Final results from the ντ appearance search in the NOMAD experiment

An updated analysis of the full NOMAD data corresponding to 1.35 × 10⁶ charged current interactions has been performed to search for neutrino oscillations through ν_τ appearance. This document updates the recently published results on the ν_μ → ν_τ and ν_μ → ν_e oscillations search in NOMAD [1] with a unified analysis of the hadronic channels.     

Further evidence for neutrino oscillations from LSND: the νμ → νe decay-in-flight channel

A search for ν_μ → ν_e oscillations has been conducted at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) using ν_μ from π⁺ decay in flight. An excess in the number of beam-related events from the ν_e C → e⁻ X inclusive reaction is observed. The excess is too large to be explained by normal ν_e contamination in the beam at a confidence level greater than 99%. If interpreted as an oscillation signal, the observed oscillation probability of (2.6 ± 1.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁻³ is consistent with the previously reported oscillation evidence from LSND.     

Short baseline projects

In a search for ν_μ → ν_e oscillations, the LSND experiment has observed an excess of events which are consistent with an oscillation signal. The KARMEN experiment, which is the only ongoing experiment which can test the LSND hypothesis, does not observe an excess, but also does not cover the full LSND allowed region. In this report, the results of these two experiments are discussed, together with the expectations of the MiniBooNE experiment which has been approved to run at FNAL in 2001. MiniBooNE's goal is to definitely verify or disprove the LSND oscillation hypothesis. Finally, the implications of the experimental techniques developed for current short baseline experiments for a future short baseline program, assuming the verification of the LSND signal, is also discussed.     

Soft photon problem in leptonic B-decays

We point out at the peculiarity of B→μν_μ decay, namely the enhancement of the soft photon events which originate from the structure dependent part of the B→μν_μγ amplitude. This may be a dominant source of systematic uncertainty and compromise the projected experimental uncertainty on Γ(B→μν_μ). We show that the effect of these soft photons can be controlled if the experimental cut on identification of soft photons is lowered and especially if the better resolution in identifying the momentum of muon emerging from B→μν_μ is made. A lattice QCD computation of the relevant form factors would be highly helpful for a better numerical control over the structure dependent soft photon emission.     

KARMEN: Neutrino oscillation limits and new results with the upgrade

The neutrino experiment KARMEN is situated at the beam stop neutrino source ISIS which provides ν_μ's, ν_e's and from the π⁺−μ⁺-decay at rest. The oscillation channels ν_{μ → νe} and are investigated with a 56 t liquid scintillation calorimeter. No evidence for oscillations could be found with KARMEN, resulting in 90% CL exclusion limits of sin²(2Θ) < 8.5 · 10⁻³ ( ) and sin²(2Θ) < 4.0 · 10⁻² (ν_μ → ν_e) for Δm² > 100 eV². In 1996, the experiment has been upgraded by an additional veto counting system with a total coverage of 300 m². The new system allows the identification of cosmic muons in the vicinity of the detector. Vetoing these muons suppresses energetic neutrons from deep inelastic scattering of muons as well as from μ-capture by a factor of 40. Up to 1996, these neutrons represented the main background for oscillation search. The experimental sensitivity for will be significantly enhanced towards sin²(2Θ) 1.0 · 10⁻³ after a further measuring period of 2–3 years.     

Status of the CHORUS neutrino oscillation experiment

The CHORUS experiment is designed to search for ν_μ → ν_τ oscillation with a hybrid detector system containing 800 kg nuclear emulsions as target and vertex detector. Run I (320 000 recorded ν_μCC in 1994/5) and more than half of the run II (460 000 ν_μCC in 1996/7) data taking have been successfully completed. Approximately 80 000 events have been analyzed so far, searching for and τ⁻ → h⁻ (nπ⁰) ν_τ decays. No candidate has been found, leading to a limit sin² 2θ_μτ ≤ 4.5 10⁻³ for large Δm².     

Future atmospheric neutrino data from Super-Kamiokande

Expected sensitivity of future atmospheric neutrino data from Super-Kamiokande on neutrino oscillation physics is discussed. We expect that the accuracy of the sin ²θ₂₃ measurement will be improved with (exposure time) . By analyzing high energy fully contained events, it could be possible to statistically demonstrate the existence of charged current ν_τ interactions at the 3 standard deviation level with a few more years of data. Subdominant ν_μ → ν_e oscillations could be observed if θ₁₃ is near the present limit. However, significantly more data will be required to observe a 3 standard deviation effect.     

Non-standard neutrino interactions in the Zee–Babu model

We investigate non-standard neutrino interactions (NSIs) in the Zee–Babu model. The size of NSIs predicted by this model is obtained from a full scan over the parameter space, taking into account constraints from low-energy experiments such as searches for lepton flavor violation (LFV) and the requirement to obtain a viable neutrino mass matrix. The dependence on the scale of new physics as well as on the type of the neutrino mass hierarchy is discussed. We find that NSIs at the source of a future neutrino factory may be at an observable level in the ν_e→ν_τ and/or ν_μ→ν_τ channels. In particular, if the doubly charged scalar of the model has a mass in reach of the LHC and if the neutrino mass hierarchy is inverted, a highly predictive scenario is obtained with observable signals at the LHC, in upcoming neutrino oscillation experiments, in LFV processes, and for NSIs at a neutrino factory.     

Direct measurement of the pseudoscalar decay constant

The absolute branching fraction for the decay D⁺→μ⁺ν has been directly measured based on a data sample of about 33 pb⁻¹ collected around with the BES-II detector at the BEPC collider. A total of 5321±149±160 D⁻ mesons are reconstructed in nine hadronic decay modes. In the system recoiling against these singly tagged D⁻ mesons, 2.67±1.74 purely leptonic decay events of D⁺→μ⁺ν_μ are observed. Those yield the branching fraction of , and a corresponding value of the pseudoscalar decay constant .     

