Tomographic Constraints on High-Energy Neutrinos of Hadronuclear Origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Shin'ichiro; Tamborra, Irene; Zandanel, Fabio

2015-11-27

Mounting evidence suggests that the TeV-PeV neutrino flux detected by the IceCube telescope has mainly an extragalactic origin. If such neutrinos are primarily produced by a single class of astrophysical sources via hadronuclear (pp) interactions, a similar flux of gamma-ray photons is expected. For the first time, we employ tomographic constraints to pinpoint the origin of the IceCube neutrino events by analyzing recent measurements of the cross correlation between the distribution of GeV gamma rays, detected by the Fermi satellite, and several galaxy catalogs in different redshift ranges. We find that the corresponding bounds on the neutrino luminosity density are up to 1 order of magnitude tighter than those obtained by using only the spectrum of the gamma-ray background, especially for sources with mild redshift evolution. In particular, our method excludes any hadronuclear source with a spectrum softer than E^{-2.1} as a main component of the neutrino background, if its evolution is slower than (1+z)^{3}. Starburst galaxies, if able to accelerate and confine cosmic rays efficiently, satisfy both spectral and tomographic constraints.

TeV gravity at neutrino telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Illana, J.I.; Masip, M.; Meloni, D.

2005-01-01

Cosmogenic neutrinos reach the Earth with energies around 10 9 GeV, and their interactions with matter will be measured in upcoming experiments (Auger, IceCube). Models with extra dimensions and the fundamental scale at the TeV could imply signals in these experiments. In particular, the production of microscopic black holes by cosmogenic neutrinos has been extensively studied in the literature. Here we make a complete analysis of gravity-mediated interactions at larger distances, where they can be calculated in the eikonal approximation. In these processes a neutrino of energy E ν interacts elastically with a parton inside a nucleon, loses a small fraction y of its energy, and starts a hadronic shower of energy yE ν ν . We analyze the ultraviolet dependence and the relevance of graviton emission in these processes, and show that they are negligible. We also study the energy distribution of cosmogenic events in AMANDA and IceCube and the possibility of multiple-bang events. For any neutrino flux, the observation of an enhanced rate of neutral current events above 100 TeV in neutrino telescopes could be explained by TeV-gravity interactions. The values of the fundamental scale of gravity that IceCube could reach are comparable to those to be explored at the LHC

Big bang nucleosynthesis constraints on bulk neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goh, H.S.; Mohapatra, R.N.

2002-01-01

We examine the constraints imposed by the requirement of successful nucleosynthesis on models with one large extra hidden space dimension and a single bulk neutrino residing in this dimension. We solve the Boltzmann kinetic equation for the thermal distribution of the Kaluza-Klein modes and evaluate their contribution to the energy density at the big bang nucleosynthesis epoch to constrain the size of the extra dimension R -1 ≡μ and the parameter sin 2 2θ which characterizes the mixing between the active and bulk neutrinos

Finding Mass Constraints Through Third Neutrino Mass Eigenstate Decay

Science.gov (United States)

Gangolli, Nakul; de Gouvêa, André; Kelly, Kevin

2018-01-01

In this paper we aim to constrain the decay parameter for the third neutrino mass utilizing already accepted constraints on the other mixing parameters from the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix (PMNS). The main purpose of this project is to determine the parameters that will allow the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) to observe a decay parameter with some statistical significance. Another goal is to determine the parameters that JUNO could detect in the case that the third neutrino mass is lighter than the first two neutrino species. We also replicate the results that were found in the JUNO Conceptual Design Report (CDR). By utilizing Χ2-squared analysis constraints have been put on the mixing angles, mass squared differences, and the third neutrino decay parameter. These statistical tests take into account background noise and normalization corrections and thus the finalized bounds are a good approximation for the true bounds that JUNO can detect. If the decay parameter is not included in our models, the 99% confidence interval lies within The bounds 0s to 2.80x10-12s. However, if we account for a decay parameter of 3x10-5 ev2, then 99% confidence interval lies within 8.73x10-12s to 8.73x10-11s.

Constraints on decay plus oscillation solutions of the solar neutrino problem

Science.gov (United States)

Joshipura, Anjan S.; Massó, Eduard; Mohanty, Subhendra

2002-12-01

We examine the constraints on the nonradiative decay of neutrinos from the observations of solar neutrino experiments. The standard oscillation hypothesis among three neutrinos solves the solar and atmospheric neutrino problems. The decay of a massive neutrino mixed with the electron neutrino results in the depletion of the solar neutrino flux. We introduce neutrino decay in the oscillation hypothesis and demand that decay does not spoil the successful explanation of solar and atmospheric observations. We obtain a lower bound on the ratio of the lifetime over the mass of ν2, τ2/m2>22.7 s/MeV for the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein solution of the solar neutrino problem and τ2/m2>27.8 s/MeV for the vacuum oscillation solution (at 99% C.L.).

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stanev, Todor [Bartol Research Foundation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States)], E-mail: stanev@bartol.udel.edu

2008-04-01

We discuss the relation between the highest energy cosmic rays (UHECR) and UHE neutrinos. The neutrinos produced in the sources of optically thin astrophysical sources have been linked to the UHECR emissivity of the Universe. The fluxes of cosmogenic neutrinos, generated in propagation by UHECR, also reflect the acceleration of these particles, the maximum acceleration energy, and the cosmological evolution of their sources.

Phased arrays: A strategy to lower the energy threshold for neutrinos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wissel Stephanie

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In-ice radio arrays are optimized for detecting the highest energy, cosmogenic neutrinos expected to be produced though cosmic ray interactions with background photons. However, there are two expected populations of high energy neutrinos: the astrophysical flux observed by IceCube (~1 PeV and the cosmogenic flux (~ 1017 eV or 100 PeV. Typical radio arrays employ a noise-riding trigger, which limits their minimum energy threshold based on the background noise temperature of the ice. Phased radio arrays could lower the energy threshold by combining the signals from several channels before triggering, thereby improving the signal-to-noise at the trigger level. Reducing the energy threshold would allow radio experiments to more efficiently overlap with optical Cherenkov neutrino telescopes as well as for more efficient searches for cosmogenic neutrinos. We discuss the proposed technique and prototypical phased arrays deployed in an anechoic chamber and at Greenland’s Summit Station.

Constraints on singlet right-handed neutrinos coming from the Z0-width

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escobar, C.O.; Peres, O.L.G.; Pleitez, V.

1992-12-01

The constraints on masses and missing angles imposed by the measured Z 0 invisible width, in a model in which a singlet right-handed neutrino mixes with all the Standard model neutrinos are studied. If neutrinos are massive an important question to be answered concerns the way the Z-pole observables constraint their masses and mixing parameters. In particular the measured Z-invisible width, Γ inv , implies that the number of families is compatible with three. On the other hand, it is well known that this number need not to be an integer number if right-handed neutrinos transformed as singlets under SU(2) L x U(1) Y are added to the particle content of the theory. Experimental searches for sequential neutron leptons beyond the three generations exclude stable Dirac neutrinos below 41.8 GeV and stable Majorana neutrinos below 34.8 GeV. For the unstable cases these values are 46,4 and 45.1 GeV respectively. However, it is worth stressing that these limits are valid for sequential leptons and do not apply to the case of singlets of right-handed neutrinos. Here we will consider the simplest extension of the standard electroweak model with the addition of the one right-handed singlet neutral fermion, resulting in 4 physical neutrinos two of them massless and two massive ones. (author)

Robust Neutrino Constraints by Combining Low Redshift Observations with the CMB

CERN Document Server

Reid, Beth A; Jimenez, Raul; Mena, Olga

2010-01-01

We illustrate how recently improved low-redshift cosmological measurements can tighten constraints on neutrino properties. In particular we examine the impact of the assumed cosmological model on the constraints. We first consider the new HST H0 = 74.2 +/- 3.6 measurement by Riess et al. (2009) and the sigma8*(Omegam/0.25)^0.41 = 0.832 +/- 0.033 constraint from Rozo et al. (2009) derived from the SDSS maxBCG Cluster Catalog. In a Lambda CDM model and when combined with WMAP5 constraints, these low-redshift measurements constrain sum mnu<0.4 eV at the 95% confidence level. This bound does not relax when allowing for the running of the spectral index or for primordial tensor perturbations. When adding also Supernovae and BAO constraints, we obtain a 95% upper limit of sum mnu<0.3 eV. We test the sensitivity of the neutrino mass constraint to the assumed expansion history by both allowing a dark energy equation of state parameter w to vary, and by studying a model with coupling between dark energy and dark...

Constraints on a general 3-generation neutrino mass matrix from neutrino data application to the MSSM with R-parity violation

CERN Document Server

Abada, A

2000-01-01

We consider a general symmetric $(3\\times 3)$ mass matrix for three generations of neutrinos. Imposing the constraints, from the atmospheric neutrino and solar neutrino anomalies as well as from the CHOOZ experiment, on the mass squared differences and on the mixing angles, we identify the ranges of allowed inputs for the 6 matrix elements. We apply our results to Majorana left-handed neutrino masses generated at tree level and through The present experimental results on neutrinos from laboratories, cosmology and astrophysics are implemented to either put bounds on trilinear ($\\lambda_{ijk}, or constrain combinations of products of these couplings.

Supernova constraints on neutrino oscillation and EoS for proto-neutron star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajino, T. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan and Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Aoki, W. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Cheoun, M.-K. [Department of Physics, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Hayakawa, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakara-Shirane 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Hidaka, J. [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Hirai, Y.; Shibagaki, S. [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan and Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Mathews, G. J. [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Nakamura, K. [Waseda University, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan); Suzuki, T. [Nihon University, Sakurajosui 3-25-40, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550 (Japan)

2014-05-02

Core-collapse supernovae eject huge amount of flux of energetic neutrinos which affect explosive nucleosynthesis of rare isotopes like {sup 7}Li, {sup 11}B, {sup 92}Nb, {sup 138}La and Ta and r-process elements. Several isotopes depend strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. We here discuss how to determine the neutrino temperatures and propose a method to determine still unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, mass hierarchy and θ{sub 13}, simultaneously. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ{sub 13} with isotopic ratios of the light elements discovered in presolar grains from the Murchison meteorite, we show that our method suggests at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. We also discuss supernova relic neutrinos that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter as well as adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

Supernova constraints on neutrino oscillation and EoS for proto-neutron star

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, T.; Aoki, W.; Cheoun, M.-K.; Hayakawa, T.; Hidaka, J.; Hirai, Y.; Mathews, G. J.; Nakamura, K.; Shibagaki, S.; Suzuki, T.

2014-05-01

Core-collapse supernovae eject huge amount of flux of energetic neutrinos which affect explosive nucleosynthesis of rare isotopes like 7Li, 11B, 92Nb, 138La and Ta and r-process elements. Several isotopes depend strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. We here discuss how to determine the neutrino temperatures and propose a method to determine still unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, mass hierarchy and θ13, simultaneously. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13 with isotopic ratios of the light elements discovered in presolar grains from the Murchison meteorite, we show that our method suggests at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. We also discuss supernova relic neutrinos that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter as well as adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

Cosmogenic activation of materials

Science.gov (United States)

Cebrián, Susana

2017-10-01

Experiments looking for rare events like the direct detection of dark matter particles, neutrino interactions or the nuclear double beta decay are operated deep underground to suppress the effect of cosmic rays. But, the production of radioactive isotopes in materials due to previous exposure to cosmic rays is a hazard when ultra-low background conditions are required. In this context, the generation of long-lived products by cosmic nucleons has been studied for many detector media and for other materials commonly used. Here, the main results obtained on the quantification of activation yields on the Earth’s surface will be summarized, considering both measurements and calculations following different approaches. The isotope production cross-sections and the cosmic ray spectrum are the two main ingredients when calculating this cosmogenic activation; the different alternatives for implementing them will be discussed. Activation that can take place deep underground mainly due to cosmic muons will be briefly commented too. Presently, the experimental results for the cosmogenic production of radioisotopes are scarce and discrepancies between different calculations are important in many cases, but the increasing interest on this background source which is becoming more and more relevant can help to change this situation.

Cosmic constraint on massive neutrinos in viable f(R) gravity with producing ΛCDM background expansion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Jianbo; Wu, Yabo; Wang, Yan; Yang, Weiqiang [Liaoning Normal University, Department of Physics, Dalian (China); Liu, Molin [Xinyang Normal University, Department of Physics, Xinyang (China)

2016-12-15

Tensions between several cosmic observations were found recently, such as the inconsistent values of H{sub 0} (or σ{sub 8}) were indicated by the different cosmic observations. Introducing the massive neutrinos in ΛCDM could potentially solve the tensions. Viable f(R) gravity producing ΛCDM background expansion with massive neutrinos is investigated in this paper. We fit the current observational data: Planck-2015 CMB, RSD, BAO, and SNIa to constrain the mass of neutrinos in viable f(R) theory. The constraint results at 95% confidence level are: Σm{sub ν} < 0.202 eV for the active-neutrino case, m{sub ν,sterile}{sup eff} < 0.757 eV with N{sub eff} < 3.22 for the sterile neutrino case. For the effects due to the mass of the neutrinos, the constraint results on model parameter at 95% confidence level become f{sub R0} x 10{sup -6} > -1.89 and f{sub R0} x 10{sup -6} > -2.02 for two cases, respectively. It is also shown that the fitting values of several parameters much depend on the neutrino properties, such as the cold dark matter density, the cosmological quantities at matter-radiation equality, the neutrino density and the fraction of baryonic mass in helium. Finally, the constraint result shows that the tension between direct and CMB measurements of H{sub 0} gets slightly weaker in the viable f(R) model than that in the base ΛCDM model. (orig.)

Neutrino particle astrophysics: status and outlook

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

The discovery of astrophysical neutrinos at high energy by IceCube raises a host of questions: What are the sources? Is there a Galactic as well as an extragalactic component? How does the astrophysical spectrum continue to lower energy where the dominant signal is from atmospheric neutrinos? Is there a measureable flux of cosmogenic neutrinos at higher energy? What is the connection to cosmic rays? At what level and in what energy region should we expect to see evidence of the π0 decay photons that must accompany the neutrinos at production? Such questions are stimulating much theoretical activity and many multi-wavelength follow-up observations as well as driving plans for new detectors. My goal in this presentation will be to connect the neutrino data and their possible interpretations to ongoing multi-messenger observations and to the design of future detectors.

Constraints on the electron-neutrino mass from the supernova data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbott, L.F.; Walker, T.P.

1988-01-01

The energy versus time of arrival pattern of neutrinos from SN1987A is sensitive to a neutrino mass, m ν , of order a few eV. To disentangle constraints on m ν , from the data, a theory of supernova emission is necessary. We recall the present status of this theory and approximate its predictions in two diffusion models: One designed to reflect the present supernova lore, the other devised to pessimize, within reason, the consequent upper limits on m ν . We discuss the model dependence and statistical significance of our results, as well as the experimental uncertainties and caveats to which they are subject. We adress the question, do the supernova results supercede the present laboratory limits on m ν ? (orig.)

Constraints on neutrino degeneracy from the cosmic microwave background and primordial nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orito, M.; Kajino, T.; Mathews, G. J.; Wang, Y.

2002-01-01

We reanalyze the cosmological constraints on the existence of a net universal lepton asymmetry and neutrino degeneracy based upon the latest high resolution CMB sky maps from BOOMERANG, DASI, and MAXIMA-1. We generate likelihood functions by marginalizing over (Ω b h 2 ,ξ ν μ,τ ,ξ ν e ,Ω Λ ,h,n) plus the calibration uncertainties. We consider flat Ω M +Ω Λ =1 cosmological models with two identical degenerate neutrino species, ξ ν μ,τ ≡ vertical bar ξ ν μ vertical bar = vertical bar ξ ν τ vertical bar and a small ξ ν e . We assign weak top-hat priors on the electron-neutrino degeneracy parameter ξ ν e and Ω b h 2 based upon allowed values consistent with the nucleosynthesis constraints as a function of ξ ν μ,τ . The change in the background neutrino temperature with degeneracy is also explicitly included, and Gaussian priors for h=0.72±0.08 and the experimental calibration uncertainties are adopted. The marginalized likelihood functions show a slight (0.5σ) preference for neutrino degeneracy. Optimum values with two equally degenerate μ and τ neutrinos imply ξ ν μ,τ =1.0 -1.0(0.5σ) +0.8(1σ) ,from which we deduce ξ ν e =0.09 -0.09 +0.15 , and Ω b h 2 =0.021 -0.002 +0.06 . The 2σ upper limit becomes ξ ν μ,τ ≤2.1, which implies ξ ν e ≤0.30, and Ω b h 2 ≤0.030. For only a single large-degeneracy species the optimal value is vertical bar ξ ν μ vertical bar or vertical bar ξ ν τ vertical bar =1.4 with a 2σ upper limit of vertical bar ξ ν μ vertical bar or vertical bar ξ ν τ vertical bar ≤2.5.

Cosmogenic nuclides in the Martian surface: constraints for sample recovery and transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Englert, P.A.J.

1988-01-01

Stable and radioactive cosmogenic nuclides and radiation damage effects such as cosmic ray tracks can provide information on the surface history of Mars. A recent overview on developments in cosmogenic nuclide research for historical studies of predominantly extraterrestrial materials was published previously. The information content of cosmogenic nuclides and radiation damage effects produced in the Martian surface is based on the different ways of interaction of the primary galactic and solar cosmic radiation (GCR, SCR) and the secondary particle cascade. Generally the kind and extent of interactions as seen in the products depend on the following factors: (1) composition, energy and intensity of the primary SCR and GCR; (2) composition, energy and intensity of the GCR-induced cascade of secondary particles; (3) the target geometry, i.e., the spatial parameters of Martian surface features with respect to the primary radiation source; (4) the target chemistry, i.e., the chemical composition of the Martian surface at the sampling location down to the minor element level or lower; and (5) duration of the exposure. These factors are not independent of each other and have a major influence on sample taking strategies and techniques

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martineau-Huynh Olivier

2016-01-01

Full Text Available High-energy neutrino astronomy will probe the working of the most violent phenomena in the Universe. The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND project consists of an array of ∼ 105 radio antennas deployed over ∼ 200 000 km2 in a mountainous site. It aims at detecting high-energy neutrinos via the measurement of air showers induced by the decay in the atmosphere of τ leptons produced by the interaction of cosmic neutrinos under the Earth surface. Our objective with GRAND is to reach a neutrino sensitivity of 5 × 10−11E−2 GeV−1 cm−2 s−1 sr−1 above 3 × 1016 eV. This sensitivity ensures the detection of cosmogenic neutrinos in the most pessimistic source models, and up to 100 events per year are expected for the standard models. GRAND would also probe the neutrino signals produced at the potential sources of UHECRs.

Probing the origin of cosmic-rays with extremely high energy neutrinos using the IceCube Observatory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aartsen, M.G.; Abbasi, R.; Ackermann, M.

