T2K indication of relatively large θ13 and a natural perturbation to the democratic neutrino mixing pattern

The T2K Collaboration has recently reported a remarkable indication of the ν→ν oscillation which is consistent with a relatively large value of θ₁₃ in the three-flavor neutrino mixing scheme. We show that it is possible to account for such a result of θ₁₃ by introducing a natural perturbation to the democratic neutrino mixing pattern, without or with CP violation. A testable correlation between θ₁₃ and θ₂₃ is predicted in this ansatz. We also discuss the Wolfenstein-like parametrization of neutrino mixing, and comment on other possibilities of generating sufficiently large θ₁₃ at the electroweak scale.     

Massive and massless neutrinos on unbalanced seesaws

The observation of neutrino oscillations requires new physics beyond the standard model (SM). A SM-like gauge theory with p lepton families can be extended by introducing q heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos but preserving its SU(2)_L×U(1)_Y gauge symmetry. The overall neutrino mass matrix M turns out to be a symmetric (p+q)×(p+q) matrix. Given p>q, the rank of $M$ is in general equal to 2q,corresponding to 2q non-zero mass eigenvalues. The existence of (p-q) massless left-handed Majorana neutrinos is an exact consequence of the model, independent of the usual approximation made in deriving the Type-I seesaw relation between the effective p×p light Majorana neutrino mass matrix M_ν and the q×q heavy Majorana neutrino mass matrix M_R. In other words, the numbers of massive left- and right-handed neutrinos are fairly matched. A good example to illustrate this "seesaw fair play rule" is the minimal seesaw model with p=3 and q=2, in which one massless neutrino sits on the unbalanced seesaw.     

Direct CP violation in B(s)→J/ψP(V)

In the framework of factorization, we study direct CP violation in the decays of B_(s)→J/ψP(V) (P(V) refer to the pseudoscalar (vector) meson). The CP violation depends strongly on Cabibbo-Kobayashi- Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements and the effective parameter, N_c. The recent experimental data for the branching ratios of B_(s)→J/ψP(V) are accurate enough and we can give a strong constraint on the range of N_c. We nd that the CP violating asymmetry is consistent with the available experiment values for the b→d transition, and a little smaller than the b→s transition. We also predict the CP violation of other decay channels for B_(s)→J/ψP(V). We expect our results can give valuable guidance for experiments.     

Discrimination of converted photons and neutral pions at high energies

In the LHC experiment, the H→γγ channel provides a clean nal state with an effective mass peak that is reconstructed with great precision, despite the small branching ratio. As a consequence, the H→γγ channel is one of the most promising channels for the Higgs discovery in the very low mass region. In order to increase the sensitivity of the Higgs search, background rejection rate is very important, so γ/π⁰ discrimination is one of the key points in the analysis. At least 40% of photons will convert with the experience of ATLAS and CMS. We constructed electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) in GEANT4 simulation, using 6 variables which have different shapes between converted γ and π⁰, with the TMVA (Toolkit for Multivariate Data Analysis) to do the separation. With this method we can get 30% to 60% π⁰ rejection efficiency when keeping 90% converted γ efficiency, in the region of transverse momentum 15 GeV to 75 GeV, not only in MC sumulation but also in real data.     

Measurement of the liquid scintillator nonlinear energy response to electron

Nonlinearity of the liquid scintillator energy response is a key to measuring the neutrino energy spectrum in reactor neutrino experiments such as Daya Bay and JUNO. We measured the nonlinearity of the linear alkyl benzene based liquid scintillator in the laboratory, which is used in Daya Bay and will be used in JUNO, via the Compton scattering process. By tagging the scattered gamma from the liquid scintillator sample simultaneously at seven angles, the instability of the system was largely cancelled. The accurately measured nonlinearity will improve the precision of the θ₁₃, Δm², and reactor neutrino spectrum measurements at Daya Bay.     

Depth Dependence of Tetragonal Distortion of a ZnO/Mg0.1Zn0.9O/ZnO Heterostructure Studied by Rutherford Backscattering/Channeling

Rutherford backscattering and channeling are used to characterize the structure of a ZnO/Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O/ZnO heterostructure grown on a sapphire (0001) substrate by rf plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The results show that the Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O layer has the same hexagonal wurtzite structure as the underlying ZnO layer, and the heterostructure has a good crystalline quality with χ_min =5%, which is the ratio of the backscattering yields of aligned and random spectra in the near-surface region. Using the channeling angular scan around an off-normal <12^-13> axis in the {101^-0} plane of both ZnO and MgZnO layer, the tetragonal distortion e_T, which is caused by the elastic strain in the epilayer, is determined. The depth dependence of e_T is obtained by using this technique. It can clearly be seen that the elastic strain rapidly decreases with the increase in thickness of the ZnO film in the early growth stage and becomes slightly larger in the region of the Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O layer.     