Experimental measurements of atmospheric neutrinos

This talk reports the latest indications of an anomaly in the measurements of atmospheric neutrinos. New results from Soudan-2 and Super-Kamiokande provide evidence that the ratio of ν_μ to ν_e interactions is not as expected. High energy Super-Kamiokande data indicates the cause is a deficit of upward-going ν_μ, and the zenith angle dependence of the effect is consistent with neutrino oscillations. Upward-going muon measurements by several detectors are discussed, but in total they provide inconclusive evidence for the anomaly.     

Large leptonic flavour mixing and the mass spectrum of leptons

Implications of a simple model for the mass generation of leptons are studied, in particular for the upcoming long-baseline neutrino experiments. The flavour mixing angles are large (nearly maximal). The probability for the long-baseline ν_μ↔ν_e oscillation is predicted to be about 1%.     

Transition dipole moment measurements for the ν2 band of NH3 with molecular beam laser Stark spectroscopy

Rabi oscillations were observed in the ASR(110), ΔM = 0 and ASQ(222), ΔM = 0 transitions of the ν₂ band of ¹⁴NH₃ in a molecular beam crossed by a CO₂ laser beam. The frequency (in terms of the laser field amplitude) of the oscillations was used to determine the transition dipole moment of the ν₂ band, yielding μ_s←a = 0.261 ± 0.006 D. The hyperfine structure due to the electric quadrupole interaction of the nitrogen nucleus was clearly resolved.     

Limits on the neutrino magnetic moment from solar neutrino experiments

If neutrinos have non-vanishing mass and non-vanishing magnetic moments, then electron neutrinos emitted in nuclear reactions in the solar interior may undergo flavour oscillations, spin precession or resonant spin-flavour precession. Assuming equal values for the magnetic moments of all neutrino flavours and using the data from Homestake and SuperKamiokande we obtain an upper limit on the neutrino magnetic moment and find μ_νe ≤ (2.2 − 2.3) × 10⁻¹⁰μ_B, within four standard solar models. We also point out that this limit may be further reduced if the detector threshold energy for the ν_e,χe⁻ scattering is decreased.     

Extracting (α/π) Σa,μνGμνGμν from gauge theories on a lattice

The quantity G = (α/π) Σ_a,μνG_μν^aG_μν^a is extracted from Monte Carlo data for SU(2) lattice gauge theory We find G = 0.015 ± 0.002 GeV⁴.     

Bounds on sterile neutrino mixing for cosmologically interesting mass range

This talk summarizes our recent work which studied the impact of resonant ν_e → ν_s and (ν_s is a sterile neutrino) conversions on supernova physics, under the assumption that the mass of the sterile state is in the few eV -cosmologically significant range.     

The Palo Verde reactor neutrino experiment a test for long baseline neutrino oscillations

Our collaboration has installed a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona. 12 tons of Gd loaded liquid scintillator, in a segmented detector, are used to search for oscillations at 740 m distance to three reactors. The anti-neutrino capture on the proton serves as detection reaction. The experiment is expected to reach a sensitivity of Δm² > 1.3 · 10⁻³ eV² and sin²2Θ > 0.1. Our range of sensitivity is tuned to test the ν_μ ↔ ν_e solution of the atmospheric neutrino anomaly.     

ATLAS discovery potential for a heavy charged Higgs boson

The sensitivity of the ATLAS detector to the discovery of a heavy charged Higgs boson is presented. Assuming a heavy SUSY spectrum, the most promising channels above the top quark mass are H^± → tb and H^± → τ^±ν_τ which provide coverage in the low and high tanβ regions up to ∼ 600 GeV. The achievable precisions on the charged Higgs mass and tanβ determination are also discussed. The H^± → W^± h⁰ channel, though restricted to a small MSSM parameter space, shows a viable signal in NMSSM where the parameter space is less constrained. The observation of the channel H⁻ → τ⁻_L ν_τ + c.c. may constitute a distinctive evidence for models with singlet neutrinos in large extra dimensions.     

Neutrino mixing and see-saw mechanism

Models of neutrino masses are discussed capable of explaining in a natural way the maximal mixing between ν_μ and ν_τ observed by the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration. For three generations of leptons two classes of such models are found implying: a) Δm₂₃²Δm₁₂²≈Δm₁₃² and a small mixing between ν_e and the other two neutrinos, b) Δm₁₂²Δm₁₃²≈Δm₂₃² and a nearly maximal mixing for solar neutrino oscillations in vacuum.     

Studies of the quantum Hall to quantum Hall insulator transition in InSb-based 2DESs

The temperature dependence of ρ_xx is studied in the vicinity of the quantum Hall to quantum Hall insulator transition (ν=1→0) in InSb/InAlSb based 2DESs. ρ_xx displays a symmetric temperature dependence about the transition with on the QH side and on the insulating side. A plot of 1/T₀ for successive ν displays power-law divergence with 1/T₀∝|ν−ν_c|^−γ,² with γ=2.2±0.3. This critical behavior in addition to the behavior expected of the quantum transport regime confirms that the QH/QHI transition is indeed a good quantum phase transition.     

An energy-momentum tensor in gauge theories

We consider the renormalization of the twist two, dimension four gauge invariant operator O_μν⁽¹⁾ = − F_μσF_νσ − g_{μν 0}. By using the general theory of renormalization of gauge invariant operators, we find the gauge noninvariant operator O⁽²⁾ with which it mixes. We construct a finite combination of O⁽¹⁾ and O⁽²⁾ and show that it is an acceptable energy momentum tensor for gauge theories. We compare our energy momentum tensor with that constructed by Freedman, Muzinich, and Weinberg.