2013-01-01

originate from cosmogenic neutrinos produced in the interactions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays with ambient photons while propagating through intergalactic space. Exploiting IceCube’s large exposure for extremely high energy neutrinos and the lack of observed events above 100 PeV, we can rule out...

IceCube: Particle Astrophysics with High Energy Neutrinos

CERN Multimedia

Université de Genève

2012-01-01

GENEVA UNIVERSITY École de physique Département de physique nucléaire et corspusculaire 24, quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 Genève 4 Tél.: (022) 379 62 73 Fax: (022) 379 69 92 Monday 7 May 2012 17h. - Ecole de Physique, Auditoire Stueckelberg IceCube: Particle Astrophysics with High Energy Neutrinos Prof. Francis Halzen / University of Wisconsin, Madison Construction and commissioning of the cubic-kilometer IceCube neutrino detector and its low energy extension DeepCore have been completed. The instrument detects neutrinos over a wide energy range: from 10 GeV atmospheric neutrinos to 1010 GeV cosmogenic neutrinos. We will discuss initial results based on a subsample of the ~100,000 neutrino events recorded during construction. We will emphasize the first measurement of the high-energy atmospheric neutrino spectrum, the search for the still enigmatic sources of the Galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays and for the particle nature of dark matter. Une ve...

Tungsten isotopic compositions of iron meteorites: Chronological constraints vs. cosmogenic effects

Science.gov (United States)

Markowski, A.; Quitté, G.; Halliday, A. N.; Kleine, T.

2006-02-01

High-precision W isotopic compositions are presented for 35 iron meteorites from 7 magmatic groups (IC, IIAB, IID, IIIAB, IIIF, IVA, and IVB) and 3 non-magmatic groups (IAB, IIICD, and IIE). Small but resolvable isotopic variations are present both within and between iron meteorite groups. Variations in the 182W/ 184W ratio reflect either time intervals of metal-silicate differentiation, or result from the burnout of W isotopes caused by a prolonged exposure to galactic cosmic rays. Calculated apparent time spans for some groups of magmatic iron meteorites correspond to 8.5 ± 2.1 My (IID), 5.1 ± 2.3 My (IIAB), and 5.3 ± 1.3 My (IVB). These time intervals are significantly longer than those predicated from models of planetesimal accretion. It is shown that cosmogenic effects can account for a large part of the W isotopic variation. No simple relationship exists with exposure ages, compromising any reliable method of correction. After allowance for maximum possible cosmogenic effects, it is found that there is no evidence that any of the magmatic iron meteorites studied here have initial W isotopic compositions that differ from those of Allende CAIs [ ɛ182W = - 3.47 ± 0.20; [T. Kleine, K. Mezger, H. Palme, E. Scherer and C. Münker, Early core formation in asteroids and late accretion of chondrite parent bodies: evidence from 182Hf- 182W in CAIs, metal-rich chondrites and iron meteorites, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta (in press)]. Cosmogenic corrections cannot yet be made with sufficient accuracy to obtain highly precise ages for iron meteorites. Some of the corrected ages nevertheless require extremely early metal-silicate segregation no later than 1 My after formation of CAIs. Therefore, magmatic iron meteorites appear to provide the best examples yet identified of material derived from the first planetesimals that grew by runaway growth, as modelled in dynamic simulations. Non-magmatic iron meteorites have a more radiogenic W isotopic composition than magmatic

Recent Ultra High Energy neutrino bounds and multimessenger observations with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Zas, Enrique

2018-01-01

The overall picture of the highest energy particles produced in the Universe is changing because of measurements made with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Composition studies of cosmic rays point towards an unexpected mixed composition of intermediate mass nuclei, more isotropic than anticipated, which is reshaping the future of the field and underlining the priority to understand composition at the highest energies. The Observatory is competitive in the search for neutrinos of all flavors above about 100 PeV by looking for very inclined showers produced deep in the atmosphere by neutrinos interacting either in the atmosphere or in the Earth's crust. It covers a large field of view between -85° and 60° declination in equatorial coordinates. Neutrinos are expected because of the existence of ultra high energy cosmic rays. They provide valuable complementary information, their fluxes being sensitive to the primary cosmic ray masses and their directions reflecting the source positions. We report the results of the neutrino search providing competitive bounds to neutrino production and strong constraints to a number of production models including cosmogenic neutrinos due to ultra high energy protons. We also report on two recent contributions of the Observatory to multimessenger studies by searching for correlations of neutrinos both with cosmic rays and with gravitational waves. The correlations of the directions of the highest energy astrophysical neutrinos discovered with IceCube with the highest energy cosmic rays detected with the Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array revealed an excess that is not statistically significant and is being monitored. The targeted search for neutrinos correlated with the discovery of the gravitational wave events GW150914 and GW151226 with advanced LIGO has led to the first bounds on the energy emitted by black hole mergers in Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos.

Recent Ultra High Energy neutrino bounds and multimessenger observations with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zas Enrique

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The overall picture of the highest energy particles produced in the Universe is changing because of measurements made with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Composition studies of cosmic rays point towards an unexpected mixed composition of intermediate mass nuclei, more isotropic than anticipated, which is reshaping the future of the field and underlining the priority to understand composition at the highest energies. The Observatory is competitive in the search for neutrinos of all flavors above about 100 PeV by looking for very inclined showers produced deep in the atmosphere by neutrinos interacting either in the atmosphere or in the Earth’s crust. It covers a large field of view between −85◦ and 60◦ declination in equatorial coordinates. Neutrinos are expected because of the existence of ultra high energy cosmic rays. They provide valuable complementary information, their fluxes being sensitive to the primary cosmic ray masses and their directions reflecting the source positions. We report the results of the neutrino search providing competitive bounds to neutrino production and strong constraints to a number of production models including cosmogenic neutrinos due to ultra high energy protons. We also report on two recent contributions of the Observatory to multimessenger studies by searching for correlations of neutrinos both with cosmic rays and with gravitational waves. The correlations of the directions of the highest energy astrophysical neutrinos discovered with IceCube with the highest energy cosmic rays detected with the Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array revealed an excess that is not statistically significant and is being monitored. The targeted search for neutrinos correlated with the discovery of the gravitational wave events GW150914 and GW151226 with advanced LIGO has led to the first bounds on the energy emitted by black hole mergers in Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos.

Constraints on TeV scale Majorana neutrino phenomenology from the vacuum stability of the Higgs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborthy, Jaydeep; Das, Moumita; Mohanty, Subhendra

2013-01-01

The vacuum stability condition of the Standard Model Higgs potential with mass in the range of 124-127 GeV puts an upper bound on the Dirac mass of the neutrinos. We study this constraint with the right-handed neutrino masses upto TeV scale. The heavy neutrinos contribute to ΔL = 2 processes like neutrinoless double beta decay and same-sign-dilepton production in the colliders. The vacuum stability criterion also restricts the light-heavy neutrino mixing and constrains the branching ratio of lepton flavour violating process, like μ → eγ mediated by the heavy neutrinos. We show that neutrinoless double beta decay with a lifetime ∼ 10 25 years can be observed if the the lightest heavy neutrino mass is R > 3.3 TeV. Finally we show that the observation of same-sign-dileptons (SSD) associated with jets at the LHC needs much larger luminosity than available at present. We have estimated the possible maximum cross-section for this process at the LHC and show that with an integrated luminosity 100 fb 1 it may be possible to observe the SSD signals as long as M R < 400 GeV. (author)

IceCube constraints on fast-spinning pulsars as high-energy neutrino sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Ke [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742 (United States); Kotera, Kumiko [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095 – CNRS, Université Pierre $ and $ Marie Curie, 98 bis boulevard Arago, 75014, Paris (France); Murase, Kohta [Department of Physics, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Center for Particle and Gravitational Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802 (United States); Olinto, Angela V., E-mail: kefang@umd.edu, E-mail: kotera@iap.fr, E-mail: murase@psu.edu, E-mail: olinto@kicp.uchicago.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2016-04-01

Relativistic winds of fast-spinning pulsars have been proposed as a potential site for cosmic-ray acceleration from very high energies (VHE) to ultrahigh energies (UHE). We re-examine conditions for high-energy neutrino production, considering the interaction of accelerated particles with baryons of the expanding supernova ejecta and the radiation fields in the wind nebula. We make use of the current IceCube sensitivity in diffusive high-energy neutrino background, in order to constrain the parameter space of the most extreme neutron stars as sources of VHE and UHE cosmic rays. We demonstrate that the current non-observation of 10{sup 18} eV neutrinos put stringent constraints on the pulsar scenario. For a given model, birthrates, ejecta mass and acceleration efficiency of the magnetar sources can be constrained. When we assume a proton cosmic ray composition and spherical supernovae ejecta, we find that the IceCube limits almost exclude their significant contribution to the observed UHE cosmic-ray flux. Furthermore, we consider scenarios where a fraction of cosmic rays can escape from jet-like structures piercing the ejecta, without significant interactions. Such scenarios would enable the production of UHE cosmic rays and help remove the tension between their EeV neutrino production and the observational data.

Cosmological constraints from galaxy clustering in the presence of massive neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Zennaro, M.; Bel, J.; Dossett, J.; Carbone, C.; Guzzo, L.

2018-06-01

The clustering ratio is defined as the ratio between the correlation function and the variance of the smoothed overdensity field. In Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmologies without massive neutrinos, it has already been proven to be independent of bias and redshift space distortions on a range of linear scales. It therefore can provide us with a direct comparison of predictions (for matter in real space) against measurements (from galaxies in redshift space). In this paper we first extend the applicability of such properties to cosmologies that account for massive neutrinos, by performing tests against simulated data. We then investigate the constraining power of the clustering ratio on cosmological parameters such as the total neutrino mass and the equation of state of dark energy. We analyse the joint posterior distribution of the parameters that satisfy both measurements of the galaxy clustering ratio in the SDSS-DR12, and the angular power spectra of cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropies measured by the Planck satellite. We find the clustering ratio to be very sensitive to the CDM density parameter, but less sensitive to the total neutrino mass. We also forecast the constraining power the clustering ratio will achieve, predicting the amplitude of its errors with a Euclid-like galaxy survey. First we compute parameter forecasts using the Planck covariance matrix alone, then we add information from the clustering ratio. We find a significant improvement on the constraint of all considered parameters, and in particular an improvement of 40 per cent for the CDM density and 14 per cent for the total neutrino mass.

Status of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Oscillation Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Cheng-Ju Stephen

2010-01-01

The last unknown neutrino mixing angle θ 13 is one of the fundamental parameters of nature; it is also a crucial parameter for determining the sensitivity of future long-baseline experiments aimed to study CP violation in the neutrino sector. Daya Bay is a reactor neutrino oscillation experiment designed to achieve a sensitivity on the value of sin 2 (2*θ 13 ) to better than 0.01 at 90% CL. The experiment consists of multiple identical detectors placed underground at different baselines to minimize systematic errors and suppress cosmogenic backgrounds. With the baseline design, the expected anti-neutrino signal at the far site is about 360 events per day and at each of the near sites is about 1500 events per day. An overview and current status of the experiment will be presented.

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martineau-Huynh Olivier

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND is a planned array of ~ 2·105 radio antennas deployed over ~ 200 000 km2 in a mountainous site. It aims primarly at detecting high-energy neutrinos via the observation of extensive air showers induced by the decay in the atmosphere of taus produced by the interaction of cosmic neutrinos under the Earth surface. GRAND aims at reaching a neutrino sensitivity of 5 · 10−11 E−2 GeV−1 cm−2 s−1 sr−1 above 3 · 1016 eV. This ensures the detection of cosmogenic neutrinos in the most pessimistic source models, and ~50 events per year are expected for the standard models. The instrument will also detect UHECRs and possibly FRBs. Here we show how our preliminary design should enable us to reach our sensitivity goals, and discuss the steps to be taken to achieve GRAND, while the compelling science case for GRAND is discussed in more details in [1].

Constraint on neutrino masses from SDSS-III/BOSS Ly$\\alpha$ forest and other cosmological probes

CERN Document Server

Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie; Lesgourgues, Julien; Rossi, Graziano; Borde, Arnaud; Viel, Matteo; Aubourg, Eric; Kirkby, David; LeGoff, Jean-Marc; Rich, James; Roe, Natalie; Ross, Nicholas P.; Schneider, Donald P.; Weinberg, David

2015-02-27

We present constraints on the parameters of the $\\Lambda$CDM cosmological model in the presence of massive neutrinos, using the one-dimensional Ly$\\alpha$ forest power spectrum obtained with the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by Palanque-Delabrouille et al. (2013), complemented by additional cosmological probes. The interpretation of the measured Ly$\\alpha$ spectrum is done using a second-order Taylor expansion of the simulated power spectrum. BOSS Ly$\\alpha$ data alone provide better bounds than previous Ly$\\alpha$ results, but are still poorly constraining, especially for the sum of neutrino masses $\\sum m_\

Latest results from the IceCube neutrino observatory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schukraft, Anne [RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany). III. Physikalisches Inst.; Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2013-07-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the world's largest neutrino detector with a broad physics program covering the neutrino spectrum from several tens of GeV up to EeV energies. With its completion in 2010 it has reached its full sensitivity and analyses with unprecedented statistics are performed. One of the major research efforts is the search for extraterrestrial neutrino sources, which have not yet been discovered but would be a smoking gun for hadronic acceleration and could allow to identify the sources of high-energy cosmic rays. Such include steady galactic and extragalactic source candidates, e.g. Supernova Remnants and Active Galactic Nuclei, as well as transient phenomena like flaring objects and Gamma Ray Bursts. With its searches for diffuse neutrino fluxes in different energy ranges, IceCube is sensitive to fluxes of prompt atmospheric neutrinos, extragalactic neutrinos and cosmogenic neutrinos. In the low-energy range below 100 GeV, IceCube supplements classical neutrino oscillation experiments with its sensitivity to the deficit of atmospheric muon neutrinos at 25 GeV and searches for neutrinos from the annihilation of dark matter. The IceCube physics program is complemented by the surface array IceTop, which together with the detector part inside the ice serves for cosmic ray anisotropy, spectrum and composition measurements around the knee. The presentation summarizes ongoing IceCube physics analyses and recent results.

Neutrino seesaw mechanism with texture zeros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Jiajun; Marfatia, D.; Whisnant, K.

2015-01-01

In the context of the Type I seesaw mechanism, we carry out a systematic study of the constraints that result from zeros in both the Dirac and right-handed Majorana neutrino mass matrices. We find that most constraints can be expressed in the standard form with one or two element/cofactor zeros alone, while there are 9 classes of nonstandard constraints. We show that all the constraints are stable under one-loop renormalization group running from the lightest right-handed neutrino mass scale to the electroweak scale. We study the predictions of the nonstandard constraints for the lightest neutrino mass, Dirac CP phase and neutrinoless double beta decay.

Sterile neutrinos in the early universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malaney, R.A. (Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)); Fuller, G.M. (California Univ., San Diego, La Jolla, CA (USA). Dept. of Physics)

1990-11-14

We discuss the role played by right-handed sterile neutrinos in the early universe. We show how well known {sup 4}He constraint on the number of relativistic degrees of freedom at early times limits the equilibration of the right handed neutrino sea with the background plasma. We discuss how this allows interesting constraints to be placed on neutrino properties. In particular, a new limit on the Dirac mass of the neutrino is presented. 12 refs.

Neutrino cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berstein, J.

1984-01-01

These lectures offer a self-contained review of the role of neutrinos in cosmology. The first part deals with the question 'What is a neutrino.' and describes in a historical context the theoretical ideas and experimental discoveries related to the different types of neutrinos and their properties. The basic differences between the Dirac neutrino and the Majorana neutrino are pointed out and the evidence for different neutrino 'flavours', neutrino mass, and neutrino oscillations is discussed. The second part summarizes current views on cosmology, particularly as they are affected by recent theoretical and experimental advances in high-energy particle physics. Finally, the close relationship between neutrino physics and cosmology is brought out in more detail, to show how cosmological constraints can limit the various theoretical possibilities for neutrinos and, more particularly, how increasing knowledge of neutrino properties can contribute to our understanding of the origin, history, and future of the Universe. The level is that of the beginning graduate student. (orig.)

The production of cosmogenic isotopes in the earth's atmosphere and their inventories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, K.; de la Zerda Lerner, A.; Shea. M.A.; Smart, D.F.

1991-01-01

In this paper, production rates of cosmogenic isotopes in the Earth's atmosphere and their dependence on solar modulation and geomagnetic field intensity are calculated. Spallation cross sections were also obtained using the Silberberg-Tsao equations and solar modulation effects were calculated using the force-field model. The current geomagnetic field is treated in detail, and past magnetic fields are modeled based on the archeomagnetic record. Radiocarbon and radioberyllium inventories so obtained are in good agreement with current values. The neutrino-emitting radioactivity of the Earth's atmosphere is shown to add a negligible contribution to the flux from the Sun

Cosmological constraints on neutrinos with Planck data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinelli, M.

2015-01-01

Neutrinos take part in the dance of the evolving Universe influencing its history from leptogenesis, to Big Bang nucleosynthesis, until late time structure formation. This makes cosmology, and in particular one of its primary observables the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), an unusual but valuable tool for testing Neutrino Physics. The best measurement to date of full-sky CMB anisotropies comes from the Planck satellite launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency (ESA) and successful follower of COBE and WMAP. Testing Planck data against precise theoretical predictions allow us to shed light on various interesting open questions such as the value of the absolute scale of neutrino masses or their energy density. We revise here the results concerning neutrinos obtained by the Planck Collaboration in the 2013 data release

Cosmological constraints on neutrinos with Planck data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spinelli, M. [Laboratoire de l’Accélérateur Linéaire, Bat.200, 91400 Orsay (France)

2015-07-15

Neutrinos take part in the dance of the evolving Universe influencing its history from leptogenesis, to Big Bang nucleosynthesis, until late time structure formation. This makes cosmology, and in particular one of its primary observables the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), an unusual but valuable tool for testing Neutrino Physics. The best measurement to date of full-sky CMB anisotropies comes from the Planck satellite launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency (ESA) and successful follower of COBE and WMAP. Testing Planck data against precise theoretical predictions allow us to shed light on various interesting open questions such as the value of the absolute scale of neutrino masses or their energy density. We revise here the results concerning neutrinos obtained by the Planck Collaboration in the 2013 data release.

Cosmological constraints on neutrinos with Planck data

Science.gov (United States)

Spinelli, M.

2015-07-01

Neutrinos take part in the dance of the evolving Universe influencing its history from leptogenesis, to Big Bang nucleosynthesis, until late time structure formation. This makes cosmology, and in particular one of its primary observables the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), an unusual but valuable tool for testing Neutrino Physics. The best measurement to date of full-sky CMB anisotropies comes from the Planck satellite launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency (ESA) and successful follower of COBE and WMAP. Testing Planck data against precise theoretical predictions allow us to shed light on various interesting open questions such as the value of the absolute scale of neutrino masses or their energy density. We revise here the results concerning neutrinos obtained by the Planck Collaboration in the 2013 data release.

