Non-unitary neutrino mixing and CP violation in the minimal inverse seesaw model

We propose a simplified version of the inverse seesaw model, in which only two pairs of the gauge-singlet neutrinos are introduced, to interpret the observed neutrino mass hierarchy and lepton flavor mixing at or below the TeV scale. This “minimal” inverse seesaw scenario (MISS) is technically natural and experimentally testable. In particular, we show that the effective parameters describing the non-unitary neutrino mixing matrix are strongly correlated in the MISS, and thus, their upper bounds can be constrained by current experimental data in a more restrictive way. The Jarlskog invariants of non-unitary CP violation are calculated, and the discovery potential of such new CP-violating effects in the near detector of a neutrino factory is discussed.     

Threshold effects on renormalization group running of neutrino parameters in the low-scale seesaw model

We show that, in the low-scale type-I seesaw model, renormalization group running of neutrino parameters may lead to significant modifications of the leptonic mixing angles in view of so-called seesaw threshold effects. Especially, we derive analytical formulas for radiative corrections to neutrino parameters in crossing the different seesaw thresholds, and show that there may exist enhancement factors efficiently boosting the renormalization group running of the leptonic mixing angles. We find that, as a result of the seesaw threshold corrections to the leptonic mixing angles, various flavor symmetric mixing patterns (e.g., bi-maximal and tri-bimaximal mixing patterns) can be easily accommodated at relatively low energy scales, which is well within the reach of running and forthcoming experiments (e.g., the LHC).     

Meeting the constraint of neutrino—Higgsino mixing in gravity unified theories

In gravity unified theories all operators that are consistent with the local gauge and discrete symmetries are expected to arise in the effective low-energy theory. Given the absence of multiplets like 126 of SO(10) in string models, and assuming that B - L is violated spontaneously to generate light neutrino masses via a seesaw mechanism, it is observed that string theory solutions generically face the problem of producing an excessive mixing mass at the GUT scale, which is some nineteen orders of magnitude larger than the experimental bound of 1 MeV. The suppression of mixing, like proton longevity, thus provides one of the most severe constraints on the validity of any string theory solution. We examine this problem in a class of superstring derived models. We find a family of solutions within this class for which the symmetries of the models and an allowed pattern of VEVs, surprisingly, succeed in adequately suppressing the neutrino-Higgsino mixing terms. At the same time they produce the terms required to generate small neutrino masses via a seesaw mechanism.     

The top quark mass and flavour mixing in a seesaw model of quark masses

The top quark mass and the flavour mixing are studied in the context of a seesaw model of quark masses based on the gauge group SU(2)_L × SU(2)_R × U(1). Six isosinglet quarks are introduced to give rise to the mass hierarchy of ordinary quarks. In this scheme, we reexamine a mechanism for the generation of the top quark mass. It is shown that, in order to prevent the seesaw mechanism to act for the top quark, the mass parameter of its isosinglet partner must be much smaller than the breaking scale of SU(2)_R. As a result the fourth lightest up quark must have a mass of the order of the breaking scale of SU(2)_R, and a large mixing between the right-handed top quark and its singlet partner occurs. We also show that this mechanism is compatible with the mass spectrum of light quarks and their flavour mixing.     

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.     

A4-based tri-bimaximal mixing within inverse and linear seesaw schemes

We consider tri-bimaximal lepton mixing within low-scale seesaw schemes where light neutrino masses arise from TeV scale physics, potentially accessible at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Two examples are considered, based on the A₄$A_4$ flavor symmetry realized within the inverse or the linear seesaw mechanisms. Both are highly predictive so that in both the light neutrino sector effectively depends only on three mass parameters and one Majorana phase, with no CP violation in neutrino oscillations. We find that the linear seesaw leads to a lower bound for neutrinoless double beta decay while the inverse seesaw does not. The models also lead to potentially sizeable decay rates for lepton flavor violating processes, tightly related by the assumed flavor symmetry.     

Distinguishable RGE Running Effects Between Dirac Neutrinos and Majorana Neutrinos with Vanishing Majorana CP-Violating Phases

In a novel parametrization of neutrino mixing and in the approximation of τ-lepton dominance, we show that the one-loop renormalization-group equations （RGEs） of Dirac neutrinos are different from those of Majorana neutrinos even if two Majorana CP-violating phases vanish. As the latter can keep vanishing from the electroweak scale to the typical seesaw scale, it makes sense to distinguish between the RGE running effects of neutrino mixing parameters in Dirac and Majorana cases. The differences are found to be quite large in the minimal supersymmetric standard model with sizable tan β, provided the masses of three neutrinos are nearly degenerate or have an inverted hierarchy.     

