Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in matter

We consider the matter effects on neutrinos moving in background on the basis of the corresponding quantum wave equations. Both Dirac and Majorana neutrino cases are discussed. The effects for Dirac neutrino reflection and trapping as well as neutrino—antineutrino annihilation and ν pair creation in matter at the interface between two media with different densities are considered. The spin light of neutrinos in matter is also discussed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Dirac and Majorana heavy neutrinos at LEP II

The possibility of detecting single heavy Dirac and/or Majorana neutrinos at LEP II is investigated for heavy neutrino masses in the range . We study the process as a clear signature for heavy neutrinos. Numerical estimates for cross sections and distributions for the signal and the background are calculated and a Monte Carlo reconstruction of final state particles after hadronization is presented. Received: 20 September 2001 / Published online: 12 November 2001     

Distinguishing between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in neutral-current reactions

We calculate cross sections for neutral-current reactions initiated by massive Dirac and Majorana neutrinos and analyze such reactions as a possible new method of distinguishing between these types of neutrinos.     

Distinguishing between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos with two-particle interferometry

Two-particle interferometry, a second-order interference effect, is explored as another possible tool to distinguish between massive Dirac and Majorana neutrinos. A simple theoretical framework is discussed in the context of several gedanken experiments. The method can in principle provide both the mass scale and the quantum nature of the neutrino for a certain class of incoherent left-handed source currents.     

On the oscillations of neutrinos with Dirac and Majorana masses

Pontecorvo neutrino oscillations are discussed in the case of Dirac as well as Majorana neutrino mass terms. We prove that none of the possible experiments on neutrino oscillations including those on CP nonconservation, can distinguish between these two possibilities. Oscillations of neutrinos having both Dirac and Majorana mass terms also considered.     

Majorana mass term,Dirac neutrinos and selective neutrino oscillations

In a theory of neutrino mixing via a Majorana mass term involving only the left-handed neutrinos there exist selection rules for neutrino oscillations if true Dirac and/or exactly zero mass eigenstates are present. In the case of three neutrino flavours no oscillation is allowed if the mass spectrum contains one Dirac and one nondegenerate Majorana massive neutrino. The origin of these selection rules and their implications are discussed and the number of possible CP-violating phases in the lepton mixing matrix when Dirac and Majorana mass eigenstates coexist is given.     

Three flavour Majorana neutrinos with magnetic moments in a supernova

The resonant transition effects MSW and NSFP for three flavour Majorana neutrinos in a supernova are considered, where the transition magnetic moments are likely to play a relevant role in neutrino physics. In this scenario, the deformed thermal neutrino distributions are obtained for different choices of the electron-tau mixing angle. Detailed predictions for the future large neutrino detectors are also given in terms of the ratio between the spectra of recoil electrons for deformed and undeformed spectra.     

Electromagnetic properties and decays of Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in a general class of gauge theories

We discuss the electromagnetic properties and decays of Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in a general class of gauge theories. Specific results for the standard SU(2)_L × U(1) and a (not necessarily left-right symmetric) SU(2)_L × SU(2)_R × U(1) theory are analyzed.     

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.     

Double beta decays and Majorana neutrinos

Neutrino-less double beta decays (0νββ) are sensitive and realistic probes for studying the Majorana nature of neutrinos (ν), the ν-mass spectrum, the absolute ν-mass scale, the Majorana CP phases and other fundamental properties of neutrinos and weak interactions. Current 0νββ experiments, which use detectors with the mass sensitivity of the order of 300 meV, study the ν-mass in that mass region. Future experiments with higher sensitivities of the orders of 100meV and 30 meV, using different nuclei and methods (calorimetric, spectroscopic), are indispensable for establishing 0νββ in the quasi degenerate and the inverted hierarchy mass regions. R&D for ultra-high sensitivity detectors are encouraged for studying the normal hierarchy mass region. Theoretical and experimental studies for evaluating nuclear matrix elements are important for extracting the sensible ν-mass from the 0νββ rate. Charge exchange reactions by means of nuclear, electromagnetic and ν probes provide valuable data which are used to evaluate the nuclear matrix elenments. International collaborations for 0νββ experiments and for the matrix elements are crucial for next generation 0νββ studies.     

Neutrino-less double beta decays and Majorana neutrinos

Neutrino-less double beta decays (0??? ??) are sensitive and realistic probes for studying the Majorana nature of neutrinos, the ?? mass spectrum and the absolute mass scale, the lepton sector CP and others beyond the standard electro-weak theory. This report reviews briefly 0??? ?? processes and Majorana neutrinos, the present and future 0??? ?? experiments and 0??? ?? nuclear matrix elements.     

Majorana neutrinos in rare meson decays

The rare meson decays K ⁺ → π ^??⁺?′⁺ and D ⁺ → K ^??⁺?′⁺ (?, ?′ = e, μ), which are induced by Majorana neutrino exchange and which are accompanied by lepton-number nonconservation, are considered. The effects of the meson structure are taken into account on the basis of the Gaussian model for the respective Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes. It is shown that existing direct experimental constraints on the decay branching ratios are overly lenient and therefore give no way to set realistic limits on effective Majorana masses. On the basis of the constraints on the lepton-mixing parameters and neutrino masses from precision measurements of electroweak processes, neutrino-oscillation experiments, searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay of nuclei, and cosmological data, indirect constraints on the branching ratios for the decays in question are obtained and found to be much more stringent than the above direct constraints.     

Detection of heavy Majorana neutrinos and right-handed bosons

The SU _c (3) ⊗ SU _L (2) ⊗ SU _R (2) ⊗ U(1) left-right (LR) symmetric model explains the origin of the parity violation in weak interactions and predicts the existence of additional gauge bosons W _R and Z′. In addition, heavy right-handed Majorana neutrino states N arise naturally within the LR symmetric model. The states N could be partners of light neutrino states, related to their nonzero masses through the seesaw mechanism. This makes the searches for W _R , Z′, and N interesting and important. In the framework of the minimal LR model, we study the possibility to observe signals from N and W _R production in pp collisions after three years of running at low LHC luminosity. We show that their decay signals can be identified with a small background, especially in the case of same-sign leptons in the final state. For the integral LHC luminosity of L _t = 30 fb⁻¹, the 5σ discovery of W _R boson and heavy Majorana neutrinos N _e with masses up to 4 TeV and up to 2.4 TeV, respectively, is found to be possible. The text was submitted by the authors in English.