Mixing of fourth-generation neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nussinov, S.

1987-01-01

This paper reviews some of the constraints on the mixing of massive decaying neutrinos. Some of the possible implications for neutrino physics of the recent supernova, and in particular the apparent overabundance of neutrino energy, are discussed

Constraints on lifetime and mass of heavy lepton neutrinos imposed by big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyama, Shoken; Sato, Katsuhiko

1978-01-01

If there exist massive neutral leptons (heavy neutrinos), they would have been produced in thermal equilibrium in the early stages of the universe. The effects of their presence and decay on the big bang nucleosynthesis are investigated in detail and abundances of the products 4 He, 2 H and 7 Li are compared with the observed cosmic abundances. We have determined a region in the lifetime-mass diagram of the heavy neutrino which should be ruled out in order for the big bang nucleosynthesis not to conflict with observed abundances of the elements. In addition, if a lower limit of the lifetime obtained from the Weinberg-Salam type theory, tau>=6 x 10 7 (1 MeV/m sub(νh)) 5 sec, is assumed, where m sub(νh) is the mass of the heavy neutrino, the mass range of 70 eV< m sub(νh)<10 MeV is ruled out. The other constraints on the mass and the lifetime obtained from astrophysical considerations are also discussed and summarized. (author)

Sterile neutrinos beyond LSND at the neutrino factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meloni, Davide; Tang Jian; Winter, Walter

2010-01-01

We discuss the effects of one additional sterile neutrino at the Neutrino Factory. Compared to earlier analyses, which have been motivated by Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) results, we do not impose any constraint on the additional mass squared splitting. This means that the additional mass eigenstate could, with small mixings, be located among the known ones, as it is suggested by the recent analysis of cosmological data. We use a self-consistent framework at the Neutrino Factory without any constraints on the new parameters. We demonstrate for a combined short and long baseline setup that near detectors can provide the expected sensitivity at the LSND-motivated Δm 41 2 -range, while some sensitivity can also be obtained in the region of the atmospheric mass splitting from the long baselines. We point out that limits on such very light sterile neutrinos may also be obtained from a reanalysis of atmospheric and solar neutrino oscillation data, as well as from supernova neutrino observations. In the second part of the analysis, we compare our sensitivity with the existing literature using additional assumptions, such as |Δm 41 2 |>>|Δm 31 2 |, leading to averaging of the fast oscillations in the far detectors. We demonstrate that while the Neutrino Factory has excellent sensitivity compared to existing studies using similar assumptions, one has to be very careful interpreting these results for a combined short and long baseline setup where oscillations could occur in the near detectors. We also test the impact of additional ν τ detectors at the short and long baselines, and we do not find a substantial improvement of the sensitivities.

Constraints on ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray sources from a search for neutrinos above 10 PeV with IceCube

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aartsen, M.G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.

2016-01-01

We report constraints on the sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) above 109 GeV, based on an analysis of seven years of IceCube data. This analysis efficiently selects very high- energy neutrino-induced events which have deposited energies from 5×105 GeV to above 1011 GeV. Two neutrin...... for active galactic nuclei and new-born pulsar models. These limits on the ultrahigh-energy neutrino flux models are the most stringent to date....

Observational constraints on secret neutrino interactions from big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Guo-yuan; Ohlsson, Tommy; Zhou, Shun

2018-04-01

We investigate possible interactions between neutrinos and massive scalar bosons via gϕν ¯ν ϕ (or massive vector bosons via gVν ¯γμν Vμ) and explore the allowed parameter space of the coupling constant gϕ (or gV) and the scalar (or vector) boson mass mϕ (or mV) by requiring that these secret neutrino interactions (SNIs) should not spoil the success of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Incorporating the SNIs into the evolution of the early Universe in the BBN era, we numerically solve the Boltzmann equations and compare the predictions for the abundances of light elements with observations. It turns out that the constraint on gϕ and mϕ in the scalar-boson case is rather weak, due to a small number of degrees of freedom (d.o.f.). However, in the vector-boson case, the most stringent bound on the coupling gV≲6 ×10-10 at 95% confidence level is obtained for mV≃1 MeV , while the bound becomes much weaker gV≲8 ×10-6 for smaller masses mV≲10-4 MeV . Moreover, we discuss in some detail how the SNIs affect the cosmological evolution and the abundances of the lightest elements.

Results of the Nucifer reactor neutrino experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buck, Christian; Lindner, Manfred [MPIK Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-07-01

Nuclear reactors are a strong and pure source of electron antineutrinos. With neutrino experiments close to compact reactor cores new insights into neutrino properties and reactor physics can be obtained. The Nucifer experiment is one of the pioneers in this class of very short baseline projects. Its detector to reactor distance is only about 7 m. The data obtained in the last years allowed to estimate the plutonium concentration in the reactor core by the neutrino flux measurement. This is of interest for safeguard applications and non proliferation efforts. The antineutrinos in Nucifer are detected via the inverse beta decay on free protons. Those Hydrogen nuclei are provided by 850 liters of organic liquid scintillator. For higher detection efficiency and background reduction the liquid is loaded with Gadolinium. Despite all shielding efforts and veto systems the background induced by the reactor activity and cosmogenic particles is still the main challenge in the experiment. The principle of the Nucifer detector is similar to the needs of upcoming experiments searching for sterile neutrinos. Therefore, the Nucifer results are also valuable input for the understanding and optimization of those next generation projects. The observation of sterile neutrinos would imply new physics beyond the standard model.

Universality of Planck's constant and a constraint from the absence of ℏ-induced neutrino mixing

Science.gov (United States)

Llanes-Estrada, Felipe J.

2014-03-01

You have probably often set ℏ = 1 but for what particle? I revisit here the possibility of a non-universal Planck-constant. Anomaly cancellation suggests that all particles in the same family perceive the same ℏ at fixed charges e, gw, gs; the difference between the muon's and the electron's (and thus the first and second families) can be tightly constrained by the muon's anomalous magnetic moment, but constraints are weaker for the third family. Neutrino mixing could have proceeded a priori not only by the Lagrangian neutrino mass-term, but also by the kinetic term if Planck's constant was not equal for all three species. An experimental constraint follows as such contributions, characterized by oscillations proportional to the energy, as opposed to the inverse energy, have been generically analyzed in the past. This provides at the same time support for gauge invariance. On the other hand if ℏ differs among particles while fixing the fine structure constants αem, αs, etc. instead of the charges, it affects the muonic atom puzzle without much constrain from g - 2 . Based on arXiv:1312.3566. Supported by spanish grants FPA2011-27853-C02-01 and CPAN.

Neutrino mixing and big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Nicole

2003-04-01

We analyse active-active neutrino mixing in the early universe and show that transformation of neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries between flavours is unavoidable when neutrino mixing angles are large. This process is a standard Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein flavour transformation, modified by the synchronisation of momentum states which results from neutrino-neutrino forward scattering. The new constraints placed on neutrino asymmetries eliminate the possibility of degenerate big bang nucleosynthesis.Implications of active-sterile neutrino mixing will also be reviewed.

Neutrino mass constraints from joint cosmological probes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwan, Juliana

2018-01-01

One of the most promising avenues to come from precision cosmology is the measurement of the sum of neutrino masses in the next 5-10 years. Ongoing imaging surveys, such as the Dark Energy Survey and the Hyper Suprime Cam survey, will cover a substantial volume of the sky and when combined with existing spectroscopic data, are expected to deliver a definitive measurement in the near future. But it is important that the accuracy of theoretical predictions matches the precision of the observational data so that the neutrino mass signal can be properly detected without systematic error. To this end, we have run a suite of high precision, large volume cosmological N-body simulations containing massive neutrinos to quantify their effect on probes of large scale structure such as weak lensing and galaxy clustering. In this talk, I will describe the analytical tools that we have developed to extract the neutrino mass that are capable of fully utilizing the non-linear regime of structure formation. These include predictions for the bias in the clustering of dark matter halos (one of the fundamental ingredients of the halo model) with an error of only a few percent.

Seeking sterile neutrinos in Finslerian cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Deng [Nankai University, Theoretical Physics Division, Chern Institute of Mathematics, Tianjin (China); Meng, Xin-He [Nankai University, Department of Physics, Tianjin (China)

2017-11-15

For the first time, to search for sterile neutrinos in the framework of Finler geometry, we constrain four cosmological models using the most stringent constraint we can provide so far. We find that the Finslerian massless sterile neutrino model can, respectively, give a better cosmological fit to data and alleviate the current H{sub 0} tension more effectively than the other three models. For the Finslerian massless sterile neutrino model, we obtain the constraint N{sub eff} = 3.237{sup +0.092}{sub -0.185}, which is consistent with ΔN{sub eff} > 0 at the 1.03σ confidence level (CL). This gives a very weak hint of massless sterile neutrinos and may imply the non-existence of massless sterile neutrinos in the Finslerian cosmological setting. For the Finslerian massive sterile neutrino model, we obtain the constraints N{sub eff} = 3.143{sup +0.064}{sub -0.066}, which favors ΔN{sub eff} > 0 at the 1.47σ CL, and m{sub ν,sterile}{sup eff} < 0.121 eV at the 2σ CL which is much tighter than the Planck results. This very tight restriction appears to indicate the massive sterile neutrinos are also non-existent in the Finslerian scenarios. Consequently, one may conclude that the sterile neutrinos are possibly non-existent in the Finslerian universe. Our results are compatible with the recent results of the neutrino oscillation experiments implemented by the Daya Bay and MINOS collaborations and the cosmic ray one carried out by the IceCube collaboration. (orig.)

Current and future constraints on neutrino physics from cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannestad, S.; Hamann, J.; Wong, Y.Y.Y.

2014-01-01

In recent years precision cosmology has become an increasingly powerful probe of particle physics. Perhaps the prime example of this is the very stringent cosmological upper bound on the neutrino mass. However, other aspects of neutrino physics, such as their decoupling history and possible non-standard interactions, can be probed using observations of cosmic structure. Here, I review the current status of cosmological bounds on neutrino properties and discuss the potential of future observations, for example by the recently approved EUCLID mission, to precisely measure neutrino properties. (authors)

Limiting Superluminal Electron and Neutrino Velocities Using the 2010 Crab Nebula Flare and the IceCube PeV Neutrino Events

Science.gov (United States)

Stecker, Floyd W.

2014-01-01

The observation of two PetaelectronVolt (PeV)-scale neutrino events reported by Ice Cube allows one to place constraints on Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) in the neutrino sector. After first arguing that at least one of the PetaelectronVolt IceCube events was of extragalactic origin, I derive an upper limit for the difference between putative superluminal neutrino and electron velocities of less than or equal to approximately 5.6 x 10(exp -19) in units where c = 1, confirming that the observed PetaelectronVolt neutrinos could have reached Earth from extragalactic sources. I further derive a new constraint on the superluminal electron velocity, obtained from the observation of synchrotron radiation from the Crab Nebula flare of September, 2010. The inference that the greater than 1 GigaelectronVolt gamma-rays from synchrotron emission in the flare were produced by electrons of energy up to approx. 5.1 PetaelectronVolt indicates the nonoccurrence of vacuum Cerenkov radiation by these electrons. This implies a new, strong constraint on superluminal electron velocities delta(sub e) less than or equal to approximately 5 x 10(exp -21). It immediately follows that one then obtains an upper limit on the superluminal neutrino velocity alone of delta(sub v) less than or equal to approximately 5.6 x 10(exp -19), many orders of magnitude better than the time-of-flight constraint from the SN1987A neutrino burst. However, if the electrons are subluminal the constraint on the absolute value of delta(sub e) less than or equal to approximately 8 x 10(exp -17), obtained from the Crab Nebula gamma-ray spectrum, places a weaker constraint on superluminal neutrino velocity of delta(sub v) less than or equal to approximately 8 x 10(exp -17).

Recent results from the ARIANNA neutrino experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelles Anna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The ARIANNA experiment is currently taking data in its pilot-phase on the Ross ice-shelf. Fully autonomous stations measure radio signals in the frequency range from 100 MHz to 1 GHz. The seven station hexagonal radio-array (HRA was completed in December 2014, and augmented by two special purpose stations with unique configurations. In its full extent ARIANNA is targeted at detecting interactions of cosmogenic neutrinos (> 1016eV in the ice-shelf. Downward-pointing antennas installed at the surface will record the radio emission created by neutrino-induced showers in the ice and exploit the fact that the ice-water surface acts as a mirror for radio emission. ARIANNA stations are independent, low-powered, easy to install and equipped with real-time communication via satellite modems. We report on the current status of the HRA, as well as air shower detections that have been made over the past year. Furthermore, we will discuss the search for neutrino emission, future plans of the experiment.

Neutrino Masses and Mixings and Astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, George M.

1998-10-01

Here we discuss the implications of light neutrino masses and neutrino flavor/type mixing for dark matter, big bang nucleosynthesis, and models of heavy element nucleosynthesis in super novae. We will also argue the other way and discuss possible constraints on neutrino physics from these astrophysical considerations.

Search for Muon Neutrino Disappearance in a Short-Baseline Accelerator Neutrino Beam

OpenAIRE

Nakajima, Yasuhiro; Collaboration, for the SciBooNE

2010-01-01

We report a search for muon neutrino disappearance in the $\\Delta m^{2}$ region of 0.5-40 $eV^2$ using data from both SciBooNE and MiniBooNE experiments. SciBooNE data provides a constraint on the neutrino flux, so that the sensitivity to $\

Solar neutrino detection in a large volume double-phase liquid argon experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franco, D.; Agnes, P. [APC, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris 75205 (France); Giganti, C.; Agostino, L.; De Cecco, S., E-mail: dfranco@in2p3.fr, E-mail: cgiganti@lpnhe.in2p3.fr, E-mail: pagnes@in2p3.fr, E-mail: lagostin@lpnhe.in2p3.fr, E-mail: sandro.dececco@lpnhe.in2p3.fr [LPNHE Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, Paris 75252 (France); and others

2016-08-01

Precision measurements of solar neutrinos emitted by specific nuclear reaction chains in the Sun are of great interest for developing an improved understanding of star formation and evolution. Given the expected neutrino fluxes and known detection reactions, such measurements require detectors capable of collecting neutrino-electron scattering data in exposures on the order of 1 ktonne-yr, with good energy resolution and extremely low background. Two-phase liquid argon time projection chambers (LAr TPCs) are under development for direct Dark Matter WIMP searches, which possess very large sensitive mass, high scintillation light yield, good energy resolution, and good spatial resolution in all three cartesian directions. While enabling Dark Matter searches with sensitivity extending to the ''neutrino floor'' (given by the rate of nuclear recoil events from solar neutrino coherent scattering), such detectors could also enable precision measurements of solar neutrino fluxes using the neutrino-electron elastic scattering events. Modeling results are presented for the cosmogenic and radiogenic backgrounds affecting solar neutrino detection in a 300 tonne (100 tonne fiducial) LAr TPC operating at LNGS depth (3,800 meters of water equivalent). The results show that such a detector could measure the CNO neutrino rate with ∼15% precision, and significantly improve the precision of the {sup 7}Be and pep neutrino rates compared to the currently available results from the Borexino organic liquid scintillator detector.

Fitting Simpson's neutrino into the standard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valle, J.W.F.

1985-01-01

I show how to accomodate the 17 keV state recently by Simpson as one of the neutrinos of the standard model. Experimental constraints can only be satisfied if the μ and tau neutrino combine to a very good approximation to form a Dirac neutrino of 17 keV leaving a light νsub(e). Neutrino oscillations will provide the most stringent test of the model. The cosmological bounds are also satisfied in a natural way in models with Goldstone bosons. Explicit examples are given in the framework of majoron-type models. Constraints on the lepton symmetry breaking scale which follow from astrophysics, cosmology and laboratory experiments are discussed. (orig.)

Applications of in situ cosmogenic nuclides in the geologic site characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosse, J.C.; Harrington, C.D.

1995-01-01

The gradual buildup of rare isotopes from interactions between cosmic rays and atoms in an exposed rock provides a new method of directly determining the exposure age of rock surfaces. The cosmogenic nuclide method can also provide constraints on erosion rates and the length of time surface exposure was interrupted by burial. Numerous successful applications of the technique have been imperative to the complete surface geologic characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential high level nuclear waste repository. In this short paper, we summarize the cosmogenic nuclide method and describe with examples some the utility of the technique in geologic site characterization. We report preliminary results from our ongoing work at Yucca Mountain

Updated determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from solar neutrino data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergström, Johannes [Departament d’Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria and Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos,Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Gonzalez-Garcia, M. C. [Departament d’Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria and Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos,Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) (Spain); C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics,State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3840 (United States); Maltoni, Michele [Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC,Calle de Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Peña-Garay, Carlos [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC and Universitat de Valencia,Calle Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, E-46090 Paterna, Valencia (Spain); Serenelli, Aldo M. [Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai (ICE-CSIC/IEEC),Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valls (Spain); Song, Ningqiang [C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics,State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3840 (United States)

2016-03-18

We present an update of the determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from a global analysis of the solar and terrestrial neutrino data in the framework of three-neutrino mixing. Using a Bayesian analysis we reconstruct the posterior probability distribution function for the eight normalization parameters of the solar neutrino fluxes plus the relevant masses and mixing, with and without imposing the luminosity constraint. We then use these results to compare the description provided by different Standard Solar Models. Our results show that, at present, both models with low and high metallicity can describe the data with equivalent statistical agreement. We also argue that even with the present experimental precision the solar neutrino data have the potential to improve the accuracy of the solar model predictions.

Testing for new physics: neutrinos and the primordial power spectrum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canac, Nicolas; Abazajian, Kevork N. [Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Aslanyan, Grigor [Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Easther, Richard [Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (New Zealand); Price, Layne C., E-mail: ncanac@uci.edu, E-mail: aslanyan@berkeley.edu, E-mail: kevork@uci.edu, E-mail: r.easther@auckland.ac.nz, E-mail: laynep@andrew.cmu.edu [McWilliams Center for Cosmology, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States)

2016-09-01

We test the sensitivity of neutrino parameter constraints from combinations of CMB and LSS data sets to the assumed form of the primordial power spectrum (PPS) using Bayesian model selection. Significantly, none of the tested combinations, including recent high-precision local measurements of H{sub 0} and cluster abundances, indicate a signal for massive neutrinos or extra relativistic degrees of freedom. For PPS models with a large, but fixed number of degrees of freedom, neutrino parameter constraints do not change significantly if the location of any features in the PPS are allowed to vary, although neutrino constraints are more sensitive to PPS features if they are known a priori to exist at fixed intervals in log k . Although there is no support for a non-standard neutrino sector from constraints on both neutrino mass and relativistic energy density, we see surprisingly strong evidence for features in the PPS when it is constrained with data from Planck 2015, SZ cluster counts, and recent high-precision local measurements of H{sub 0}. Conversely combining Planck with matter power spectrum and BAO measurements yields a much weaker constraint. Given that this result is sensitive to the choice of data this tension between SZ cluster counts, Planck and H{sub 0} measurements is likely an indication of unmodeled systematic bias that mimics PPS features, rather than new physics in the PPS or neutrino sector.