Leptogenesis in flavor models with type I and II seesaws

In type I seesaw models with flavor symmetries accounting for the lepton mixing angles the CP asymmetry in right-handed neutrino decays vanishes in the limit in which the mixing pattern is exact. We study the implications that additional degrees of freedom from type II seesaw may have for leptogenesis in such a limit. We classify in a model independent way the possible realizations of type I and II seesaw schemes, differentiating between classes in which leptogenesis is viable or not. We point out that even with the interplay of type I and II seesaws there are generic classes of minimal models in which the CP asymmetry vanishes. Finally we analyze the generation of the lepton asymmetry by solving the corresponding kinetic equations in the general case of a mild hierarchy between the light right-handed neutrino and the scalar triplet masses. We identify the possible scenarios in which leptogenesis can take place.     

Neutrino Mixing in the BLMSSM

Abstract In recent years, a nonzero value for the neutrino mixing angle θ13 has been successively measured by the international famous reactor oscillation experiments, which is greater than 5 standard deviations. Our study is in the framework of the MSSM, where baryon and lepton numbers are local gauged symmetries （BLMSSM）. This model can generate three tiny neutrino masses at the tree level through TeV scale seesaw mechanism. In our paper, we analyze the neutrino masses and their corresponding mixing angles with a ＂top-down＂ method, assuming neutrino mass spectrum with normal ordering （NO） and inverted ordering （IO）.     

Left-right symmetry: from the LHC to neutrinoless double beta decay

The Large Hadron Collider has the potential to probe the scale of left-right symmetry restoration and the associated lepton number violation. Moreover, it offers the hope of measuring the right-handed leptonic mixing matrix. We show how this, together with constraints from lepton flavor violating processes, can be used to make predictions for neutrinoless double beta decay. We illustrate this connection in the case of the type-II seesaw.     

Bimaximal mixing in seesaw models

Neutrino masses and mixing are discussed in seesaw models assuming hierarchical structure of Dirac masses and predicting bimaximal mixing for three light neutrinos.     

Seesaw mechanism for scalar fields as possible basis for dark energy

We propose a novel mechanism for dark energy, based on an extended seesaw for scalar fields, which does not require any new physics at energies below the TeV scale. A very light quintessence mass is usually considered to be technically unnatural, unless it is protected by some symmetry broken at the new very light scale. We propose that one can use an extended seesaw mechanism to construct technically natural models for very light fields, protected by supersymmetry softly broken above a TeV.     

Dark matter from split seesaw

The seesaw mechanism in models with extra dimensions is shown to be generically consistent with a broad range of Majorana masses. The resulting democracy of scales implies that the seesaw mechanism can naturally explain the smallness of neutrino masses for an arbitrarily small right-handed neutrino mass. If the scales of the seesaw parameters are split, with two right-handed neutrinos at a high scale and one at a keV scale, one can explain the matter–antimatter asymmetry of the universe, as well as dark matter. The dark matter candidate, a sterile right-handed neutrino with mass of several keV, can account for the observed pulsar velocities and for the recent data from Chandra X-ray Observatory, which suggest the existence of a 5 keV sterile right-handed neutrino.     

Electroweak scale seesaw and heavy Dirac neutrino signals at LHC

Models of type I seesaw can be implemented at the electroweak scale in a natural way provided that the heavy neutrino singlets are quasi-Dirac particles. In such case, their contribution to light neutrino masses has the suppression of a small lepton number violating parameter, so that light neutrino masses can arise naturally even if the seesaw scale is low and the heavy neutrino mixing is large. We implement the same mechanism with fermionic triplets in type III seesaw, deriving the interactions of the new quasi-Dirac neutrinos and heavy charged leptons with the SM fermions. We then study the observability of heavy Dirac neutrino singlets (seesaw I) and triplets (seesaw III) at LHC. Contrarily to common wisdom, we find that heavy Dirac neutrino singlets with a mass around 100 GeV are observable at the 5σ level with a luminosity of 13 fb⁻¹. Indeed, in the final state with three charged leptons ?^±?^±?^?${?}^{\pm }{?}^{\pm }{?}^{?}$, not previously considered, Dirac neutrino signals can be relatively large and backgrounds are small. In the triplet case, heavy neutrinos can be discovered with a luminosity of 1.5 fb⁻¹ for a mass of 300 GeV in the same channel.     