Self-consistent treatment of the quark condensate and hadrons in nuclear matter

We calculate the contribution of pions to the $\bar qq$-expectation value κ(ρ) =<M|ˉq q|M> in symmetric nuclear matter. We employ exact pion propagator renormalized by nucleon-hole and isobar-hole excitations. Conventional straightforward calculation leads to the “pion condensation” at unrealistically small values of densities, causing even earlier restoration of chiral symmetry. This requires a self-consistent approach, consisting in using the models, which include direct dependence of in-medium mass values on κ(ρ), e.g. the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio–model. We show, that in the self-consistent approach the ρ-dependence of the condensate is described by a smooth curve. The “pion condensate” point is removed to much higher values of density. The chiral restoration does not take place at least while ρ < 2.8ρ₀ with ρ₀ being the saturation value. Validity of our approach is limited by possible accumulation of heavier baryons (delta isobars) in the ground state of nuclear matter. For the value of effective nucleon mass at the saturation density we found m ^*(ρ₀) = 0.6m, consistent with nowadays results of other authors. Received: 8 October 1998     

Study of pure and semileptonic decays of D_s meson within R-parity violating supersymmetric model

We present the comaprative study of semileptonic and leptonic decays of D_s,D^± and D⁰ meson ( D→ M l_α ⁺l_β^-,D→l_α⁺l_β^-,D→l_α⁺v_α ;α,β=e,μ) within the framework of R-parity violating the (R_p) Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The comparison shows that combination and product couplings, (λ_βiαλ''_ijq^* or λ''_βqk^*λ''_{α jk}^*) contribution to the branching fractions of the said processes (under consideration) is consistent with or comparable to the experimental measurements in most of the cases. However, some cases exist where these contributions are highly suppressed. We identify such cases in our analysis and single out the important ones suitable for exploring in the future and current experiments.     

Neutron star equation of state in density dependent relativistic Hartree-Fock theory

The equation of state of neutron stars is studied in the newly developed density dependent relativistic Hartree-Fock (DDRHF) theory with the effective interaction PKO1 and applied to describe the properties of neutron stars. The results are compared with the recent observational data of compact stars and those calculated with the relativistic mean field (RMF) effective interactions. The maximum mass of neutron stars calculated with PKO1 is about 2.45 M_⊙, which consists with high pulsar mass from PSR B1516+02B recently reported. The influence of Fock terms on the cooling of neutron stars is discussed as well.     

Towards the meV limit of the effective neutrino mass in neutrinoless double-beta decays

We emphasize that it is extremely important for future neutrinoless double-beta(0νββ)decay experiments to reach the sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass|mββ|≈1 meV.With such a sensitivity,it is highly possible to discover the signals of 0νββ decays.If no signal is observed at this sensitivity level,then either neutrinos are Dirac particles or stringent constraints can be placed on their Majorana masses.In this paper,assuming the sensitivity of|mββ|≈1 meV for future 0νββ decay experiments and the precisions on neutrion oscillation parameters after the JUNO experiment,we fully explore the constrained regions of the lightest neutrino mass m1 and two Majorana-type CP-violating phases{ρ,σ}.Several important conclusions in the case of normal neutrino mass ordering can be made.First,the lightest neutrino mass is severely constrained to a narrow range m1∈[0.7,8]meV,which together with the precision measurements of neutrino mass-squared differences from oscillation experiments completely determines the neutrino mass spectrum m2∈[8.6,11.7]meV ing phases is limited to ρ∈[130°,230°],which cannot be obtained from any other realistic experiments.Third,the sum of three neutrino masses is found to beΣ≡m1+m2+m3∈[59.2,72.6]meV,while the effective neutrino mass for beta decays turns out to be mβ≡(|Ue1|2m1^2+|Ue2|2m2^2+|Ue3|2m3^2)1/2∈[8.9,12.6]meV.These observations clearly set up the roadmap for future non-oscillation neutrino experiments aiming to solve the fundamental problems in neutrino physics.     

Astrophysical S-factor of the d(p,γ)3He processby

We summarize the recent effective field theory (EFT) studies of low-energy electroweak reactions of astrophysical interest, relevant to big-bang nucleosynthesis. The zero energy astrophysical S(0) factor for the thermal proton radiative capture by deuteron is calculated with pionless EFT. The astrophysical S(0) factor is accurately determined to be S(0)=0.243 eV·b up to the leading order (LO). At zero energies, magnetic transition M₁ gives the dominant contribution. The M₁ amplitude is calculated up to the LO. A good, quantitative agreement between theoretical and experimental results is found for all observables. The demonstrations of cutoff independent calculation have also been presented.     