Matter-neutrino resonance in a multiangle neutrino bulb model

Science.gov (United States)

Vlasenko, Alexey; McLaughlin, G. C.

2018-04-01

Simulations of neutrino flavor evolution in compact merger environments have shown that neutrino flavor, and hence nucleosynthesis, can be strongly affected by the presence of matter-neutrino resonances (MNRs), where there is a cancelation between the matter and the neutrino potential. Simulations performed thus far follow flavor evolution along a single neutrino trajectory, but self-consistency requires all trajectories to be treated simultaneously, and it has not been known whether MNR phenomena would still occur in multiangle models. In this paper, we present the first fully multi-angle calculations of MNR. We find that familiar MNR phenomena, where neutrinos transform to a greater extent than anti-neutrinos and a feedback mechanism maintains the cancellation between the matter and neutrino potential, still occurs for a subset of angular bins, although the flavor transformation is not as efficient as in the single-angle case. In addition, we find other types of flavor transformation that are not seen in single-angle simulations. These flavor transformation phenomena appear to be robust and are present for a wide range of model parameters, as long as an MNR is present. Although computational constraints currently limit us to models with spherical symmetry, our results suggest that the presence of an MNR generally leads to large-scale neutrino flavor evolution in multiangle systems.

Measurement of neutrino flux from neutrino-electron elastic scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J.; Aliaga, L.; Altinok, O.; Bellantoni, L.; Bercellie, A.; Betancourt, M.; Bodek, A.; Bravar, A.; Budd, H.; Cai, T.; Carneiro, M. F.; Christy, M. E.; Chvojka, J.; da Motta, H.; Dytman, S. A.; Díaz, G. A.; Eberly, B.; Felix, J.; Fields, L.; Fine, R.; Gago, A. M.; Galindo, R.; Ghosh, A.; Golan, T.; Gran, R.; Harris, D. A.; Higuera, A.; Kleykamp, J.; Kordosky, M.; Le, T.; Maher, E.; Manly, S.; Mann, W. A.; Marshall, C. M.; Martinez Caicedo, D. A.; McFarland, K. S.; McGivern, C. L.; McGowan, A. M.; Messerly, B.; Miller, J.; Mislivec, A.; Morfín, J. G.; Mousseau, J.; Naples, D.; Nelson, J. K.; Norrick, A.; Nuruzzaman; Osta, J.; Paolone, V.; Patrick, C. E.; Perdue, G. N.; Rakotondravohitra, L.; Ramirez, M. A.; Ray, H.; Ren, L.; Rimal, D.; Rodrigues, P. A.; Ruterbories, D.; Schellman, H.; Solano Salinas, C. J.; Tagg, N.; Tice, B. G.; Valencia, E.; Walton, T.; Wolcott, J.; Wospakrik, M.; Zavala, G.; Zhang, D.; Miner ν A Collaboration

2016-06-01

Muon-neutrino elastic scattering on electrons is an observable neutrino process whose cross section is precisely known. Consequently a measurement of this process in an accelerator-based νμ beam can improve the knowledge of the absolute neutrino flux impinging upon the detector; typically this knowledge is limited to ˜10 % due to uncertainties in hadron production and focusing. We have isolated a sample of 135 ±17 neutrino-electron elastic scattering candidates in the segmented scintillator detector of MINERvA, after subtracting backgrounds and correcting for efficiency. We show how this sample can be used to reduce the total uncertainty on the NuMI νμ flux from 9% to 6%. Our measurement provides a flux constraint that is useful to other experiments using the NuMI beam, and this technique is applicable to future neutrino beams operating at multi-GeV energies.

Neutrino masses in astrophysics and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffelt, G.G.

1996-01-01

Astrophysical and cosmological arguments and observations give us the most restrictive constraints on neutrino masses, electromagnetic couplings, and other properties. Conversely, massive neutrinos would contribute to the cosmic dark-matter density and would play an important role for the formation of structure in the universe. Neutrino oscillations may well solve the solar neutrino problem, and can have a significant impact on supernova physics. (author) 14 figs., tabs., 33 refs

Neutrino masses in astrophysics and cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raffelt, G G [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany)

1996-11-01

Astrophysical and cosmological arguments and observations give us the most restrictive constraints on neutrino masses, electromagnetic couplings, and other properties. Conversely, massive neutrinos would contribute to the cosmic dark-matter density and would play an important role for the formation of structure in the universe. Neutrino oscillations may well solve the solar neutrino problem, and can have a significant impact on supernova physics. (author) 14 figs., tabs., 33 refs.

May heavy neutrinos solve underground and cosmic-ray puzzles?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belotsky, K. M.; Fargion, D.; Khlopov, M. Yu.; Konoplich, R. V.

2008-01-01

Primordial heavy neutrinos of the fourth generation might explain different astrophysical puzzles. The simplest fourth-neutrino scenario is consistent with known fourth-neutrino physics, cosmic ray antimatter, cosmic gamma fluxes, and positive signals in underground detectors for a very narrow neutrino mass window (46–47 GeV). However, accounting for the constraint of underground experiment CDMS prohibits solution of cosmic-ray puzzles in this scenario. We have analyzed extended heavy-neutrino models related to the clumpiness of neutrino density, new interactions in heavy-neutrino annihilation, neutrino asymmetry, and neutrino decay. We found that, in these models, the cosmic-ray imprint may fit the positive underground signals in DAMA/Nal experiment in the entire mass range 46–70 GeV allowed from uncertainties of electroweak parameters, while satisfaction of the CDMS constraint reduces the mass range to around 50 GeV, where all data can come to consent in the framework of the considered hypothesis.

May heavy neutrinos solve underground and cosmic-ray puzzles?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belotsky, K. M.; Fargion, D.; Khlopov, M. Yu.; Konoplich, R. V.

2008-01-01

Primordial heavy neutrinos of the fourth generation might explain different astrophysical puzzles. The simplest fourth-neutrino scenario is consistent with known fourth-neutrino physics, cosmic ray antimatter, cosmic gamma fluxes, and positive signals in underground detectors for a very narrow neutrino mass window (46-47 GeV). However, accounting for the constraint of underground experiment CDMS prohibits solution of cosmic-ray puzzles in this scenario. We have analyzed extended heavy-neutrino models related to the clumpiness of neutrino density, new interactions in heavy-neutrino annihilation, neutrino asymmetry, and neutrino decay. We found that, in these models, the cosmic-ray imprint may fit the positive underground signals in DAMA/Nal experiment in the entire mass range 46-70 GeV allowed from uncertainties of electroweak parameters, while satisfaction of the CDMS constraint reduces the mass range to around 50 GeV, where all data can come to consent in the framework of the considered hypothesis

Neutrino masses and mixings: Big Bang and Supernova nucleosynthesis and neutrino dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, George M.

1999-01-01

The existence of small mixings between light active and sterile neutrino species could have implications for Big Bang and Supernova Heavy Element Nucleosynthesis. As well, such mixing would force us to abandon cherished constraints on light neutrino Dark Matter. Two proposed 4-neutrino mass and mixing schemes, for example, can both accomodate existing experimental results and lead to elegant solutions to the neutron-deficit problem for r-Process nucleosynthesis from neutrino-heated supernova ejecta. Each of these solutions is based on matter-enhanced (MSW) active-sterile neutrino transformation. In plausible extensions of these schemes to the early universe, Shi and Fuller have shown that relatively light mass (∼200 eV to ∼10 keV) sterile neutrinos produced via active-sterile MSW conversion can have a ''cold'' energy spectrum. Neutrinos produced in this way circumvent the principal problem of light neutrino dark matter and would be, essentially, Cold Dark Matter

Weighing neutrinos with microwave background and galaxy data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegmark, Max; Zaldarriaga, Matias; Hamilton, Andrew J.S.

2000-01-01

Cosmological constraints on neutrino masses are improving rapidly. We compute the joint constraints on 11 cosmological parameters from the latest cosmic microwave background and large scale structure data, and find that at 95% confidence, the total (cold+hot) dark matter density is h 2 Ω dm 0.20 +.12 -.10 . As much as 38% of this dark matter is allowed to be hot (due to neutrinos). Indeed, the data favors a non-zero neutrino fraction, but not at a statistically significant level

Measurement of day and night neutrino energy spectra at SNO and constraints on neutrino mixing parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, Q.R.; Bullard, T.V.; Cox, G.A.; Duba, C.A.; Formaggio, J.A.; Germani, J.V.; Hamian, A.A.; Hazama, R.; Heeger, K.M.; Howe, M.; Kazkaz, K.; Manor, J.; Meijer Drees, R.; Orrell, J.L.; Schaffer, K.K.; Smith, M.W.E.; Steiger, T.D.; Stonehill, L.C.; Allen, R.C.; Buehler, G.

2002-01-01

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has measured day and night solar neutrino energy spectra and rates. For charged current events, assuming an undistorted 8 B spectrum, the night minus day rate is 14.0%±6.3% +1.5 -1.4 % of the average rate. If the total flux of active neutrinos is additionally constrained to have no asymmetry, the ν e asymmetry is found to be 7.0%±4.9% +1.3 -1.2 % . A global solar neutrino analysis in terms of matter-enhanced oscillations of two active flavors strongly favors the large mixing angle solution

Constraints on three flavor neutrino mixing

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

expression for electron neutrino survival probability, integrated over the time of .... the numerator and the theoretical uncertainty in the denominator, added in quadrature. .... There are detailed Monte Carlo predictions for these fluxes, and they.

Determining the neutrino mass hierarchy with cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Bernardis, Francesco; Kitching, Thomas D.; Heavens, Alan; Melchiorri, Alessandro

2009-01-01

The combination of current large-scale structure and cosmic microwave background anisotropies data can place strong constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses. Here we show that future cosmic shear experiments, in combination with cosmic microwave background constraints, can provide the statistical accuracy required to answer questions about differences in the mass of individual neutrino species. Allowing for the possibility that masses are nondegenerate we combine Fisher matrix forecasts for a weak lensing survey like Euclid with those for the forthcoming Planck experiment. Under the assumption that neutrino mass splitting is described by a normal hierarchy we find that the combination Planck and Euclid will possibly reach enough sensitivity to put a constraint on the mass of a single species. Using a Bayesian evidence calculation we find that such future experiments could provide strong evidence for either a normal or an inverted neutrino hierarchy. Finally we show that if a particular neutrino hierarchy is assumed then this could bias cosmological parameter constraints, for example, the dark energy equation of state parameter, by > or approx. 1σ, and the sum of masses by 2.3σ. We finally discuss the impact of uncertainties on the theoretical modeling of nonlinearities. The results presented in this analysis are obtained under an approximation to the nonlinear power spectrum. This significant source of uncertainty needs to be addressed in future work.

NeSSiE and sterile neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Marsella, G.; NESSiE Collaboration

2015-08-01

The wonderful frame pinpointed for the 3 standard neutrinos, beautifully adjusted by the Θ13 measurement, left out some relevant questions such as leptonic CP violation, mass values, Dark Matter and anomalies and discrepancies in several neutrino experiment results. The NESSiE collaboration proposes to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon neutrino disappearance measurements at small L/E, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time.

Cosmological and supernova neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, T.; Aoki, W.; Balantekin, A. B.; Cheoun, M.-K.; Hayakawa, T.; Hidaka, J.; Hirai, Y.; Kusakabe, M.; Mathews, G. J.; Nakamura, K.; Pehlivan, Y.; Shibagaki, S.; Suzuki, T.

2014-06-01

The Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies are the pillars of modern cosmology. It has recently been suggested that axion which is a dark matter candidate in the framework of the standard model could condensate in the early universe and induce photon cooling before the epoch of the photon last scattering. Although this may render a solution to the overproduction problem of primordial 7Li abundance, there arises another serious difficulty of overproducing D abundance. We propose a hybrid dark matter model with both axions and relic supersymmetric (SUSY) particles to solve both overproduction problems of the primordial D and 7Li abundances simultaneously. The BBN also serves to constrain the nature of neutrinos. Considering non-thermal photons produced in the decay of the heavy sterile neutrinos due to the magnetic moment, we explore the cosmological constraint on the strength of neutrino magnetic moment consistent with the observed light element abundances. Core-collapse supernovae eject huge flux of energetic neutrinos which affect explosive nucleosynthesis of rare isotopes like 7Li, 11B, 92Nb, 138La and 180Ta and r-process elements. Several isotopes depend strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13 with predicted and observed supernova-produced abundance ratio 11B/7Li encapsulated in the presolar grains from the Murchison meteorite, we show a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. We also discuss supernova relic neutrinos (SRN) that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter and adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

Updated constraints on the light-neutrino exchange mechanisms of the 0νββ-decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Štefánik, Dušan, E-mail: dus.stefanik@gmail.com [Comenius University, Mlynská dolina F1, SK-842 48 Bratislava (Slovakia); Dvornický, Rastislav [Comenius University, Mlynská dolina F1, SK-842 48 Bratislava (Slovakia); Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, JINR 141980 Dubna (Russian Federation); Šimkovic, Fedor [Comenius University, Mlynská dolina F1, SK-842 48 Bratislava (Slovakia); Boboliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, JINR 141980 Dubna (Russian Federation); Czech Technical University in Prague, 128-00 Prague (Czech Republic)

2015-10-28

The neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay associated with light neutrino exchange mechanisms, which are due to both left-handed V-A and right-handed V+A leptonic and hadronic currents, is discussed by using the recent progress achieved by the GERDA, EXO and KamlandZen experiments. The upper limits for effective neutrino mass m{sub ββ} and the parameters 〈λ〉 and 〈η〉 characterizing the right handed current mechanisms are deduced from the data on the 0νββ-decay of {sup 76}Ge and {sup 136}Xe using nuclear matrix elements calculated within the nuclear shell model and quasiparticle random phase approximation and phase-space factors calculated with exact Dirac wave functions with finite nuclear size and electron screening. The careful analysis of upper constraints on effective lepton number violating parameters assumes a competition of the above mechanisms and arbitrary values of involved CP violating phases.

Cosmological and astrophysical neutrino mass measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abazajian, K.N.; Calabrese, E.; Cooray, A.

2011-01-01

Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide powerful constraints on neutrino masses complementary to those from accelerators and reactors. Here we provide a guide to these different probes, for each explaining its physical basis, underlying assumptions, current and future reach.......Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide powerful constraints on neutrino masses complementary to those from accelerators and reactors. Here we provide a guide to these different probes, for each explaining its physical basis, underlying assumptions, current and future reach....

Question of neutrino mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Branco, G.C.; Senjanovic, G.

1978-01-01

We investigate the question of neutrino mass in theories in which neutrinos are four-component Dirac particles. Our analysis is done in the framework of left-right--symmetric theories. The requirement of calculability and natural smallness of neutrino mass leads to the following constraints: (i) left and right charged weak currents must be ''orthogonal'' to each other, and (ii) there should be no W/sub L/-W/sub R/ mixing at the three level. Finally, we exhibit a model in which, due to the existence of an unbroken symmetry of the total Lagrangian, the electron and muon neutrinos remain massless to all orders in perturbation theory

Neutrinos and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary Steigman

2012-01-01

Full Text Available According to the standard models of particle physics and cosmology, there should be a background of cosmic neutrinos in the present Universe, similar to the cosmic microwave photon background. The weakness of the weak interactions renders this neutrino background undetectable with current technology. The cosmic neutrino background can, however, be probed indirectly through its cosmological effects on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN and the cosmic microwave background (CMB radiation. In this BBN review, focused on neutrinos and more generally on dark radiation, the BBN constraints on the number of “equivalent neutrinos” (dark radiation, on the baryon asymmetry (baryon density, and on a possible lepton asymmetry (neutrino degeneracy are reviewed and updated. The BBN constraints on dark radiation and on the baryon density following from considerations of the primordial abundances of deuterium and helium-4 are in excellent agreement with the complementary results from the CMB, providing a suggestive, but currently inconclusive, hint of the presence of dark radiation, and they constrain any lepton asymmetry. For all the cases considered here there is a “lithium problem”: the BBN-predicted lithium abundance exceeds the observationally inferred primordial value by a factor of ~3.

Cosmological parameter analysis including SDSS Lyα forest and galaxy bias: Constraints on the primordial spectrum of fluctuations, neutrino mass, and dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seljak, Uros; Makarov, Alexey; McDonald, Patrick; Anderson, Scott F.; Bahcall, Neta A.; Cen, Renyue; Gunn, James E.; Lupton, Robert H.; Schlegel, David J.; Brinkmann, J.; Burles, Scott; Doi, Mamoru; Ivezic, Zeljko; Kent, Stephen; Loveday, Jon; Munn, Jeffrey A.; Nichol, Robert C.; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Schneider, Donald P.; Berk, Daniel E. Vanden

2005-01-01

We combine the constraints from the recent Lyα forest analysis of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the SDSS galaxy bias analysis with previous constraints from SDSS galaxy clustering, the latest supernovae, and 1st year WMAP cosmic microwave background anisotropies. We find significant improvements on all of the cosmological parameters compared to previous constraints, which highlights the importance of combining Lyα forest constraints with other probes. Combining WMAP and the Lyα forest we find for the primordial slope n s =0.98±0.02. We see no evidence of running, dn/dlnk=-0.003±0.010, a factor of 3 improvement over previous constraints. We also find no evidence of tensors, r 2 model is within the 2-sigma contour, V∝φ 4 is outside the 3-sigma contour. For the amplitude we find σ 8 =0.90±0.03 from the Lyα forest and WMAP alone. We find no evidence of neutrino mass: for the case of 3 massive neutrino families with an inflationary prior, eV and the mass of lightest neutrino is m 1 ν λ =0.72±0.02, w(z=0.3)=-0.98 -0.12 +0.10 , the latter changing to w(z=0.3)=-0.92 -0.10 +0.09 if tensors are allowed. We find no evidence for variation of the equation of state with redshift, w(z=1)=-1.03 -0.28 +0.21 . These results rely on the current understanding of the Lyα forest and other probes, which need to be explored further both observationally and theoretically, but extensive tests reveal no evidence of inconsistency among different data sets used here

New neutrino oscillation results from NOVA

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2018-01-01

Neutrinos oscillate among flavors as they travel because a neutrino of a particular flavor is also a superposition of multiple neutrinos with slightly different masses.  The interferometric nature of oscillations allows these tiny mass differences to be measured, along with the parameters of the PMNS matrix which governs the mixing. However, since neutrinos only interact weakly, a powerful neutrino source and massive detectors are required to measure them. In this talk I will show recently updated results from NOvA, a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment at Fermilab with two functionally identical scintillator detectors. I will present measurements of muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance, and what constraints those measurements put on the remaining open questions in neutrino oscillations: Is the neutrino mass hierarchy "normal" or "inverted?" Do neutrino oscillations violate CP symmetry? Is the mixing in the atmospheric sector maximal? The recent update includes 50%...