Renormalization of the neutrino mass operators in the multi-Higgs-doublet standard model

We derive the renormalization group equations (RGE) for the flavor coupling matrices of the effective dimension-five operators which yield Majorana neutrino masses in the multi-Higgs-doublet standard model; in particular, we consider the case where two different scalar doublets occur in those operators. We also write down the RGE for the scalar-potential quartic couplings and for the Yukawa couplings of that model, in the absence of quarks. As an application of the RGE, we consider two models which, based on a - interchange symmetry, predict maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing, together with U _e3 = 0, at the seesaw scale. We estimate the change of those predictions due to the evolution of the coupling matrices of the effective mass operators from the seesaw scale down to the electroweak scale. We derive an upper bound on that change, thereby finding that the radiative corrections to those predictions are in general negligible.Received: 30 September 2004, Published online: 11 January 2005PACS: 11.10.Hi, 14.60.Pq, 12.60.Fr, 11.30.Hv     

Duality in left-right symmetric seesaw mechanism

We consider type I + II seesaw mechanism, where the exchanges of both right-handed neutrinos and isotriplet Higgs bosons contribute to the neutrino mass. Working in the left-right symmetric framework and assuming the mass matrix of light neutrinos m(v) and the Dirac-type Yukawa couplings to be known, we find the triplet Yukawa coupling matrix f, which carries the information about the masses and mixing of the right-handed neutrinos. We show that in this case there exists a duality: for any solution f, there is a dual solution [symbol: see text] = m(v)/nu(L) - f, where nu(L) is the vacuum expectation value of the triplet Higgs boson. Thus, unlike in pure type I (II) seesaw, there is no unique allowed structure for the matrix f. For n lepton generations the number of solutions is 2(n). We develop an exact analytic method of solving the seesaw nonlinear matrix equation for f.     

NMSSM and seesaw physics at LHC

We consider extensions of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric model (NMSSM) in which the observed neutrino masses are described in terms of effective dimension six (or seven) rather than dimension five operators. All such operators respect the discrete symmetries of the model. The new particles associated with the double (or triple) seesaw mechanism can have sizable couplings to the known leptons, even with a TeV seesaw scale. In the latter case some of these new short-lived particles could be produced and detected at the LHC.     

Heavy neutrinos and lepton number violation in ?p colliders

We discuss the prospects of studying lepton number violating processes in order to identify Majorana neutrinos from low scale seesaw mechanisms at lepton-proton colliders. In particular, we consider the scenarios of colliding electrons with LHC energy protons and, motivated by the efforts towards the construction of a muon collider, the prospects of muon-proton collisions. We find that present constraints on the mixing of the Majorana neutrinos still allow for a detectable signal at these kind of facilities given the smallness of the Standard Model background. We discuss possible cuts in order to further increase the signal over background ratio and the prospects of reconstructing the neutrino mass from the kinematics of the final state particles.     

Soft leptogenesis in Higgs triplet model

We consider the minimal supersymmetric triplet seesaw model as the origin of neutrino masses and mixing as well as of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe, which is generated through soft leptogenesis employing a CP-violating phase and a resonant behavior in the supersymmetry breaking sector. We calculate the full gauge-annihilation cross section for the Higgs triplets, including all relevant supersymmetric intermediate and final states, as well as coannihilations with the fermionic superpartners of the triplets. We find that these gauge annihilation processes strongly suppress the resulting lepton asymmetry. As a consequence of this, successful leptogenesis can occur only for a triplet mass at the TeV scale, where the contribution of soft supersymmetry breaking terms enhances the CP and lepton asymmetry. This opens up an interesting opportunity for testing the model in future colliders.     

Parameterization for Neutrino Mixing Matrix with Deviated Unitarity

Neutrino oscillation experiments provide the first evidence on non-zero neutrino masses and indicate new physics beyond the standard model. With Majorana neutrinos introduced to acquire tiny neutrino masses, it leads to the existence of more than three neutrino species, implying that the ordinary neutrino mixing matrix is only a part of the whole extended unitary mixing matrix and thus no longer unitary. We give a parameterization for a non-unitary neutrino mixing matrix under seesaw framework and further present a method to test the unitarity of the ordinary neutrino mixing matrix.