O(α_sv~2) correction to J/ψ plus η_c production in e~+e~- annihilation at √s=10.6 GeV

Based on the nonrelativistic QCD factorization approach, O(α_sv2) corrections to J/ψ plus η_c production in m e⁺e^- annihilation at √s=10.6 ≥v are calculated in this work. The numerical results show that the correction at α_sv2 order is only about a few percent of the total theoretical result. This indicates that the perturbative expansions become convergent and that a higher order correction will be smaller. The uncertainties from the long-distance matrix elements, renormalization scale and the measurement in the experiment are also discussed. Our result is in agreement with the previous result by Jia.     

Search for Majorana Neutrino Signal in B_c Meson Rare Decay

We study the B c meson rare decay in order to search for the Majorana neutrino signal. It is found that the corresponding decay rate is sensitive to the Majorana neutrino mass and mixing angles. The signal of B±c→ l±1l±2 M induced by the Majorana neutrino within the mass region mπmnmB may be observed at LHCb.     

Earthquake forecast via neutrino tomography

We discuss the possibility of forecasting earthquakes by means of (anti)neutrino tomography. Antineutrinos emitted from reactors are used as a probe. As the antineutrinos traverse through a region prone to earthquakes, observable variations in the matter effect on the antineutrino oscillation would provide a tomography of the vicinity of the region. In this preliminary work, we adopt a simplified model for the geometrical profile and matter density in a fault zone. We calculate the survival probability of electron antineutrinos for cases without and with an anomalous accumulation of electrons which can be considered as a clear signal of the coming earthquake, at the geological region with a fault zone, and find that the variation may reach as much as 3% for ν_e emitted from a reactor. The case for a ν_e beam from a neutrino factory is also investigated, and it is noted that, because of the typically high energy associated with such neutrinos, the oscillation length is too large and the resultant variation is not practically observable. Our conclusion is that with the present reactor facilities and detection techniques, it is still a difficult task to make an earthquake forecast using such a scheme, though it seems to be possible from a theoretical point of view while ignoring some uncertainties. However, with the development of the geology, especially the knowledge about the fault zone, and with the improvement of the detection techniques, etc., there is hope that a medium-term earthquake forecast would be feasible.     

Influences of the bag constant on properties of hybrid stars

Influences of the bag constant on the properties of hybrid stars are investigated by using relativistic mean field theory and the MIT bag model to describe the hadron phase and quark phase in the interior of neutron stars, respectively. Our results indicate that the onset of hadron-quark phase transition is put off and the appearance of hyperon species is increased with the increase in bag constant. As a result, the hybrid star equation of state for a mixed phase range stiffens whereas that of the quark phase range softens, and the gravitational mass as well as the corresponding radius of hybrid stars are increased obviously. The gravitational mass of a hybrid star is increased from 1.42 M_⊙ (M_⊙ is solar mass) to 1.63 M_⊙ and the corresponding radius is changed from 9.1 km to 12.2 km when the bag constant (B^1/4) is increased from 170 MeV to 200 MeV. It is interesting to find that hybrid star equations of state become non-smooth when the TM2 parameter sets in the framework of relativistic mean field theory used to describe the hadronic matter, and consequently, the third family of compact stars appear in the mass-radius relations of hybrid stars in the narrow scope of the bag constant from 175 MeV to 180 MeV. These show that the choice of the bag constant in the MIT bag model has significant influence on the properties of hybrid stars.     

Neutrino mixing matrix and masses from a particular two-zero texture based on A4 symmetry

The current study aims to investigate the particular case of two zeros in a Majorana neutrino mass matrix based on A₄ symmetry,where charged lepton mass matrix is diagonal.The texture is ■ with(μ,μ) and(τ,τ) vanishing element of the neutrino mass matrix.The texture ■ has magic and μ-τ symmetry,with a tribimaximal form of the mixing matrix,which leads to θ₁₃=0 that it is not consistent with experimental data and at first,does not seem to be allowed.Since θ₁₃ a sma...     

Developments in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method for 182Hf

The present detection limit for ¹⁸²Hf at CIAE HI-13 AMS systems could not satisfy various applications (e. g. detection of a nearby supernovae signal). Therefore, techniques were developed in this work to improve the AMS measurement of ¹⁸²Hf mainly on building a new injector and using a method that based on solid-phase reaction for the preparation of HfF₄ samples from HfO₂. The experimental results show that mass resolution of the injector can reached 630, and the F^－/O－ and beam current of ¹⁸⁰HfF₅^－ for HfF₄ samples produced by dry method is about 2—3 times and 1.5 times of that by previously method, respectively.