An introduction to in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norton, K.P.

2012-01-01

Cosmogenic nuclides are produced through interactions between cosmic rays and target nuclei in Earth's atmosphere and surface materials. Those which are produced in Earth's atmosphere are termed 'meteoric' while the nuclides produced in surface material are known as in-situ cosmogenic nuclides. The past two decades have seen a proliferation of applications for cosmogenic nuclides. This is primarily due to a revolution in accelerator mass spectrometry, AMS, measurement techniques which has allowed the measurement of very small amounts of nuclides. The following is a brief introduction to the theory and application of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclide methods. (author). 17 refs., figs., 1 tab.

Cosmological and supernova neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajino, T. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Aoki, W. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Balantekin, A. B. [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Cheoun, M.-K. [Department of Physics, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Hayakawa, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakara-Shirane 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Hidaka, J. [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Hirai, Y.; Shibagaki, S. [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan and Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Kusakabe, M. [School of Liberal Arts and Science, Korea Aerospace University, Goyang 412-791 (Korea, Republic of); Mathews, G. J. [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Nakamura, K. [Waseda University, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan); Pehlivan, Y. [Mimar Sinan GSÜ, Department of Physics, Şişli, İstanbul 34380 (Turkey); Suzuki, T. [Nihon University, Sakurajosui 3-25-40, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550 (Japan)

2014-06-24

The Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies are the pillars of modern cosmology. It has recently been suggested that axion which is a dark matter candidate in the framework of the standard model could condensate in the early universe and induce photon cooling before the epoch of the photon last scattering. Although this may render a solution to the overproduction problem of primordial {sup 7}Li abundance, there arises another serious difficulty of overproducing D abundance. We propose a hybrid dark matter model with both axions and relic supersymmetric (SUSY) particles to solve both overproduction problems of the primordial D and {sup 7}Li abundances simultaneously. The BBN also serves to constrain the nature of neutrinos. Considering non-thermal photons produced in the decay of the heavy sterile neutrinos due to the magnetic moment, we explore the cosmological constraint on the strength of neutrino magnetic moment consistent with the observed light element abundances. Core-collapse supernovae eject huge flux of energetic neutrinos which affect explosive nucleosynthesis of rare isotopes like {sup 7}Li, {sup 11}B, {sup 92}Nb, {sup 138}La and {sup 180}Ta and r-process elements. Several isotopes depend strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ{sub 13} with predicted and observed supernova-produced abundance ratio {sup 11}B/{sup 7}Li encapsulated in the presolar grains from the Murchison meteorite, we show a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. We also discuss supernova relic neutrinos (SRN) that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter and adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

Neutrino masses and family replication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, P.Q.

1999-01-01

The issue of whether or not there is any link between the smallness of the neutrino mass (if present) and the odd or even nature of the number of families is investigated. It is found that, by assuming the existence of right-handed neutrinos (which would imply that neutrinos will have a mass) and a new chiral SU(2) gauge theory, a constraint on the nature of the number of families can be obtained. In addition, a model, based on that extra SU(2), is constructed where it is plausible to have one 'very heavy' fourth neutrino and three almost degenerate light neutrinos whose masses are all of the Dirac type. copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

Testing CPT invariance with neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohlsson, Tommy

2003-01-01

We investigate possible tests of CPT invariance on the level of event rates at neutrino factories. We do not assume any specific model, but phenomenological differences in the neutrino-antineutrino masses and mixing angles in a Lorentz invariance preserving context, which could be induced by physics beyond the Standard Model. We especially focus on the muon neutrino and antineutrino disappearance channels in order to obtain constraints on the neutrino-antineutrino mass and mixing angle differences. In a typical neutrino factory setup simulation, we find, for example, that vertical bar m 3 - m-bar 3 vertical bar $1.9 · 10 -4 eV and vertical bar ≡ 23 - ≡-bar 23 vertical bar < or approx. 2 deg

Sterile neutrinos with secret interactions—lasting friendship with cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Xiaoyong [International Center for Theoretical Physics, Strada Costiera 11, Trieste, 34014 Italy (Italy); Dasgupta, Basudeb [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai, 400005 India (India); Kopp, Joachim, E-mail: xchu@ictp.it, E-mail: bdasgupta@theory.tifr.res.in, E-mail: jkopp@uni-mainz.de [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence and Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, Mainz, 55128 Germany (Germany)

2015-10-01

Sterile neutrinos with mass ≅ 1 eV and order 10% mixing with active neutrinos have been proposed as a solution to anomalies in neutrino oscillation data, but are tightly constrained by cosmological limits. It was recently shown that these constraints are avoided if sterile neutrinos couple to a new MeV-scale gauge boson A'. However, even this scenario is restricted by structure formation constraints when A'-mediated collisional processes lead to efficient active-to-sterile neutrino conversion after neutrinos have decoupled. In view of this, we reevaluate in this paper the viability of sterile neutrinos with such ''secret'' interactions. We carefully dissect their evolution in the early Universe, including the various production channels and the expected modifications to large scale structure formation. We argue that there are two regions in parameter space—one at very small A' coupling, one at relatively large A' coupling—where all constraints from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and large scale structure (LSS) data are satisfied. Interestingly, the large A' coupling region is precisely the region that was previously shown to have potentially important consequences for the small scale structure of dark matter halos if the A' boson couples also to the dark matter in the Universe.

Revisiting cosmological bounds on sterile neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vincent, Aaron C. [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP), Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Martínez, Enrique Fernández [Departamento and Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT), UAM/CSIC, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, C/ Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, E-28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid (Spain); Hernández, Pilar; Mena, Olga [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Lattanzi, Massimiliano, E-mail: aaron.vincent@durham.ac.uk, E-mail: enrique.fernandez-martinez@uam.es, E-mail: m.pilar.hernandez@uv.es, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es, E-mail: lattanzi@fe.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Science della Terra, Università di Ferrara and INFN, sezione di Ferrara, Polo Scientifico e Tecnologico, Edificio C Via Saragat, 1, I-44122 Ferrara (Italy)

2015-04-01

We employ state-of-the art cosmological observables including supernova surveys and BAO information to provide constraints on the mass and mixing angle of a non-resonantly produced sterile neutrino species, showing that cosmology can effectively rule out sterile neutrinos which decay between BBN and the present day. The decoupling of an additional heavy neutrino species can modify the time dependence of the Universe's expansion between BBN and recombination and, in extreme cases, lead to an additional matter-dominated period; while this could naively lead to a younger Universe with a larger Hubble parameter, it could later be compensated by the extra radiation expected in the form of neutrinos from sterile decay. However, recombination-era observables including the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the shift parameter R{sub CMB} and the sound horizon r{sub s} from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) severely constrain this scenario. We self-consistently include the full time-evolution of the coupled sterile neutrino and standard model sectors in an MCMC, showing that if decay occurs after BBN, the sterile neutrino is essentially bounded by the constraint sin{sup 2}θ ∼< 0.026 (m{sub s}/eV){sup −2}.

First Evidence of pep Solar Neutrinos by Direct Detection in Borexino

Science.gov (United States)

Bellini, G.; Benziger, J.; Bick, D.; Bonetti, S.; Bonfini, G.; Bravo, D.; Buizza Avanzini, M.; Caccianiga, B.; Cadonati, L.; Calaprice, F.; Carraro, C.; Cavalcante, P.; Chavarria, A.; Chepurnov, A.; D'Angelo, D.; Davini, S.; Derbin, A.; Etenko, A.; Fomenko, K.; Franco, D.; Galbiati, C.; Gazzana, S.; Ghiano, C.; Giammarchi, M.; Goeger-Neff, M.; Goretti, A.; Grandi, L.; Guardincerri, E.; Hardy, S.; Ianni, Aldo; Ianni, Andrea; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Koshio, Y.; Kryn, D.; Laubenstein, M.; Lewke, T.; Litvinovich, E.; Loer, B.; Lombardi, F.; Lombardi, P.; Ludhova, L.; Machulin, I.; Manecki, S.; Maneschg, W.; Manuzio, G.; Meindl, Q.; Meroni, E.; Miramonti, L.; Misiaszek, M.; Montanari, D.; Mosteiro, P.; Muratova, V.; Oberauer, L.; Obolensky, M.; Ortica, F.; Otis, K.; Pallavicini, M.; Papp, L.; Perasso, L.; Perasso, S.; Pocar, A.; Quirk, J.; Raghavan, R. S.; Ranucci, G.; Razeto, A.; Re, A.; Romani, A.; Sabelnikov, A.; Saldanha, R.; Salvo, C.; Schönert, S.; Simgen, H.; Skorokhvatov, M.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Sukhotin, S.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Testera, G.; Vignaud, D.; Vogelaar, R. B.; von Feilitzsch, F.; Winter, J.; Wojcik, M.; Wright, A.; Wurm, M.; Xu, J.; Zaimidoroga, O.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zuzel, G.

2012-02-01

We observed, for the first time, solar neutrinos in the 1.0-1.5 MeV energy range. We determined the rate of pep solar neutrino interactions in Borexino to be 3.1±0.6stat±0.3systcounts/(day·100ton). Assuming the pep neutrino flux predicted by the standard solar model, we obtained a constraint on the CNO solar neutrino interaction rate of Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein large mixing angle solution to solar neutrino oscillations, these values correspond to solar neutrino fluxes of (1.6±0.3)×108cm-2s-1 and <7.7×108cm-2s-1 (95% C.L.), respectively, in agreement with both the high and low metallicity standard solar models. These results represent the first direct evidence of the pep neutrino signal and the strongest constraint of the CNO solar neutrino flux to date.

Sterile neutrinos as the origin of dark and baryonic matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetti, Laurent; Drewes, Marco; Shaposhnikov, Mikhail

2013-02-08

We demonstrate for the first time that three sterile neutrinos alone can simultaneously explain neutrino oscillations, the observed dark matter, and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe without new physics above the Fermi scale. The key new point of our analysis is leptogenesis after sphaleron freeze-out, which leads to resonant dark matter production, evading thus the constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from structure formation and x-ray searches. We identify the range of sterile neutrino properties that is consistent with all known constraints. We find a domain of parameters where the new particles can be found with present day experimental techniques, using upgrades to existing experimental facilities.

Cosmogenic 3He in detrital gold

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, Finlay; Yakubovich, Olga; Caracedo, Ana; Nesterenok, Alexander

2017-04-01

Since the measurement of cosmogenic He in an alluvial diamond by McConville and Reynolds (1996) the application of cosmogenic noble gases to individual detrital grains to quantify surface processes has not been vigorously pursued. The likely low rate of diffusion of cosmogenic He in native metals, and their resistance to weathering and disintegration during erosion and transport, makes them a potential record of long-term Earth surface processes. In an effort to assess the extent that detrital refractory metals record the exposure history during transport and storage we have undertaken a reconnaissance study of the He isotope composition in 18 grains (2-200 mg) of native gold, copper, silver, and PtPd, Pt3Fe and OsIr alloys from alluvial placer deposits from around the world. 4He is dominantly the result of U and Th decay within the grains, or decay of 190Pt in the Pt-rich alloys. 3He is measurable in 13 grains, concentrations range up to 2.7E+6 atoms/g. 3He/4He are always in excess of the crustal radiogenic ratio, up to 306 Ra. Although nucleogenic 3He produced by (n,α) reactions on 6Li, and 3He from trapped hydrothermal fluids, are present, the majority of the 3He is cosmogenic in origin. Using newly calculated cosmogenic 3He production rates in heavy metals, and a determination of the effect of implantation based on the stopping distances of spallogenic 3He and 3H, the grains have 3Hecos concentrations that are equivalent to 0.35 to 1.5 Ma exposure at Earth's surface. In a study of detrital gold grains from several sites in Scotland we have found that 10 % have 3He concentrations that are significantly in excess of that generated since the Last Glacial Maximum. These studies demonstrate that, with refinement, cosmogenic 3He in refractory detrital minerals can be used to quantify sediment transport and storage on the 1-10 Ma timescale. P. McConville & J.H. Reynolds (1989). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 53, 2365-75.

Search for Sterile Neutrinos in the Muon Neutrino Disappearance Mode at FNAL

CERN Document Server

Anokhina, A.; Benettoni, M.; Bernardini, P.; Brugnera, R.; Calabrese, M.; Cecchetti, A.; Cecchini, S.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Dal Corso, F.; Dalkarov, O.; Prete, A.; De Robertis, G.; De Serio, M.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Dusini, S.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Fini, R.A.; Fiore, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Guerzoni, M.; Klicek, B.; Kose, U.; Jakovcic, K.; Laurenti, G.; Lippi, I.; Loddo, F.; Longhin, A.; Malenica, M.; Mancarella, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Margiotta, A.; Marsella, G.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Mingazheva, R.; Morgunova, O.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Nessi, M.; Orecchini, D.; Paoloni, A.; Papadia, G.; Paparella, L.; Pasqualini, L.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Roda, M.; Roganova, T.; Rosa, G.; Sahnoun, Z.; Shchedrina, T.; Simone, S.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Spurio, M.; Stanco, L.; Starkov, N.; Stipcevic, M.; Surdo, A.; Tenti, M.; Togo, V.; Vladymyrov, M.

2017-01-01

The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a conclusive experiment to clarify the {\\em muon--neutrino disappearance} measurements at short baselines in order to put severe constraints to models with more than the three--standard neutrinos, or even to robustly establish the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL--Booster neutrino beam for a Short--Baseline experiment was carefully evaluated by considering the use of magnetic spectrometers at two sites, near and far ones. The detector locations were extensively studied, together with the achievable performances of two OPERA--like spectrometers. The study was constrained by the availability of existing hardware and a time--schedule compatible with the undergoing project of multi--site Liquid--Argon detectors at FNAL. \

A model for Simpson's 17 keV neutrino

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajpoot, S.

1992-01-01

Recent studies of β-decay spectra seem to confirm Simpson's earlier findings that the electron neutrinos contain a small (1%) admixture of a 17 keV Dirac neutrino. In this paper an unconventional model with SU(2) L x SU(2) R x U(1) B-1 gauge interactions is presented in which all neutrinos are Dirac particles. Electron and muon neutrinos acquire seesaw Dirac masses of order 10 -3 eV for the MSW solution for the solar neutrino problem. The τ neutrino is identified as Simpson's 17 keV neutrino. Constraints coming from cosmology and particle physics are shown to be satisfied

Low-energy solar neutrino spectroscopy with Borexino. Towards the detection of the solar pep and CNO neutrino flux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maneschg, Werner

2011-05-11

Borexino is a large-volume organic liquid scintillator detector of unprecedented high radiopurity which has been designed for low-energy neutrino spectroscopy in real time. Besides the main objective of the experiment, the measurement of the solar {sup 7}Be neutrino flux, Borexino also aims at detecting solar neutrinos from the pep fusion process and from the CNO cycle. The detectability of these neutrinos is strictly connected to a successful rejection of all relevant background components. The identification and reduction of these background signals is the central subject of this dissertation. In the first part, contaminants induced by cosmic-ray muons and muon showers were analyzed. The dominant background is the cosmogenic radioisotope {sup 11}C. Its rate is {proportional_to}10 times higher than the expected combined pep and CNO neutrino rate in the preferred energy window of observation at [0.8,1.3] MeV. Since {sup 11}C is mostly produced under the release of a free neutron, {sup 11}C can be tagged with a threefold coincidence (TFC) consisting of the muon signal, the neutron capture and the subsequent {sup 11}C decay. By optimizing the TFC method and other rejection techniques, a {sup 11}C rejection efficiency of 80% was achieved. This led to a neutrino-to-background ratio of 1:1.7, whereby 61% of statistics is lost. The second part of the work concerns the study of the external background. Especially long-range 2.6 MeV gamma rays from {sup 208}Tl decays in the outer detector parts can reach the scintillator in the innermost region of the detector. For the determination of the resultant spectral shape, a custom-made {proportional_to}5 MBq {sup 228}Th source was produced and an external calibration was carried out for the first time. The obtained calibration data and the achieved {sup 11}C rejection efficiency will allow for the direct detection of solar pep and possibly also CNO neutrinos with Borexino. (orig.)

Low-energy solar neutrino spectroscopy with Borexino. Towards the detection of the solar pep and CNO neutrino flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maneschg, Werner

2011-01-01

Borexino is a large-volume organic liquid scintillator detector of unprecedented high radiopurity which has been designed for low-energy neutrino spectroscopy in real time. Besides the main objective of the experiment, the measurement of the solar 7 Be neutrino flux, Borexino also aims at detecting solar neutrinos from the pep fusion process and from the CNO cycle. The detectability of these neutrinos is strictly connected to a successful rejection of all relevant background components. The identification and reduction of these background signals is the central subject of this dissertation. In the first part, contaminants induced by cosmic-ray muons and muon showers were analyzed. The dominant background is the cosmogenic radioisotope 11 C. Its rate is ∝10 times higher than the expected combined pep and CNO neutrino rate in the preferred energy window of observation at [0.8,1.3] MeV. Since 11 C is mostly produced under the release of a free neutron, 11 C can be tagged with a threefold coincidence (TFC) consisting of the muon signal, the neutron capture and the subsequent 11 C decay. By optimizing the TFC method and other rejection techniques, a 11 C rejection efficiency of 80% was achieved. This led to a neutrino-to-background ratio of 1:1.7, whereby 61% of statistics is lost. The second part of the work concerns the study of the external background. Especially long-range 2.6 MeV gamma rays from 208 Tl decays in the outer detector parts can reach the scintillator in the innermost region of the detector. For the determination of the resultant spectral shape, a custom-made ∝5 MBq 228 Th source was produced and an external calibration was carried out for the first time. The obtained calibration data and the achieved 11 C rejection efficiency will allow for the direct detection of solar pep and possibly also CNO neutrinos with Borexino. (orig.)

Sterile neutrinos with secret interactions — lasting friendship with cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Xiaoyong [International Center for Theoretical Physics,Strada Costiera 11, Trieste, 34014 (Italy); Dasgupta, Basudeb [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai, 400005 (India); Kopp, Joachim [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence and Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics,Johannes Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, Mainz, 55128 (Germany)

2015-10-06

Sterile neutrinos with mass ≃1 eV and order 10% mixing with active neutrinos have been proposed as a solution to anomalies in neutrino oscillation data, but are tightly constrained by cosmological limits. It was recently shown that these constraints are avoided if sterile neutrinos couple to a new MeV-scale gauge boson A{sup ′}. However, even this scenario is restricted by structure formation constraints when A{sup ′}-mediated collisional processes lead to efficient active-to-sterile neutrino conversion after neutrinos have decoupled. In view of this, we reevaluate in this paper the viability of sterile neutrinos with such “secret” interactions. We carefully dissect their evolution in the early Universe, including the various production channels and the expected modifications to large scale structure formation. We argue that there are two regions in parameter space — one at very small A{sup ′} coupling, one at relatively large A{sup ′} coupling — where all constraints from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and large scale structure (LSS) data are satisfied. Interestingly, the large A{sup ′} coupling region is precisely the region that was previously shown to have potentially important consequences for the small scale structure of dark matter halos if the A{sup ′} boson couples also to the dark matter in the Universe.

