Contributed report: Flavor anarchy for Majorana neutrinos

We argue that neutrino flavor parameters may exhibit features that are very different from those of quarks and charged leptons. Specifically, within the Proggatt-Nielsen (FN) framework, charged fermion parameters depend on the ratio between two scales, while for neutrinos a third scale — that of lepton number breaking — is involved. Consequently, the selection rules for neutrinos may be different. In particular, if the scale of lepton number breaking is similar to the scale of horizontal symmetry breaking, neutrinos may become flavor-blind even if they carry different horizontal charges. This provides an attractive mechanism for neutrino flavor anarchy.     

Analysis of neutrino mass, mixing and flavor change

Established results on neutrino mass, mixing and flavor change (as of 2009) are briefly reviewed. Status and prospects of unknown neutrino properties (smallest mixing angle, Dirac/Majorana nature, absolute masses and their hierarchy) are also discussed.     

Probing the mechanism of neutrinoless double beta decay with SuperNEMO

The SuperNEMO experiment is being designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Its experimental technique of tracking and calorimetry provides the means to discriminate different underlying mechanisms for neutrinoless double beta decay by measuring the angular and energy distributions of electrons. The results of a study by the SuperNEMO Collaboration and F. Deppisch (in preparation) [7] for identifying light Majorana neutrino exchange and right-handed currents are presented.     

Neutrino masses and flavor mixing

We study a model for the mass matrices of the leptons, based on texture zero elements. We are able to relate the mass eigenvalues of the charged leptons and of the neutrinos to the mixing angles, and can predict the masses of the neutrinos. We find a normal hierarchy—the masses are 0.005 eV, 0.01 eV and 0.05 eV. Predictions for the double beta decay and the reactor neutrino experiments are made.     

Flavour mixing of neutrinos and baryon asymmetry of the universe

We investigate baryogenesis in the ν  MSM, which is the Minimal Standard Model (MSM) extended by three right-handed neutrinos with Majorana masses smaller than the weak scale. In this model the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU) is generated via flavour oscillation between right-handed neutrinos. We consider the case when BAU is solely originated from the CP violation in the mixing matrix of active neutrinos. We perform analytical and numerical estimations of the yield of BAU, and show how BAU depends on mixing angles and CP violating phases. It is found that the asymmetry in the inverted hierarchy for neutrino masses receives a suppression factor of about 4% comparing with the normal hierarchy case. It is, however, pointed out that, when θ₁₃=0${\theta }_{13}=0$ and θ₂₃=π/4${\theta }_{23}=\pi /4$, baryogenesis in the normal hierarchy becomes ineffective, and hence the inverted hierarchy case becomes significant to account for the present BAU.     

Neutrinoless double beta decay studied with configuration mixing methods

We study neutrinoless double beta decay of several isotopes with state-of-the-art beyond self-consistent mean field methods to compute the nuclear matrix elements (NME). The generating coordinate method with particle number and angular momentum projection (GCM +PNAMP) is used for finding mother and granddaughter states and evaluating transition operators between different nuclei. We analyze explicitly the role of the deformation, pairing and configuration mixing in the evaluation of the NME.     

无中微子双贝塔衰变：寻找马约拉纳中微子之路

无中微子双贝塔衰变是目前粒子物理与核物理学家积极寻找的一种极其稀有的原子核衰变模式。它的发现将验证中微子是否是其本身的反粒子,也就是通常指的马约拉纳费米子。同时这一物理过程破坏轻子数守恒,也可以为宇宙初期的正反物质不对称性提供重要的条件。鉴于其极重要的物理意义,国际上多个实验组利用不同的探测器技术,在多种不同的目标同位素中寻找这一突破粒子物理标准模型的稀有衰变。目前主流实验还未发现确定的无中微子双贝塔衰变信号,但对其半衰期的限制已经达到了10²⁶年量级。国内近期也开展了一系列预研实验,期望在未来几年内可以确定一到两个切实可行的实验方案,开展吨级实验。     

Bounds on neutrino mixing with exotic singlet neutrinos

We examine the effects of mixing induced non-diagonal light-heavy neutrino weak neutral currents on the amplitude for the process (with a=e, μ or τ). By imposing constraint that the amplitude should not exceed the perturbative unitarity limit at high energy , we obtain bounds on light-heavy neutrino mixing parameter sin² where is the mixing angle. In the case of one heavy neutrino (mass mξ) or mass degenerate heavy neutrinos, for Λ=1 TeV, no bound is obtained for mξ<0.50 TeV. However, sin² ≤3.8 × 10⁻⁶ for mξ=5 TeV and sin ≤6.0 × 10⁻⁸ for mξ=10 TeV. For Λ=∞, no constraint is obtained for mξ<0.99 TeV and sin² ≤3.8 × 10⁻² (for mξ=5 TeV) and sin² ≤9.6 × 10⁻³ (for mξ=10 TeV).     

Resonance enhancement of neutrinoless double electron capture

The process of neutrinoless double electron (0νECEC$0\nu \text{ECEC}$) capture is revisited for those cases where the two participating atoms are nearly degenerate in mass. The theoretical framework is the formalism of an oscillation of two atoms with different total lepton number (and parity), one of which can be in an excited state so that mass degeneracy is realized. In such a case and assuming light Majorana neutrinos, the two atoms will be in a mixed configuration with respect to the weak interaction. A resonant enhancement of transitions between such pairs of atoms will occur, which could be detected by the subsequent electromagnetic de-excitation of the excited state of the daughter atom and nucleus. Available data of atomic masses, as well as nuclear and atomic excitations are used to select the most likely candidates for the resonant transitions. Assuming an effective mass for the Majorana neutrino of 1 eV, some half-lives are predicted to be as low as 10²² years in the unitary limit. It is argued that, in order to obtain more accurate predictions for the 0νECEC$0\nu \text{ECEC}$ half-lives, precision mass measurements of the atoms involved are necessary, which can readily be accomplished by today?s high precision Penning traps. Further advancements also require a better understanding of high-lying excited states of the final nuclei (i.e. excitation energy, angular momentum and parity) and the calculation of the nuclear matrix elements.     

