inhomogeneities is considered. It is found that the neutrinos are nonlinearly coupled with electrostatic and electromagnetic disturbances due to weak Fermi interaction and ponderomotive forces. The process is governed by a Klein-Gordon equation for the neutrino flux and a wave equation for the plasma oscillations in the presence of the ponderomotive force of the neutrinos. This pair of equations is then used to derive a nonlinear dispersion relation which exhibits that nonthermal electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations are created on account of the energy density of the neutrinos. The relevance of our investigation to the anomalous absorption of neutrinos in a nonuniform magnetized medium is pointed out.     

Lorentz invariance violation in modified gravity

We consider an environmentally dependent violation of Lorentz invariance in scalar–tensor models of modified gravity where General Relativity is retrieved locally thanks to a screening mechanism. We find that fermions have a modified dispersion relation and would go faster than light in an anisotropic and space-dependent way along the scalar field lines of force. Phenomenologically, these models are tightly restricted by the amount of Cerenkov radiation emitted by the superluminal particles, a constraint which is only satisfied by chameleons. Measuring the speed of neutrinos emitted radially from the surface of the earth and observed on the other side of the earth would probe the scalar field profile of modified gravity models in dense environments. We argue that the test of the equivalence principle provided by the Lunar ranging experiment implies that a deviation from the speed of light, for natural values of the coupling scale between the scalar field and fermions, would be below detectable levels, unless gravity is modified by camouflaged chameleons where the field normalisation is environmentally dependent.     

Dark energy and neutrino CPT-violation

In this paper we study dynamical CPT-violation in the neutrino sector as induced by the dark energy of the universe. Specifically we consider a dark energy model where the dark energy scalar derivatively interacts with the right-handed neutrinos. This type of derivative coupling leads to cosmological CPT-violation during the evolution of the background field of the dark energy. We calculate the induced CPT-violation of left-handed neutrinos and find that the CPT-violation produced in this way is consistent with the present experimental limit and sensitive to future neutrino oscillation experiments such as the neutrino factory. PACS 95.36.+x; 14.60.St     

The supersingleton II: Composite electrodynamics

A formulation of composite electrodynamics, with scalar singleton constituents, is here extended to a supersymmetric theory of composite photons and neutrinos, in which the (massless) neutrinos are composed of one each of the scalar and spinorial singletons. These particles interact with an arbitrary scalar matter superfield, with massive, charged components. The feasibility of an interaction that is gauge invariant (in the sense of singleton gauge invariance) arises from the use of unconventional quantization rules which, in turn, are available because singletons are kinematically confined.     

Oscillation of Dirac and Majorana neutrinos from muon decay in the case of a general interaction

We analyse the possibility of distinguishing Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in future neutrino factory experiments in which neutrinos are produced in muon decay when, in addition to a vector type as in the SM, there are also scalar interactions. We check this possibility in an experiment with a near detector, where the observed neutrinos do not oscillate, and in a far detector, after the neutrino oscillations. Neglecting higher-order corrections, even neutrino observation in the near detector does not give a chance to differentiate their character. However, this possibility appears in the leading-order after the neutrino oscillations observed in far detector.     

Neutrino flavor conversion in random magnetic fields

If massive neutrinos possess magnetic moments, a magnetic field can cause a spin flip. In the case of Dirac neutrinos the spin flip converts an active neutrino into a sterile one and vice versa. By constrast, if neutrinos are Majorana particles, a spin flip converts them to a neutrino of a different flavor. We examine the behavior of neutrinos in a random magnetic field as it occurs, for instance, in certain astronomical objects, such as an active galactic nucleus. Both Dirac and Majorana neutrinos behave ergodically: independently of their initial density matrix, they tend towards an equipartition of the helicity states. As a result, about half of the Dirac neutrinos produced becomes sterile. For Majorana neutrinos, there will be an approximate equipartition of flavors, independently of the production mechanism.     

Neutrino condensate as origin of dark energy

We propose a new solution to the origin of dark energy. We suggest that it was created dynamically from the condensate of a singlet neutrino at a late epoch of the early Universe through its effective self-interaction. This singlet neutrino is also the Dirac partner of one of the three observed neutrinos, hence dark energy is related to neutrino mass. The onset of this condensate formation in the early Universe is also related to matter density and offers an explanation of the coincidence problem of why dark energy (70%) and total matter (30%) are comparable at the present time. We demonstrate this idea in a model of neutrino mass with (right-handed) singlet neutrinos and a singlet scalar.     

Probing the origins of neutrino mass with supernova data

We study type II supernova signatures of neutrino mass generation via symmetry breaking at a scale in the range from keV to MeV. The scalar responsible for symmetry breaking is thermalized in the supernova core and restores the symmetry. The neutrinos from scalar decays have about half the average energy of thermal neutrinos. The Bose-Einstein distribution of the scalars can be established with a megaton water Cerenkov detector. The discovery of the bimodal neutrino flux is, however, well within the reach of the Super-Kamiokande detector, without a detailed knowledge of the supernova parameters.     

Detecting dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillations

In this paper, we discuss a possibility of studying properties of dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We consider two types of models of neutrino dark energy. For one type of models the scalar field is taken to be quintessence-like and for the other phantom-like. In these models the scalar fields couple to the neutrinos to give rise to spatially varying neutrino masses. We will show that the two types of models predict different behaviors of the spatial variation of the neutrino masses inside the Earth and consequently result in different signals in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.     

Detecting dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillations

In this paper, we discuss a possibility of studying properties of dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We consider two types of models of neutrino dark energy. For one type of models the scalar field is taken to be quintessence-like and for the other phantom-like. In these models the scalar fields couple to the neutrinos to give rise to spatially varying neutrino masses. We will show that the two types of models predict different behaviors of the spatial variation of the neutrino masses inside the Earth and consequently result in different signals in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.     

超子耦合参数对热前中子星物质的影响

在相对论平均场理论框架内,利用Λ超子的结合能和中子星质量的观测数据得到超子标量介子耦合参数χσ的范围是0.33—0.77。在这个范围内, 研究了χσ取不同值时, 包含核子, Λ和Ξ超子的热前中子星（固定单个重子熵s=1）的性质。结果表明, 如果超子耦合参数变大, 前中子星核心温度变高, 中微子丰度变低, 前中子星的亚稳态质量范围变小。如果χσ超过了0.75, 前中子星不可能演变成黑洞。联系SN1987A讨论了这一结果的意义。In the framework of the relativistic mean field theory(RMFT), protoneutron stars with hyperons are studied. To be compatible with neutron star masses, the hyperon scalar coupling χσ should lie in the range of 0.33—0.77. As the hyperon scalar coupling increases, in protoneutron star matter, the core temperature increases whereas the abundance of neutrinos decreases. The metastable mass range of protoneutron stars narrows as the temperature increases. It is found that a protoneutron star cannot subside into a low mass black hole when χσ>0.75. Furthermore, the case of SN1987A is discussed.