A road map to solar neutrino fluxe, neutrino oscillation parameters, and tests for new physics

CERN Document Server

Bahcall, J N; Bahcall, John N.; Peña-Garay, Carlos

2003-01-01

We analyze all available solar and related reactor neutrino experiments, as well as simulated future ^7Be, p-p, pep, and ^8B solar neutrino experiments. We treat all solar neutrino fluxes as free parameters subject to the condition that the total luminosity represented by the neutrinos equals the observed solar luminosity (the `luminosity constraint'). Existing experiments show that the p-p solar neutrino flux is 1.01 + - 0.02 (1 sigma) times the flux predicted by the BP00 standard solar model; the ^7Be neutrino flux is 0.97^{+0.28}_{-0.54} the predicted flux; and the ^8B flux is 1.01 + - 0.06 the predicted flux. The oscillation parameters are: Delta m^2 = 7.3^{+0.4}_{-0.6} 10^{-5} eV^2 and tan^2 theta_{12} = 0.42^{+0.08}_{-0.06}. We evaluate how accurate future experiments must be to determine more precisely neutrino oscillation parameters and solar neutrino fluxes, and to elucidate the transition from vacuum-dominated to matter-dominated oscillations. A future ^7Be nu-e scattering experiment accurate to + -...

Muon and cosmogenic neutron detection in Borexino

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellini, G; Bonetti, S; Avanzini, M Buizza; Caccianiga, B; D'Angelo, D; Benziger, J; Bick, D; Cadonati, L; Calaprice, F; Chavarria, A; Galbiati, C; Carraro, C; Davini, S; Chepurnov, A; Derbin, A; Etenko, A; Feilitzsch, F von; Fomenko, K; Franco, D; Gazzana, S

2011-01-01

Borexino, a liquid scintillator detector at LNGS, is designed for the detection of neutrinos and antineutrinos from the Sun, supernovae, nuclear reactors, and the Earth. The feeble nature of these signals requires a strong suppression of backgrounds below a few MeV. Very low intrinsic radiogenic contamination of all detector components needs to be accompanied by the efficient identification of muons and of muon-induced backgrounds. Muons produce unstable nuclei by spallation processes along their trajectory through the detector whose decays can mimic the expected signals; for isotopes with half-lives longer than a few seconds, the dead time induced by a muon-related veto becomes unacceptably long, unless its application can be restricted to a sub-volume along the muon track. Consequently, not only the identification of muons with very high efficiency but also a precise reconstruction of their tracks is of primary importance for the physics program of the experiment. The Borexino inner detector is surrounded by an outer water-Cherenkov detector that plays a fundamental role in accomplishing this task. The detector design principles and their implementation are described. The strategies adopted to identify muons are reviewed and their efficiency is evaluated. The overall muon veto efficiency is found to be 99.992 % or better. Ad-hoc track reconstruction algorithms developed are presented. Their performance is tested against muon events of known direction such as those from the CNGS neutrino beam, test tracks available from a dedicated External Muon Tracker and cosmic muons whose angular distribution reflects the local overburden profile. The achieved angular resolution is ∼ 3 0 -5 0 and the lateral resolution is ∼ 35-50 cm, depending on the impact parameter of the crossing muon. The methods implemented to efficiently tag cosmogenic neutrons are also presented.

Apparent CPT violation in neutrino oscillation experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelhardt, Netta; Nelson, Ann E.; Walsh, Jonathan R.

2010-01-01

We consider searching for light sterile fermions and new forces by using long baseline oscillations of neutrinos and antineutrinos. A new light sterile state and/or a new force can lead to apparent CPT violation in muon neutrino and antineutrino oscillations. As an example, we present an economical model of neutrino masses containing a sterile neutrino. The potential from the standard model weak neutral current gives rise to a difference between the disappearance probabilities of neutrinos and antineutrinos, when mixing with a light sterile neutrino is considered. The addition of a B-L interaction adds coherently to the neutrino current potential and increases the difference between neutrino and antineutrino disappearance. We find that this model can improve the fit to the results of MINOS for both neutrinos and antineutrinos, without any CPT violation, and that the regions of parameter space which improve the fit are within experimental constraints.

Flavor versus mass eigenstates in neutrino asymmetries: implications for cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barenboim, Gabriela [Universitat de Valencia-CSIC, Departament de Fisica Teorica y IFIC, Burjassot (Spain); Kinney, William H. [University at Buffalo, Department of Physics, Buffalo, NY (United States); Park, Wan-Il [Universitat de Valencia-CSIC, Departament de Fisica Teorica y IFIC, Burjassot (Spain); Chonbuk National University, Division of Science Education and Institute of Fusion Science, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

We show that, if they exist, lepton number asymmetries (L{sub α}) of neutrino flavors should be distinguished from the ones (L{sub i}) of mass eigenstates, since Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) bounds on the flavor eigenstates cannot be directly applied to the mass eigenstates. Similarly, Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) constraints on the mass eigenstates do not directly constrain flavor asymmetries. Due to the difference of mass and flavor eigenstates, the cosmological constraint on the asymmetries of neutrino flavors can be much stronger than the conventional expectation, but they are not uniquely determined unless at least the asymmetry of the heaviest neutrino is well constrained. The cosmological constraint on L{sub i} for a specific case is presented as an illustration. (orig.)

Low Energy Neutrino Cross Sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeller, G.P.

2004-01-01

Present atmospheric and accelerator based neutrino oscillation experiments operate at low neutrino energies (Ev ∼ 1 GeV) to access the relevant regions of oscillation parameter space. As such, they require precise knowledge of the cross sections for neutrino-nucleon interactions in the sub-to-few GeV range. At these energies, neutrinos predominantly interact via quasi-elastic (QE) or single pion production processes, which historically have not been as well studied as the deep inelastic scattering reactions that dominate at higher energies.Data on low energy neutrino cross sections come mainly from bubble chamber, spark chamber, and emulsion experiments that collected their data decades ago. Despite relatively poor statistics and large neutrino flux uncertainties, these measurements provide an important and necessary constraint on Monte Carlo models in present use. The following sections discuss the current status of QE, resonant single pion, coherent pion, and single kaon production cross section measurements at low energy

Lepton number violating processes and Majorana neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dib, C.; Schmidt, I.; Gribanov, V.; Kovalenko, S.

2001-01-01

Some generic properties of lepton number violating processes and their relation to different entries of the Majorana neutrino mass matrix are discussed. Present and near future experiments searching for these processes, except the neutrinoless double beta decay, are unable to probe light (eV mass region) and heavy (hundred GeV mass region) neutrinos. On the other hand, due to the effect of a resonant enhancement, some of lepton number violating decays can be very sensitive to the intermediate-mass neutrinos with typical masses in the hundred MeV region. These neutrinos may appear as admixtures of the three active and an arbitrary number of sterile neutrino species. The experimental constraints on these massive neutrino states are analyzed and their possible cosmological and astrophysical implications are discussed

Search for sterile neutrinos in muon neutrino disappearance mode at FNAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anokhina, A.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Morgunova, O.; Roganova, T.; Bagulya, A.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Dalkarov, O.; Mingazheva, R.; Shchedrina, T.; Starkov, N.; Vladymyrov, M.; Benettoni, M.; Dal Corso, F.; Dusini, S.; Lippi, I.; Longhin, A.; Bernardini, P.; Mancarella, G.; Marsella, G.; Brugnera, R.; Garfagnini, A.; Medinaceli, E.; Roda, M.; Sirignano, C.; Calabrese, M.; Fiore, G.; Surdo, A.; Cecchetti, A.; Orecchini, D.; Paoloni, A.; Cecchini, S.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Guerzoni, M.; Laurenti, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Mauri, N.; Patrizii, L.; Pozzato, M.; Sahnoun, Z.; Sirri, G.; Togo, V.; Del Prete, A.; Papadia, G.; De Robertis, G.; Fini, R.A.; Loddo, F.; Pastore, A.; De Serio, M.; Paparella, L.; Simone, S.; Klicek, B.; Jakovcic, K.; Malenica, M.; Stipcevic, M.; Kose, U.; Nessi, M.; Margiotta, A.; Pasqualini, L.; Spurio, M.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Polukhina, N.; Rosa, G.; Stanco, L.; Tenti, M.

2017-01-01

The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a conclusive experiment to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at short baselines in order to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos. To this aim the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment was carefully evaluated by considering the use of magnetic spectrometers at two sites, near and far ones. The detector locations were studied, together with the achievable performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The study was constrained by the availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the undergoing project of multi-site Liquid-Argon detectors at FNAL. The settled physics case and the kind of proposed experiment on the Booster neutrino beam would definitively clarify the existing tension between the ν μ disappearance and the ν e appearance/disappearance at the eV mass scale. In the context of neutrino oscillations the measurement of ν μ disappearance is a robust and fast approach to either reject or discover new neutrino states at the eV mass scale. We discuss an experimental program able to extend by more than one order of magnitude (for neutrino disappearance) and by almost one order of magnitude (for antineutrino disappearance) the present range of sensitivity for the mixing angle between standard and sterile neutrinos. These extensions are larger than those achieved in any other proposal presented so far. (orig.)

Search for sterile neutrinos in muon neutrino disappearance mode at FNAL

Science.gov (United States)

Anokhina, A.; Bagulya, A.; Benettoni, M.; Bernardini, P.; Brugnera, R.; Calabrese, M.; Cecchetti, A.; Cecchini, S.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Dal Corso, F.; Dalkarov, O.; Del Prete, A.; De Robertis, G.; De Serio, M.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Dusini, S.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Fini, R. A.; Fiore, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Guerzoni, M.; Klicek, B.; Kose, U.; Jakovcic, K.; Laurenti, G.; Lippi, I.; Loddo, F.; Longhin, A.; Malenica, M.; Mancarella, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Margiotta, A.; Marsella, G.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Mingazheva, R.; Morgunova, O.; Muciaccia, M. T.; Nessi, M.; Orecchini, D.; Paoloni, A.; Papadia, G.; Paparella, L.; Pasqualini, L.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Roda, M.; Roganova, T.; Rosa, G.; Sahnoun, Z.; Shchedrina, T.; Simone, S.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Spurio, M.; Stanco, L.; Starkov, N.; Stipcevic, M.; Surdo, A.; Tenti, M.; Togo, V.; Vladymyrov, M.

2017-01-01

The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a conclusive experiment to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at short baselines in order to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos. To this aim the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment was carefully evaluated by considering the use of magnetic spectrometers at two sites, near and far ones. The detector locations were studied, together with the achievable performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The study was constrained by the availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the undergoing project of multi-site Liquid-Argon detectors at FNAL. The settled physics case and the kind of proposed experiment on the Booster neutrino beam would definitively clarify the existing tension between the ν _{μ } disappearance and the ν e appearance/disappearance at the eV mass scale. In the context of neutrino oscillations the measurement of ν _{μ } disappearance is a robust and fast approach to either reject or discover new neutrino states at the eV mass scale. We discuss an experimental program able to extend by more than one order of magnitude (for neutrino disappearance) and by almost one order of magnitude (for antineutrino disappearance) the present range of sensitivity for the mixing angle between standard and sterile neutrinos. These extensions are larger than those achieved in any other proposal presented so far.

Search for sterile neutrinos in muon neutrino disappearance mode at FNAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anokhina, A.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Morgunova, O.; Roganova, T. [Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU SINP), Moscow (Russian Federation); Bagulya, A.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Dalkarov, O.; Mingazheva, R.; Shchedrina, T.; Starkov, N.; Vladymyrov, M. [Lebedev Physical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Benettoni, M.; Dal Corso, F.; Dusini, S.; Lippi, I.; Longhin, A. [INFN, Sezione di Padova, Padua (Italy); Bernardini, P.; Mancarella, G.; Marsella, G. [Universita del Salento, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Lecce (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Lecce, Lecce (Italy); Brugnera, R.; Garfagnini, A.; Medinaceli, E.; Roda, M.; Sirignano, C. [INFN, Sezione di Padova, Padua (Italy); Universita di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Padua (Italy); Calabrese, M.; Fiore, G.; Surdo, A. [INFN, Sezione di Lecce, Lecce (Italy); Cecchetti, A.; Orecchini, D.; Paoloni, A. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati, RM (Italy); Cecchini, S.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Guerzoni, M.; Laurenti, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Mauri, N.; Patrizii, L.; Pozzato, M.; Sahnoun, Z.; Sirri, G.; Togo, V. [INFN, Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Del Prete, A.; Papadia, G. [INFN, Sezione di Lecce, Lecce (Italy); Universita del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Innovazione, Lecce (Italy); De Robertis, G.; Fini, R.A.; Loddo, F.; Pastore, A. [INFN, Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); De Serio, M.; Paparella, L.; Simone, S. [INFN, Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); Universita di Bari, Dipartimento di Fisica, Bari (Italy); Klicek, B.; Jakovcic, K.; Malenica, M.; Stipcevic, M. [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb (Croatia); Kose, U.; Nessi, M. [European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Margiotta, A.; Pasqualini, L.; Spurio, M. [INFN, Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Bologna (Italy); Muciaccia, M.T. [Universita di Bari, Dipartimento di Fisica, Bari (Italy); Polukhina, N. [Lebedev Physical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow (Russian Federation); Rosa, G. [INFN, Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Stanco, L. [INFN, Sezione di Padova, Padua (Italy); Tenti, M. [Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Bologna (Italy); NFN-CNAF, Bologna (Italy)

2017-01-15

The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a conclusive experiment to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at short baselines in order to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos. To this aim the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment was carefully evaluated by considering the use of magnetic spectrometers at two sites, near and far ones. The detector locations were studied, together with the achievable performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The study was constrained by the availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the undergoing project of multi-site Liquid-Argon detectors at FNAL. The settled physics case and the kind of proposed experiment on the Booster neutrino beam would definitively clarify the existing tension between the ν{sub μ} disappearance and the ν{sub e} appearance/disappearance at the eV mass scale. In the context of neutrino oscillations the measurement of ν{sub μ} disappearance is a robust and fast approach to either reject or discover new neutrino states at the eV mass scale. We discuss an experimental program able to extend by more than one order of magnitude (for neutrino disappearance) and by almost one order of magnitude (for antineutrino disappearance) the present range of sensitivity for the mixing angle between standard and sterile neutrinos. These extensions are larger than those achieved in any other proposal presented so far. (orig.)

Lepton asymmetry and neutrino oscillations interplay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirilova, Daniela, E-mail: dani@astro.bas.bg [Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Astronomy and NAO (Bulgaria)

2013-03-15

We discuss the interplay between lepton asymmetry L and {nu} oscillations in the early Universe. Neutrino oscillations may suppress or enhance previously existing L. On the other hand L is capable to suppress or enhance neutrino oscillations. The mechanism of L enhancement in MSW resonant {nu} oscillations in the early Universe is numerically analyzed. L cosmological effects through {nu} oscillations are discussed. We discuss how L may change the cosmological BBN constraints on neutrino and show that BBN model with {nu}{sub e}{r_reversible}{nu}{sub s} oscillations is extremely sensitive to L - it allows to obtain the most stringent constraints on L value. We discuss also the cosmological role of active-sterile {nu} mixing and L in connection with the indications about additional relativistic density in the early Universe, pointed out by BBN, CMB and LSS data and the analysis of global {nu} data.

Solar neutrinos, rendezvous with the moon. An eclipse provides an indication for the huge neutrinos inquiry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vannucci, F.

1996-01-01

Solar neutrinos have raised for twenty years a puzzling problem: the neutrinos flux received on the Earth is greatly lower than the flux predicted by the prevailing model of star functioning. The neutrino oscillation hypothesis has been put forward to explain this problem. This paper describes a simple experiment carried out in Viet Nam using a telescope during a sun eclipse to measure the photon emission due to the neutrinos decay between the moon and the Earth. In this experiment, the moon plays the role of a filter which eliminates the sun photons. No significant excess of photons has been detected. This result gives some additional constraints to the existing models. (J.S.). 3 refs., 1 photo

Observational constraints on multimessenger sources of gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartos, Imre; Finley, Chad; Corsi, Alessandra; Márka, Szabolcs

2011-12-16

Many astronomical sources of intense bursts of photons are also predicted to be strong emitters of gravitational waves (GWs) and high-energy neutrinos (HENs). Moreover some suspected classes, e.g., choked gamma-ray bursts, may only be identifiable via nonphoton messengers. Here we explore the reach of current and planned experiments to address this question. We derive constraints on the rate of GW and HEN bursts based on independent observations by the initial LIGO and Virgo GW detectors and the partially completed IceCube (40-string) HEN detector. We then estimate the reach of joint GW+HEN searches using advanced GW detectors and the completed km(3) IceCube detector to probe the joint parameter space. We show that searches undertaken by advanced detectors will be capable of detecting, constraining, or excluding, several existing models with 1 yr of observation. © 2011 American Physical Society

Tests of CPT invariance at neutrino factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilenky, Samoil M.; Freund, Martin; Lindner, Manfred; Ohlsson, Tommy; Winter, Walter

2002-01-01

We investigate possible tests of CPT invariance on the level of event rates at neutrino factories. We do not assume any specific model but phenomenological differences in the neutrino-antineutrino masses and mixing angles in a Lorentz invariance preserving context, such as could be induced by physics beyond the standard model. We especially focus on the muon neutrino and antineutrino disappearance channels in order to obtain constraints on the neutrino-antineutrino mass and mixing angle differences; we found, for example, that the sensitivity |m 3 -m(bar sign) 3 |(less-or-similar sign)1.9x10 -4 eV could be achieved

Neutrinos in the holographic dark energy model: constraints from latest measurements of expansion history and growth of structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jing-Fei; Zhao, Ming-Ming; Li, Yun-He; Zhang, Xin

2015-01-01

The model of holographic dark energy (HDE) with massive neutrinos and/or dark radiation is investigated in detail. The background and perturbation evolutions in the HDE model are calculated. We employ the PPF approach to overcome the gravity instability difficulty (perturbation divergence of dark energy) led by the equation-of-state parameter w evolving across the phantom divide w=−1 in the HDE model with c<1. We thus derive the evolutions of density perturbations of various components and metric fluctuations in the HDE model. The impacts of massive neutrino and dark radiation on the CMB anisotropy power spectrum and the matter power spectrum in the HDE scenario are discussed. Furthermore, we constrain the models of HDE with massive neutrinos and/or dark radiation by using the latest measurements of expansion history and growth of structure, including the Planck CMB temperature data, the baryon acoustic oscillation data, the JLA supernova data, the Hubble constant direct measurement, the cosmic shear data of weak lensing, the Planck CMB lensing data, and the redshift space distortions data. We find that ∑ m ν <0.186 eV (95% CL) and N eff =3.75 +0.28 −0.32 in the HDE model from the constraints of these data

Thermalizing Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Rasmus S L; Vogl, Stefan

2017-12-22

Sterile neutrinos produced through oscillations are a well motivated dark matter candidate, but recent constraints from observations have ruled out most of the parameter space. We analyze the impact of new interactions on the evolution of keV sterile neutrino dark matter in the early Universe. Based on general considerations we find a mechanism which thermalizes the sterile neutrinos after an initial production by oscillations. The thermalization of sterile neutrinos is accompanied by dark entropy production which increases the yield of dark matter and leads to a lower characteristic momentum. This resolves the growing tensions with structure formation and x-ray observations and even revives simple nonresonant production as a viable way to produce sterile neutrino dark matter. We investigate the parameters required for the realization of the thermalization mechanism in a representative model and find that a simple estimate based on energy and entropy conservation describes the mechanism well.

