Physics possibilities at India-based Neutrino Observatory

In this talk I review the physics possible at India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). I discuss the improvement in the precision of currently known quantities and the possibility measuring the presently unknown quantities.     

Quantum Mechanics of Neutrino Oscillations

We present a simple but general treatment of neutrino oscillations in the framework of quantum mechanics, using plane waves and intuitive wave packet principles when necessary. We attempt to clarify some confusing statements that have recently appeared in the literature.     

中微子振荡与中微子的静止质量

简要回顾了中微子的发现过程,论述了中微子的基本性质及三种不同类型的中微子,讨论了中微子振荡的最新实验结果及其与中微子静止质量的关系,指出了中微子的静止质量在物理学与天文学中的重要性以及确定中微子的静止质量有待进一步解决的问题。     

Oscillations Do Not Distinguish Between Massive and Tachyonic Neutrinos

It is shown that the hypothesis of tachyonic neutrinos leads to the same oscillations effect as if they were usual massive particles. Therefore, the experimental evidence of neutrino oscillations does not distinguish between massive and tachyonic neutrinos. Thus, in view of the fact that the results of the direct neutrino mass measurements are not decisive, the question about the nature of neutrinos remains still open.     

Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay and Neutrino Mass Spectrum

Implications of the neutrinoless double-beta (₀) decay searches for the neutrino mass and mixing spectrum are discussed. We consider properties of the effective Majorana mass, m _ee, relevant for ₀ decay. We find predictions or limits for m _ee in the three neutrino schemes which explain the atmospheric and solar neutrino data. We show how combined analysis of results from ₀-decay searches, oscillation experiments as well as direct measurements of neutrino mass will allow to identify the spectrum. In this connection, several test equalities which relate m _ee and the oscillation parameters in the context of certain neutrino spectra are suggested. Two issues are important for realization of the identification program: (i) high enough accuracy of determination of m _ee which requires reliable knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements, and (ii) possibility to identify the mechanism of the ₀ decay, in particular, to disentangle the decay due to exchange of the light Majorana neutrino and mechanisms related to exchange of heavy particles with m1/r _nuclei.     

Preliminary results from India-based Neutrino Observatory detector R&;D programme

We are currently developing and studying the performance of glass RPC prototypes, under the INO detector R&D programme. While we were successful in building and characterising a large number of chambers using local glass, these have met with severe aging problems after a few months of continuous operation. We have then built a couple of RPCs using a Japanese glass. We report in this paper on our long term stability tests of these RPCs. We also present some of our recent results on tracking of cosmic ray muons in a stack of glass RPCs. India-based Neutrino Observatory Collaboration     

Optimization of Neutrino Oscillation Parameters Using Differential Evolution

We show how the traditional grid based method for finding neutrino oscillation parameters m2 and tan 2θ can be combined with an optimization technique,Differential Evolution(DE),to get a significant decrease in computer processing time required to obtain minimal chi-square(χ2) in four different regions of the parameter space.We demonstrate efficiency for the two-neutrinos case.For this,the χ2 function for neutrino oscillations is evaluated for grids with different density of points in standard allowed regions of the parameter space of m2 and tan 2θ using experimental and theoretical total event rates of chlorine(Homestake),Gallex+GNO,SAGE,Superkamiokande,and SNO detectors.We find that using DE in combination with the grid based method with small density of points can produce the results comparable with the one obtained using high density grid,in much lesser computation time.     

中微子振荡的发现及未来

2015年诺贝尔物理学奖授予日本物理学家·田隆章和加拿大物理学家阿瑟·麦克唐纳,奖励他们发现中微子振荡现象,从而证明中微子具有非零的静止质量。这是粒子物理学唯一具有确凿实验证据的超出标准模型的新物理现象,改变了人类对物质世界基本规律的认识。文章将回顾中微子振荡现象的发现过程,介绍太阳中微子和大气中微子振荡实验的实验结果和理论解释,以及近期反应堆和加速器中微子振荡的研究成果,并展望中微子研究的前景。     

Nuclear Responses for Neutrinos and Mo Observatory of Neutrinos

Nuclear responses for neutrinos and neutrino studies in Mo nuclei are briefly reported. Nuclear spin-isospin responses for neutrinos are crucial for neutrino studies in nuclei. Spin-isospin responses for solar neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and neutrinos involved in double-beta decays are discussed. It is of great interest to study neutrino masses and low energy solar neutrinos. It is shown that it is possible to carry out with ¹⁰⁰Mo both spectroscopic studies of double-beta decays with the sensitivity of the order of m 0.03eV and real-time exclusive studies of the low energy solar neutrinos.     