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.     

Phenomenology of neutrino oscillations

The phenomenology of solar, atmospheric, supernova and laboratory neutrino oscillations is described. Analytical formulae for matter effects are reviewed. The results from oscillations are confronted with neutrinoless double beta decay.     

Finite quantum corrections to the tribimaximal neutrino mixing

We calculate finite   quantum corrections to the tribimaximal neutrino mixing pattern VTB$V_{\mathrm{TB}}$ in three generic classes of neutrino mass models. We show that three flavor mixing angles can all depart from their tree-level results described by VTB$V_{\mathrm{TB}}$, among which θ₁₂${\theta }_{12}$ is most sensitive to such quantum effects, and the Dirac CP-violating phase can radiatively arise from two Majorana CP-violating phases. This theoretical scheme offers a new way to understand why θ₁₃${\theta }_{13}$ is naturally small and how three CP-violating phases are presumably correlated.     

Time-modulation of entangled two-body weak decays with massive neutrinos

In recent experiments at the GSI, Darmstadt, time-modulated orbital Electron Capture (EC) decays of H-like ¹⁴⁰Pr⁵⁸⁺, ¹⁴²Pm⁶⁰⁺, and ¹²²I⁵²⁺ ions with one electron in the K-shell, coasting in the ESR storage ring with velocity β=0.71, were observed. The EC-branches show exponential decay curves time-modulated with period T=7.06(8) s and amplitude a=0.18(3) for ¹⁴⁰Pr decays, T=7.10(22) s and a=0.23(4) for ¹⁴²Pm decays, and T=6.04(6) s and a=0.19(3) for ¹²²I (preliminary) decays in the laboratory frame. The simultaneously measured β⁺ branch of ¹⁴²Pm shows no modulation with a<0.03. We discuss here as origin of the modulation quantum beats produced by the superposition of massive neutrino, mass eigenstates emitted in the entangled two body weak decay. From the modulation frequency a value for the difference of the quadratic mass values is deduced, which is 2.9 times larger than the value derived by the KamLAND antineutrino oscillation experiment. The origin of the small modulation amplitudes is discussed as the result of a partial restoration of the interference terms which are expected to cancel for the usual assumed unitarity of the neutrino flavor mixing matrix.     

Realizing tri-bimaximal mixing in minimal seesaw model with S4 family symmetry

In this Letter, we realize the tri-bimaximal mixing in the lepton sector in the context of minimal seesaw in which only two right-handed neutrinos are introduced, with the discrete group S4 as the family symmetry. In order to constrain the form of superpotential, a Z3 symmetry is also introduced. In the model, the mass matrices for charged leptons and right-handed neutrinos are diagonal. The unitary matrix that diagonalizes the light Majorana neutrino mass matrix is exact tri-bimaximal at LO, and is corrected by small quantities of O(0.01) at NLO. The mechanism to get the particular scalar VEV alignments used is also presented. Phenomenologically, the mass spectrum is of normal hierarchy with m₁=0, and ∑mi and |mee| are about 0.058 eV and 0.003 eV respectively.     

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay: Status of Evidence

The present experimental status in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay is reviewed, with emphasis on the first indication for neutrinoless double beta decay found in the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment, giving first evidence for lepton number violation and a Majorana nature of the neutrinos. Future perspectives of the field are briefly outlined.     

Segmented HPGe detectors for the search of neutrinoless double beta-decay

Neutrinoless double beta-decay (0vbb-decay) is the most promising approach to distinguish between the possibilities of a Dirac or a Majorana nature of neutrinos. Additionally, a measurement of the half-life of 0vbb-decay can give information on the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. At the moment HPGe detectors yield the most sensitive limits on this Lepton-number violating process. The segmentation of HPGe detectors increases the experimental sensitivity by allowing the reconstruction of event topologies. The successful operation of prototype detectors submerged in cryoliquid demonstrates the viability of this experimental approach.     

Perturbation theory of neutrino oscillations with and without nonstandard interactions

After making brief comments on the Kamioka-Korea two-detector setting, I delivered a pedagogical seminar on perturbation theory of neutrino oscillations with and without nonstandard interactions. I also described a general property of neutrino flavor transformation of such a system which includes useful relationships between S matrix elements and a phase reduction theorem.     

Nearest-neighbour interaction from an Abelian symmetry and deviations from Hermiticity

We show that Nearest-Neighbour Interaction (NNI) textures for the quark mass matrices can be obtained through the introduction of an Abelian flavour symmetry. The minimal realisation requires a Z₄${\mathsf{Z}}_4$ symmetry in the context of a two Higgs doublet model. It is further shown that the NNI textures can be in agreement with all present experimental data on quark masses and mixings, provided one allows for deviations of Hermiticity in the quark mass matrices at the 20% level.     

Weak basis transformations and texture zeros in the leptonic sector

We investigate the physical meaning of some of the texture zeros which appear in most of the ansatzes on leptonic masses and their mixing. It is shown that starting from arbitrary lepton mass matrices and making suitable weak basis transformations one can obtain some of these sets of zeros, which therefore have no physical content. We then analyse four-zero texture ansatzes where the charged lepton and neutrino mass matrices have the same structure. The four texture zeros cannot be obtained simultaneously through weak basis transformations, so these ansatzes do have physical content. We show that they can be separated into four classes and study the physical implications of each class.