Thermalizing Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Rasmus S. L.; Vogl, Stefan

2017-12-01

Sterile neutrinos produced through oscillations are a well motivated dark matter candidate, but recent constraints from observations have ruled out most of the parameter space. We analyze the impact of new interactions on the evolution of keV sterile neutrino dark matter in the early Universe. Based on general considerations we find a mechanism which thermalizes the sterile neutrinos after an initial production by oscillations. The thermalization of sterile neutrinos is accompanied by dark entropy production which increases the yield of dark matter and leads to a lower characteristic momentum. This resolves the growing tensions with structure formation and x-ray observations and even revives simple nonresonant production as a viable way to produce sterile neutrino dark matter. We investigate the parameters required for the realization of the thermalization mechanism in a representative model and find that a simple estimate based on energy and entropy conservation describes the mechanism well.

Neutrino physics at a muon collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, B.J.

1998-02-01

This paper gives an overview of the neutrino physics possibilities at a future muon storage ring, which can be either a muon collider ring or a ring dedicated to neutrino physics that uses muon collider technology to store large muon currents. After a general characterization of the neutrino beam and its interactions, some crude quantitative estimates are given for the physics performance of a muon ring neutrino experiment (MURINE) consisting of a high rate, high performance neutrino detector at a 250 GeV muon collider storage ring. The paper is organized as follows. The next section describes neutrino production from a muon storage rings and gives expressions for event rates in general purpose and long baseline detectors. This is followed by a section outlining a serious design constraint for muon storage rings: the need to limit the radiation levels produced by the neutrino beam. The following two sections describe a general purpose detector and the experimental reconstruction of interactions in the neutrino target then, finally, the physics capabilities of a MURINE are surveyed

Neutrino constraints that transform black holes into grey holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruderfer, M.

1982-01-01

Existing black hole theory is found to be defective in its neglect of the physical properties of matter and radiation at superhigh densities. Nongravitational neutrino effects are shown to be physically relevant to the evolution of astronomical black holes and their equations of state. Gravitational collapse to supernovae combined with the Davis and Ray vacuum solution for neutrinos limit attainment of a singularity and require black holes to evolve into ''grey holes''. These allow a better justification than do black holes for explaining the unique existence of galactic masses. (Auth.)

Axion-assisted production of sterile neutrino dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berlin, Asher; Hooper, Dan

2017-04-12

Sterile neutrinos can be generated in the early universe through oscillations with active neutrinos and represent a popular and well-studied candidate for our universe's dark matter. Stringent constraints from X-ray and gamma-ray line searches, however, have excluded the simplest of such models. In this letter, we propose a novel alternative to the standard scenario in which the mixing angle between the sterile and active neutrinos is a dynamical quantity, induced through interactions with a light axion-like field. As the energy density of the axion-like particles is diluted by Hubble expansion, the degree of mixing is reduced at late times, suppressing the decay rate and easily alleviating any tension with X-ray or gamma-ray constraints. We present a simple model which illustrates the phenomenology of this scenario, and also describe a framework in which the QCD axion is responsible for the production of sterile neutrinos in the early universe.

Neutrino mass in flavor dependent gauged lepton model

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Takaaki; Okada, Hiroshi

2018-03-01

We study a neutrino model introducing an additional nontrivial gauged lepton symmetry where the neutrino masses are induced at two-loop level, while the first and second charged-leptons of the standard model are done at one-loop level. As a result of the model structure, we can predict one massless active neutrino, and there is a dark matter candidate. Then we discuss the neutrino mass matrix, muon anomalous magnetic moment, lepton flavor violations, oblique parameters, and relic density of dark matter, taking into account the experimental constraints.

Solar Neutrino Observables Sensitive to Matter Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Minakata

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We discuss constraints on the coefficient AMSW which is introduced to simulate the effect of weaker or stronger matter potential for electron neutrinos with the current and future solar neutrino data. The currently available solar neutrino data leads to a bound AMSW=1.47+0.54−0.42(+1.88−0.82 at 1σ (3σ CL, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction AMSW=1. For weaker matter potential (AMSW1, the bound is milder and is dominated by the day-night asymmetry of 8B neutrino flux recently observed by Super-Kamiokande. Among the list of observables of ongoing and future solar neutrino experiments, we find that (1 an improved precision of the day-night asymmetry of 8B neutrinos, (2 precision measurements of the low-energy quasi-monoenergetic neutrinos, and (3 the detection of the upturn of the 8B neutrino spectrum at low energies are the best choices to improve the bound on AMSW.

CNO and pep neutrino spectroscopy in Borexino: Measurement of the deep underground production of cosmogenic 11C in organic liquid scintillator

OpenAIRE

Borexino Collaboration

2006-01-01

Borexino is an experiment for low energy neutrino spectroscopy at the Gran Sasso underground laboratories. It is designed to measure the mono-energetic $^7$Be solar neutrino flux in real time, via neutrino-electron elastic scattering in ultra-pure organic liquid scintillator. Borexino has the potential to also detect neutrinos from the \\emph{pep} fusion process and the CNO cycle. For this measurement to be possible, radioactive contamination in the detector must be kept extremely low. Once su...

Measurements of 14C in ancient ice from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica constrain in situ cosmogenic 14CH4 and 14CO production rates

Science.gov (United States)

Petrenko, Vasilii V.; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.; Schaefer, Hinrich; Smith, Andrew M.; Kuhl, Tanner; Baggenstos, Daniel; Hua, Quan; Brook, Edward J.; Rose, Paul; Kulin, Robb; Bauska, Thomas; Harth, Christina; Buizert, Christo; Orsi, Anais; Emanuele, Guy; Lee, James E.; Brailsford, Gordon; Keeling, Ralph; Weiss, Ray F.

2016-03-01

Carbon-14 (14C) is incorporated into glacial ice by trapping of atmospheric gases as well as direct near-surface in situ cosmogenic production. 14C of trapped methane (14CH4) is a powerful tracer for past CH4 emissions from ;old; carbon sources such as permafrost and marine CH4 clathrates. 14C in trapped carbon dioxide (14CO2) can be used for absolute dating of ice cores. In situ produced cosmogenic 14C in carbon monoxide (14CO) can potentially be used to reconstruct the past cosmic ray flux and past solar activity. Unfortunately, the trapped atmospheric and in situ cosmogenic components of 14C in glacial ice are difficult to disentangle and a thorough understanding of the in situ cosmogenic component is needed in order to extract useful information from ice core 14C. We analyzed very large (≈1000 kg) ice samples in the 2.26-19.53 m depth range from the ablation zone of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, to study in situ cosmogenic production of 14CH4 and 14CO. All sampled ice is >50 ka in age, allowing for the assumption that most of the measured 14C originates from recent in situ cosmogenic production as ancient ice is brought to the surface via ablation. Our results place the first constraints on cosmogenic 14CH4 production rates and improve on prior estimates of 14CO production rates in ice. We find a constant 14CH4/14CO production ratio (0.0076 ± 0.0003) for samples deeper than 3 m, which allows the use of 14CO for correcting the 14CH4 signals for the in situ cosmogenic component. Our results also provide the first unambiguous confirmation of 14C production by fast muons in a natural setting (ice or rock) and suggest that the 14C production rates in ice commonly used in the literature may be too high.

Constraints on the neutrino emission from the Galactic Ridge with the ANTARES telescope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Adrián-Martínez

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A highly significant excess of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos has been reported by the IceCube Collaboration. Some features of the energy and declination distributions of IceCube events hint at a North/South asymmetry of the neutrino flux. This could be due to the presence of the bulk of our Galaxy in the Southern hemisphere. The ANTARES neutrino telescope, located in the Mediterranean Sea, has been taking data since 2007. It offers the best sensitivity to muon neutrinos produced by galactic cosmic ray interactions in this region of the sky. In this letter a search for an extended neutrino flux from the Galactic Ridge region is presented. Different models of neutrino production by cosmic ray propagation are tested. No excess of events is observed and upper limits for different neutrino flux spectral indices Γ are set. For Γ=2.4 the 90% confidence level flux upper limit at 100 TeV for one neutrino flavour corresponds to Φ01f(100 TeV=2.0⋅10−17 GeV−1cm−2s−1sr−1. Under this assumption, at most two events of the IceCube cosmic candidates can originate from the Galactic Ridge. A simple power-law extrapolation of the Fermi-LAT flux to account for IceCube High Energy Starting Events is excluded at 90% confidence level.

Supernova constraints on neutrino mass and mixing

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

the Chandrasekhar limiting mass the pressure of the relativistic electron gas alone can ... and facilitates electron capture by nuclei and free protons leading to .... the neutrino luminosity in units of 10 ¾ ergs/sec, Т and Ф are the neutron and proton ... would be changed to М . One can make a rough estimate of the increase in ...

Supernova neutrinos and explosive nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, T.; Aoki, W.; Cheoun, M.-K.; Hayakawa, T.; Hidaka, J.; Hirai, Y.; Mathews, G. J.; Nakamura, K.; Shibagaki, S.; Suzuki, T.

2014-05-01

Core-collapse supernovae eject huge amount of flux of energetic neutrinos. We studied the explosive nucleosyn-thesis in supernovae and found that several isotopes 7Li, 11B, 92Nb, 138La and 180Ta as well as r-process nuclei are affected by the neutrino interactions. The abundance of these isotopes therefore depends strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. We discuss first how to determine the neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the effects of neutrino oscillation on their abundances, and propose a novel method to determine the still unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, mass hierarchy and θ13, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced light elements 11B and 7Li encapsulated in the presolar grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13, we show that our method sug-gests at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. Finally, we discuss supernova relic neutrinos that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter as well as adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

Supernova neutrinos and explosive nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajino, T. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan and Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Aoki, W. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Cheoun, M.-K. [Department of Physics, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Hayakawa, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakara-Shirane 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Hidaka, J.; Hirai, Y.; Shibagaki, S. [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Mathews, G. J. [Center for Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Nakamura, K. [Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan); Suzuki, T. [Department of Physics, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Sakurajosui 3-25-40, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550 (Japan)

2014-05-09

Core-collapse supernovae eject huge amount of flux of energetic neutrinos. We studied the explosive nucleosyn-thesis in supernovae and found that several isotopes {sup 7}Li, {sup 11}B, {sup 92}Nb, {sup 138}La and {sup 180}Ta as well as r-process nuclei are affected by the neutrino interactions. The abundance of these isotopes therefore depends strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. We discuss first how to determine the neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the effects of neutrino oscillation on their abundances, and propose a novel method to determine the still unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, mass hierarchy and θ{sub 13}, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced light elements {sup 11}B and {sup 7}Li encapsulated in the presolar grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ{sub 13}, we show that our method sug-gests at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. Finally, we discuss supernova relic neutrinos that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter as well as adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation.

The Neutrino Mass Window for Baryogenesis

CERN Document Server

Buchmüller, Wilfried; Plümacher, Michael

2003-01-01

Interactions of heavy Majorana neutrinos in the thermal phase of the early universe may be the origin of the cosmological matter-antimatter asymmetry. This mechanism of baryogenesis implies stringent constraints on light and heavy Majorana neutrino masses. We derive an improved upper bound on the CP asymmetry in heavy neutrino decays which, together with the kinetic equations, yields an upper bound on all light neutrino masses of 0.1 eV. Lepton number changing processes at temperatures above the temperature T_B of baryogenesis can erase other, pre-existing contributions to the baryon asymmetry. We find that these washout processes become very efficient if the effective neutrino mass \\tilde{m}_1 is larger than m_* \\simeq 10^{-3} eV. All memory of the initial conditions is then erased. Hence, for neutrino masses in the range from (\\Delta m^2_sol)^{1/2} \\simeq 8*10^{-3} eV to (\\Delta m^2_atm)^{1/2} \\simeq 5*10^{-2} eV, which is suggested by neutrino oscillations, leptogenesis emerges as the unique source of the ...

Calculation of the decay rate of tachyonic neutrinos against charged-lepton-pair and neutrino-pair Cerenkov radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Jentschura, Ulrich D.; Nándori, István; Ehrlich, Robert

2017-10-01

We consider in detail the calculation of the decay rate of high-energy superluminal neutrinos against (charged) lepton pair Cerenkov radiation, and neutrino pair Cerenkov radiation, i.e., against the decay channels ν \\to ν {e}+ {e}- and ν \\to ν \\overline{ν } ν . Under the hypothesis of a tachyonic nature of neutrinos, these decay channels put constraints on the lifetime of high-energy neutrinos for terrestrial experiments as well as on cosmic scales. For the oncoming neutrino, we use the Lorentz-covariant tachyonic relation {E}ν =\\sqrt{{p}2-{m}ν 2}, where m ν is the tachyonic mass parameter. We derive both threshold conditions as well as on decay and energy loss rates, using the plane-wave fundamental bispinor solutions of the tachyonic Dirac equation. Various intricacies of rest frame versus lab frame calculations are highlighted. The results are compared to the observations of high-energy IceCube neutrinos of cosmological origin.

Cosmological lepton asymmetry, primordial nucleosynthesis and sterile neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Abazajian, Kevork; Bell, Nicole F.; Fuller, George M.; Wong, Yvonne Y. Y.

2005-09-01

We study post weak decoupling coherent active-sterile and active-active matter-enhanced neutrino flavor transformation in the early Universe. We show that flavor conversion efficiency at Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonances is likely to be high (adiabatic evolution) for relevant neutrino parameters and energies. However, we point out that these resonances cannot sweep smoothly and continuously with the expansion of the Universe. We show how neutrino flavor conversion in this way can leave both the active and sterile neutrinos with nonthermal energy spectra, and how, in turn, these distorted energy spectra can affect the neutron-to-proton ratio, primordial nucleosynthesis, and cosmological mass/closure constraints on sterile neutrinos. We demonstrate that the existence of a light sterile neutrino which mixes with active neutrinos can change fundamentally the relationship between the cosmological lepton numbers and the primordial nucleosynthesis He4 yield.

Two-loop neutrino model with exotic leptons

Science.gov (United States)

Okada, Hiroshi; Orikasa, Yuta

2016-01-01

We propose a two-loop induced neutrino mass model, in which we show some bench mark points to satisfy the observed neutrino oscillation, the constraints of lepton flavor violations, and the relic density in the coannihilation system satisfying the current upper bound on the spin independent scattering cross section with nuclei. We also discuss new sources of muon anomalous magnetic moments.

Pulsar kicks from a dark-matter sterile neutrino

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, George M.; Kusenko, Alexander; Mocioiu, Irina; Pascoli, Silvia

2003-01-01

We show that a sterile neutrino with a mass in the 1-20 keV range and a small mixing with the electron neutrino can simultaneously explain the origin of the pulsar motions and the dark matter in the Universe. An asymmetric neutrino emission from a hot nascent neutron star can be the explanation of the observed pulsar velocities. In addition to the pulsar kick mechanism based on resonant neutrino transitions, we point out a new possibility: an asymmetric off-resonant emission of sterile neutrinos. The two cases correspond to different values of the masses and mixing angles. In both cases we identify the ranges of parameters consistent with the pulsar kick, as well as cosmological constraints

Tectonic-Volcanic Interplay in the Dabbahu Segment of the Afar Rift from Cosmogenic 3He Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, A.; Pik, R.; Burnard, P.; Lahitte, P.; Yirgu, G.; Adem, M.

2008-12-01

The Afar Rift in Ethiopia is one of the only subaerial locations in the world where the transition from continental break-up to oceanic-spreading can be observed. Extension and volcanism in the Afar is concentrated in tectono-magmatic segments (TMS), similar in size and morphology to those that characterise spreading ridges. The Dabbahu TMS is the southernmost of the western Afar and has recently been the site of significant activity. A massive seismic event in late 2005, triggered by the injection of an 8-m wide dyke, heralded the onset of a new rifting period in the Dabbahu TMS. Volcanic activity associated with the periods of magma-driven extension, which have recurred at 4-8 mth intervals, has been both silicic (explosive) and basaltic (fissural). The most recent activity in the Afar thus testifies to the close interplay of tectonics and magmatism in rifting environments. In an effort to decipher the long-term structural and volcanic evolution of Dabbahu TMS we have employed the cosmogenic nuclide dating technique to provide chronological data for the segment. This method has advantages over other geochronological tools in that we can target both volcanic and tectonic surfaces of a few Kyr to several Myr age. Baddi Volcano, located off-axis on the western margin of the TMS, is a bimodal central stratovolcano typical of the Afar TMS. Late-stage basaltic lava flows cap an acidic base, which has been dated at 290 ± 4 ka using the K-Ar technique (Lahitte et al., 2003). Following preliminary sampling in 2007, we have determined a cosmogenic 3He age of 53.4 ± 3.7 ka from multiple samples from one of the basaltic flows on the NW flank of Baddi. These data show a significant time gap (240 Kyr) between the final phase of acidic volcanism and the onset of basaltic activity at the central volcanoes, presumably related to the rate of magma chamber replenishment. To test whether the spectacular shift to basaltic activity at 53 ka represents replenishment of the entire sub

Can sterile neutrinos be ruled out as warm dark matter candidates?

CERN Document Server

Viel, M; Hähnelt, M G; Matarrese, S; Riotto, Antonio; Viel, Matteo; Lesgourgues, Julien; Haehnelt, Martin G.; Matarrese, Sabino; Riotto, Antonio

2006-01-01

We present constraints on the mass of Warm Dark Matter (WDM) particles from a combined analysis of the matter power spectrum inferred from the SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) Lyman-alpha flux power spectrum at 2.2 10 keV (2 sigma) if the WDM consists of sterile neutrinos and m_wdm > 2 keV (2 sigma) for early decoupled thermal relics. These results significantly improve our previous estimates based on high-resolution Lyman-alpha forest data at lower redshift. Our new limits are consistent with those of Seljak et al. (2006), albeit ~ 30 % smaller. If we combine this bound with the constraint derived from X-ray flux observations in the Coma cluster periphery (Boyarsky et al.), we find that the only allowed sterile neutrino mass is ~ 10 keV (in the standard production scenario with non-resonant neutrino oscillations). Adding constraints based on X-ray fluxes from the Andromeda galaxy or the Milky Way, we find that dark matter particles cannot be sterile neutrinos, unless the latter are produced by resonant oscill...