Solar neutrino oscillation diagnostics at SuperKamiokande and Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Results for solar neutrino detection from the SuperKamiokande collaboration have been presented recently while those from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are expected in the near future. These experiments are sensitive to the⁸B neutrinos from the sun, the shape of whose spectrum is well-known but the normalization is less certain. We propose several variables, insensitive to the absolute flux of the incident beam, which probe the shape of the observed spectrum and can sensitively signal neutrino oscillations. They provide methods to extract the neutrino mixing angle and mass splitting from the data and also to distinguish oscillation to sequential neutrinos from those to a sterile neutrino.     

Working group report: Neutrino physics

This is the report of the neutrino physics working group at WHEPP-X. We summarize the problems selected and discussed at the workshop and the papers which have resulted subsequently.      

Three flavour oscillation interpretation of neutrino data

I consider the mixing of the three active neutrino flavours and obtain the constraints on the parameters of this mixing from the solar, atmospheric and reactor neutrino data.     

Discriminating neutrino mass models using type-II see-saw formula

An attempt has been made to discriminate theoretically the three possible patterns of neutrino mass models,viz., degenerate, inverted hierarchical and normal hierachical models, within the framework of Type-II see-saw formula. From detailed numerical analysis we are able to arrive at a conclusion that the inverted hierarchical model with the same CP phase (referred to as Type [IIA]), appears to be most favourable to survive in nature (and hence most stable), with the normal hierarchical model (Type [III]) and inverted hierarchical model with opposite CP phase (Type [IIB]), follow next. The degenerate models (Types [IA,IB,IC]) are found to be most unstable. The neutrino mass matrices which are obtained using the usual canonical see-saw formula (Type I), and which also give almost good predictions of neutrino masses and mixings consistent with the latest neutrino oscillation data, are re-examined in the presence of the left-handed Higgs triplet within the framework of non-canonical see-saw formula (Type II). We then estimate a parameter (the so-called discriminator) which may represent the minimum degree of suppression of the extra term arising from the presence of left-handed Higgs triplet, so as to restore the good predictions on neutrino masses and mixings already acquired in Type-I see-saw model. The neutrino mass model is said to be favourable and hence stable when its canonical see-saw term dominates over the non-canonical (perturbative) term, and this condition is used here as a criterion for discriminating neutrino mass models.     

Matter Effects on Neutrino Oscillations in Different Supernova Models

In recent years,with the development of simulations about supernova explosion,we have a better understanding about the density profiles and the shock waves in supernovae than before.There might be a reverse shock wave,another sudden change of density except the forward shock wave,or even no shock wave,emerging in the supernova.Instead of using the expression of the crossing probability at the high resonance,PH,we have studied the matter effects on neutrino oscillations in different supernova models.In detail,we have calculated the survival probability of νe(P_s)and the conversion probability of ν_x(P_c) in the Schrodinger equation within a simplified two-flavor framework for a certain case,in which the neutrino transfers through the supernova matter from an initial flavor eigenstate located at the core of the supernova.Our calculations was based on the data of density in three different supernova models obtained from simulations.In our work,we do not steepen the density gradient around the border of the shock wave,which differs to what was done in most of the other simulations.It is found that the mass and the density distribution of the supernova do make a difference on the behavior of P_s and P_c.With the results of P_s and P_c,we can estimate the number of νe(and ν_x) remained in the beam after they go through the matter in the supernova.     

Neutrino Oscillations in Exotic Geometries and the Equivalence Principle Violation

Taking into account the violation of the equivalence principle, we analyze the propagation of neutrinos in the gravitational field generated by wormholes. The analysis is performed for massive and massless neutrinos. By using the constraints on the (negative) mass of wormholes, which is of the order of stellar-substellar masses, we determine constraints on f which characterizes the degree of violation of the equivalence principle.     

TEXONO低能中微子实验中的CsI(T1)晶体探测器

TEXONO合作组首次采用CsI(T1)晶体测量反应堆中微子的能量、通量和反常磁矩,描述了实验的基本原理,探测器结构及其性能.     

Neutrino Mass Generation in SO(4) Model

Generation of neutrino mass in SO(4) model is proposed here. Thealgebraic structure of SO(4) is same as to that of SU(2)_L ×SU(2)_R. It is shown that the spontaneous symmetry breaking results three massive as well as three massless gauge bosons. The standard model theory according to which there exist three massive gauge bosons and a massless one is emergedfrom this model. In the framework of SU(2)_L × SU(2)_R a small Dirac neutrino mass is derived. It is also shown that such mass term may vanish with a special choice. The Majorana mass term is not considered here and thus in this model the neutrino mass does not follow seesaw structure.