Formation of galaxies from massive neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, M.; Lecar, M.; Pryor, C.; Witten, E.

1981-01-01

Neutrinos with nonzero rest mass strongly influence galaxy formation in the early universe. If stable neutrinos have rest masses on the order of 100 eV, they close the universe, but they erase initial perturbations on mass scales less than 4 x 10 15 M/sub sun/. However, if in addition there exist unstable neutrinos with rest masses on the order of 100 keV, they preserve and amplify initial perturbations on galactic mass scales (10 12 M/sub sun/). These perturbations are picked up and further amplified by the lighter, stable neutrinos, as long as the heavy neutrinos decay somewhat after the lighter neutrinos go nonrelativistic. If the heavy neutrinos decay into light neutrinos, the decay products contribute about one-half of the present mass density in a hot unclustered background. The only alternative method of retaining initial perturbations until the light neutrinos become nonrelativistic is to introduce large amplitude initial fluctuations such as primordial black holes. If the light neutrinos close the universe, black hole seeds of size 10 9 M/sub sun/ would be required for galaxies of 10 12 M/sub sun/ to form. We point out that the neutrino damping mass is a steep function of the present neutrino temperature and that galaxy sized fluctuations would be preserved if T/sub ν/ <1.0 K. However, the only model we can devise to effect this cooling is shown to be in serious violation of astrophysical constraints

A muon storage ring for neutrino beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.; Neuffer, D.

1988-01-01

A muon storage ring can provide electron and muon neutrino beams of precisely knowable flux. Constraints on muon collection and storage-ring design are discussed. Sample muon storage rings are presented and muon and neutrino intensities are estimated. Experimental use of the ν-beams, detector properties, and possible variations are described. Future directions for conceptual designs are outlined. 11 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Late time neutrino masses, the LSND experiment, and the cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Chacko, Z; Hall, Lawrence J; Oliver, Steven J; Perelstein, Maxim

2005-03-25

Models with low-scale breaking of global symmetries in the neutrino sector provide an alternative to the seesaw mechanism for understanding why neutrinos are light. Such models can easily incorporate light sterile neutrinos required by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector experiment. Furthermore, the constraints on the sterile neutrino properties from nucleosynthesis and large-scale structure can be removed due to the nonconventional cosmological evolution of neutrino masses and densities. We present explicit, fully realistic supersymmetric models, and discuss the characteristic signatures predicted in the angular distributions of the cosmic microwave background.

Light sterile neutrino sensitivity at the nuSTORM facility

CERN Document Server

Adey, D; Ankenbrandt, C.M.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Back, J.J.; Barker, G.; Baussan, E.; Bayes, R.; Bhadra, S.; Blackmore, V.; Blondel, A.; Bogacz, S.A.; Booth, C.; Boyd, S.B.; Bramsiepe, S.G.; Bravar, A.; Brice, S.J.; Bross, A.D.; Cadoux, F.; Cease, H.; Cervera, A.; Cobb, J.; Colling, D.; Coloma, P.; Coney, L.; Dobbs, A.; Dobson, J.; Donini, A.; Dornan, P.; Dracos, M.; Dufour, F.; Edgecock, R.; Geelhoed, M.; Uchida, M.A.; Ghosh, T.; Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; de Gouvea, A.; Haesler, A.; Hanson, G.; Harrison, P.F.; Hartz, M.; Hernandez, P.; Hernando Morata, J.A.; Hodgson, P.; Huber, P.; Izmaylov, A.; Karadzhov, Y.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kopp, J.; Kormos, L.; Korzenev, A.; Kuno, Y.; Kurup, A.; Kyberd, P.; Lagrange, J.B.; Laing, A.; Liu, A.; Link, J.M.; Long, K.; Mahn, K.; Mariani, C.; Martin, C.; Martin, J.; McCauley, N.; McDonald, K.T.; Mena, O.; Mishra, S.R.; Mokhov, N.; Morfin, J.; Mori, Y.; Murray, W.; Neuffer, D.; Nichol, R.; Noah, E.; Palmer, M.A.; Parke, S.; Pascoli, S.; Pasternak, J.; Plunkett, R.; Popovic, M.; Ratoff, P.; Ravonel, M.; Rayner, M.; Ricciardi, S.; Rogers, C.; Rubinov, P.; Santos, E.; Sato, A.; Sen, T.; Scantamburlo, E.; Sedgbeer, J.K.; Smith, D.R.; Smith, P.J.; Sobczyk, J.T.; Sby, L.; Soler, F.J.P.; Sorel, M.; Snopok, P.; Stamoulis, P.; Stanco, L.; Striganov, S.; Tanaka, H.A.; Taylor, I.J.; Touramanis, C.; Tunnell, C.D.; Uchida, Y.; Vassilopoulos, N.; Wascko, M.O.; Weber, A.; Wilking, M.J.; Wildner, E.; Winter, W.

2014-01-01

A facility that can deliver beams of electron and muon neutrinos from the decay of a stored muon beam has the potential to unambiguously resolve the issue of the evidence for light sterile neutrinos that arises in short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments and from estimates of the effective number of neutrino flavors from fits to cosmological data. In this paper, we show that the nuSTORM facility, with stored muons of 3.8 GeV/c $\\pm$ 10%, will be able to carry out a conclusive muon neutrino appearance search for sterile neutrinos and test the LSND and MiniBooNE experimental signals with 10$\\sigma$ sensitivity, even assuming conservative estimates for the systematic uncertainties. This experiment would add greatly to our knowledge of the contribution of light sterile neutrinos to the number of effective neutrino flavors from the abundance of primordial helium production and from constraints on neutrino energy density from the cosmic microwave background. The appearance search is complemented by a simulta...

Cosmic microwave background constraints on secret interactions among sterile neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forastieri, Francesco; Natoli, Paolo [Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, I-44122 Ferrara (Italy); Lattanzi, Massimiliano [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, I-44122 Ferrara (Italy); Mangano, Gianpiero [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Univ. Monte S.Angelo, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); Mirizzi, Alessandro [Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica ' Michelangelo Merlin,' Via Amendola 173, 70126 Bari (Italy); Saviano, Ninetta, E-mail: francesco.forastieri@unife.it, E-mail: lattanzi@fe.infn.it, E-mail: mangano@na.infn.it, E-mail: alessandro.mirizzi@ba.infn.it, E-mail: natoli@fe.infn.it, E-mail: nsaviano@uni-mainz.de [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence and Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, JohannesGutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz (Germany)

2017-07-01

Secret contact interactions among eV sterile neutrinos, mediated by a massive gauge boson X (with M {sub X} || M {sub W} ), and characterized by a gauge coupling g {sub X} , have been proposed as a mean to reconcile cosmological observations and short-baseline laboratory anomalies. We constrain this scenario using the latest Planck data on Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies, and measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). We consistently include the effect of secret interactions on cosmological perturbations, namely the increased density and pressure fluctuations in the neutrino fluid, and still find a severe tension between the secret interaction framework and cosmology. In fact, taking into account neutrino scattering via secret interactions, we derive our own mass bound on sterile neutrinos and find (at 95 % CL) m {sub s} < 0.82 eV or m {sub s} < 0.29 eV from Planck alone or in combination with BAO, respectively. These limits confirm the discrepancy with the laboratory anomalies. Moreover, we constrain, in the limit of contact interaction, the effective strength G {sub X} to be < 2.8 (2.0) × 10{sup 10} G {sub F} from Planck (Planck+BAO). This result, together with the mass bound, strongly disfavours the region with M {sub X} ∼ 0.1 MeV and relatively large coupling g {sub X} {sub ∼} 10{sup −1}, previously indicated as a possible solution to the small scale dark matter problem.

Particle Physics Seminar: Towards 3+1 Neutrino Mixing

CERN Multimedia

Geneva University

2011-01-01

GENEVA UNIVERSITY Ecole de physique Département de physique nucléaire et corspusculaire 24, quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 Genève 4 Tél.: (022) 379 62 73 Fax: (022) 379 69 92 Wednesday  12 October  2011 PARTICLE PHYSICS SEMINAR at 17.00 hrs – Stückelberg Auditorium “Towards 3+1 Neutrino Mixing” Par Prof. Carlo Giunti, INFN Torino I will review the recent experimental indications in favor of  short-baseline neutrino oscillations. I will discuss their interpretation in the framework of neutrino mixing schemes with one or more sterile neutrinos which have masses around the eV scale. Taking into account also cosmological constraints, I will present arguments in favor of 3+1 neutrino mixing with one sterile neutrino at the eV scale. Information : http://dpnc.unige.ch/seminaire/annonce.html Organizer : G. Pasztor

Neutrino dark energy. Revisiting the stability issue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eggers Bjaelde, O.; Hannestad, S. [Aarhus Univ. (Denmark). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Brookfield, A.W. [Sheffield Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Applied Mathematics and Dept. of Physics, Astro-Particle Theory and Cosmology Group; Van de Bruck, C. [Sheffield Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Applied Mathematics, Astro-Particle Theory and Cosmology Group; Mota, D.F. [Heidelberg Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik]|[Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, Oslo (Norway); Schrempp, L. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Tocchini-Valentini, D. [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

2007-05-15

A coupling between a light scalar field and neutrinos has been widely discussed as a mechanism for linking (time varying) neutrino masses and the present energy density and equation of state of dark energy. However, it has been pointed out that the viability of this scenario in the non-relativistic neutrino regime is threatened by the strong growth of hydrodynamic perturbations associated with a negative adiabatic sound speed squared. In this paper we revisit the stability issue in the framework of linear perturbation theory in a model independent way. The criterion for the stability of a model is translated into a constraint on the scalar-neutrino coupling, which depends on the ratio of the energy densities in neutrinos and cold dark matter. We illustrate our results by providing meaningful examples both for stable and unstable models. (orig.)

Lepton-number-charged scalars and neutrino beamstrahlung

Science.gov (United States)

Berryman, Jeffrey M.; de Gouvêa, André; Kelly, Kevin J.; Zhang, Yue

2018-04-01

Experimentally, baryon number minus lepton number, B -L , appears to be a good global symmetry of nature. We explore the consequences of the existence of gauge-singlet scalar fields charged under B -L -dubbed lepton-number-charged scalars (LeNCSs)—and postulate that these couple to the standard model degrees of freedom in such a way that B -L is conserved even at the nonrenormalizable level. In this framework, neutrinos are Dirac fermions. Including only the lowest mass-dimension effective operators, some of the LeNCSs couple predominantly to neutrinos and may be produced in terrestrial neutrino experiments. We examine several existing constraints from particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology to the existence of a LeNCS carrying B -L charge equal to two, and discuss the emission of LeNCSs via "neutrino beamstrahlung," which occurs every once in a while when neutrinos scatter off of ordinary matter. We identify regions of the parameter space where existing and future neutrino experiments, including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, are at the frontier of searches for such new phenomena.

Neutrino mass priors for cosmology from random matrices

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Andrew J.; Raveri, Marco; Hu, Wayne; Dodelson, Scott

2018-02-01

Cosmological measurements of structure are placing increasingly strong constraints on the sum of the neutrino masses, Σ mν, through Bayesian inference. Because these constraints depend on the choice for the prior probability π (Σ mν), we argue that this prior should be motivated by fundamental physical principles rather than the ad hoc choices that are common in the literature. The first step in this direction is to specify the prior directly at the level of the neutrino mass matrix Mν, since this is the parameter appearing in the Lagrangian of the particle physics theory. Thus by specifying a probability distribution over Mν, and by including the known squared mass splittings, we predict a theoretical probability distribution over Σ mν that we interpret as a Bayesian prior probability π (Σ mν). Assuming a basis-invariant probability distribution on Mν, also known as the anarchy hypothesis, we find that π (Σ mν) peaks close to the smallest Σ mν allowed by the measured mass splittings, roughly 0.06 eV (0.1 eV) for normal (inverted) ordering, due to the phenomenon of eigenvalue repulsion in random matrices. We consider three models for neutrino mass generation: Dirac, Majorana, and Majorana via the seesaw mechanism; differences in the predicted priors π (Σ mν) allow for the possibility of having indications about the physical origin of neutrino masses once sufficient experimental sensitivity is achieved. We present fitting functions for π (Σ mν), which provide a simple means for applying these priors to cosmological constraints on the neutrino masses or marginalizing over their impact on other cosmological parameters.

High energy neutrinos from Cyg X-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, T.P.; Kolb, E.W.; Turner, M.S.

1985-07-01

Assuming that the UHE air showers from Cyg X-3 are produced by photons, we calculate the expected neutrino emission from a model which produces the γ-rays in the atmosphere of the Cyg X-3 companion. We discuss the possibility of detecting such neutrinos in underground detectors and the constraints that such a signal places on the use of this model in other particle production scenarios. 16 refs., 5 figs

Massive Majorana neutrinos in pre-bounce supernovae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goswami, S.; Raychaudhuri, A.

1992-06-01

The currently accepted models of supernova collapse rely on the standard electroweak theory and massless left-handed neutrinos. We consider the effect of massive right-handed Majorana neutrinos on this scenario. In order that they do not upset the agreement of the usual treatment with observation, we require that in the pre-bounce stage either (a) these neutrinos are trapped or (b) if they free stream they do not change the electron fraction to the extent that the explosion is prevented. From these constraints, we obtain upper and lower bounds on the right-handed interaction strengths as a function of the neutrino mass which can be translated to bounds on the right-handed gauge boson mass. (author). 18 refs, 1 fig., 2 tabs

Using Big Bang Nucleosynthesis to extend CMB probes of neutrino physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimon, M.; Miller, N.J.; Fuller, G.M.; Keating, B.G. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093 (United States); Kishimoto, C.T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 (United States); Smith, C.J., E-mail: meirs@mamacass.ucsd.edu, E-mail: nmiller@physics.ucsd.edu, E-mail: ckishimo@physics.ucsd.edu, E-mail: christel.smith@asu.edu, E-mail: gfuller@ucsd.edu, E-mail: bkeating@ucsd.edu [Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287 (United States)

2010-05-01

We present calculations showing that upcoming Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments will have the power to improve on current constraints on neutrino masses and provide new limits on neutrino degeneracy parameters. The latter could surpass those derived from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the observationally-inferred primordial helium abundance. These conclusions derive from our Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) simulations which incorporate a full BBN nuclear reaction network. This provides a self-consistent treatment of the helium abundance, the baryon number, the three individual neutrino degeneracy parameters and other cosmological parameters. Our analysis focuses on the effects of gravitational lensing on CMB constraints on neutrino rest mass and degeneracy parameter. We find for the PLANCK experiment that total (summed) neutrino mass M{sub ν} > 0.29 eV could be ruled out at 2σ or better. Likewise neutrino degeneracy parameters ξ{sub ν{sub e}} > 0.11 and |ξ{sub ν{sub μ{sub /{sub τ}}}}| > 0.49 could be detected or ruled out at 2σ confidence, or better. For POLARBEAR we find that the corresponding detectable values are M{sub ν} > 0.75 eV, ξ{sub ν{sub e}} > 0.62, and |ξ{sub ν{sub μ{sub /{sub τ}}}}| > 1.1, while for EPIC we obtain M{sub ν} > 0.20 eV, ξ{sub ν{sub e}} > 0.045, and |ξ{sub ν{sub μ{sub /{sub τ}}}}| > 0.29. Our forcast for EPIC demonstrates that CMB observations have the potential to set constraints on neutrino degeneracy parameters which are better than BBN-derived limits and an order of magnitude better than current WMAP-derived limits.

Cosmology based on f(R) gravity admits 1 eV sterile neutrinos.

Science.gov (United States)

Motohashi, Hayato; Starobinsky, Alexei A; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2013-03-22

It is shown that the tension between recent neutrino oscillation experiments, favoring sterile neutrinos with masses of the order of 1 eV, and cosmological data which impose stringent constraints on neutrino masses from the free streaming suppression of density fluctuations, can be resolved in models of the present accelerated expansion of the Universe based on f(R) gravity.

Sterile neutrinos and indirect dark matter searches in IceCube

Science.gov (United States)

Argüelles, Carlos A.; Kopp, Joachim

2012-07-01

If light sterile neutrinos exist and mix with the active neutrino flavors, this mixing will affect the propagation of high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun. In particular, new Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonances can occur, leading to almost complete conversion of some active neutrino flavors into sterile states. We demonstrate how this can weaken IceCube limits on neutrino capture and annihilation in the Sun and how potential future conflicts between IceCube constraints and direct detection or collider data might be resolved by invoking sterile neutrinos. We also point out that, if the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section and the allowed annihilation channels are precisely measured in direct detection and collider experiments in the future, IceCube can be used to constrain sterile neutrino models using neutrinos from the dark matter annihilation.

Golden measurements at a neutrino factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cervera, A.; Donini, A.; Gavela, M.B.; Gomez Cadenas, J.J.; Hernandez, P.; Mena, O.; Rigolin, S.

2000-01-01

The precision and discovery potential of a neutrino factory based on muon storage rings is studied. For three-family neutrino oscillations, we analyse how to measure or severely constraint the angle θ 13 , CP-violation, MSW effects and the sign of the atmospheric mass difference Δm 2 23 . We present a simple analytical formula for the oscillation probabilities in matter, with all neutrino mass differences non-vanishing, which clarifies the subtleties involved in disentangling the unknown parameters. The appearance of 'wrong-sign muons' at three reference baselines is considered: 732 km, 3500 km, and 7332 km. We exploit the dependence of the signal on the neutrino energy, and include as well realistic background estimations and detection efficiencies. The optimal baseline turns out to be O (3000 km). Analyses combining the information from different baselines are also presented

Violations of Lorentz invariance in the neutrino sector after OPERA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maccione, Luca [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Liberati, Stefano [Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste (Italy); INFN, Sezione de Trieste (Italy); Mattingly, David M. [New Hampshire Univ., Durham (United States). Dept. of Physics

2011-10-15

The OPERA collaboration has recently reported that neutrinos travel faster than light. We review the theoretical situation of constraints on violations of Lorentz invariance, focusing in particular on the compatibility between the OPERA results with both previous constraints and recently obtained ones. We generalize to higher order operators the recent constraint provided by the absence of neutrino energy loss, via electron-positron pair production at OPERA energies, and show that no modi ed in vacuo dispersion relation within an effective field theory context is compatible with OPERA results. We conclude that the OPERA result is incompatible with current observations, at least without resorting to models beyond effective field theory, possibly with local environmental effects. (orig.)

Violations of Lorentz invariance in the neutrino sector after OPERA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maccione, Luca; Liberati, Stefano; Mattingly, David M.

2011-10-01

The OPERA collaboration has recently reported that neutrinos travel faster than light. We review the theoretical situation of constraints on violations of Lorentz invariance, focusing in particular on the compatibility between the OPERA results with both previous constraints and recently obtained ones. We generalize to higher order operators the recent constraint provided by the absence of neutrino energy loss, via electron-positron pair production at OPERA energies, and show that no modi ed in vacuo dispersion relation within an effective field theory context is compatible with OPERA results. We conclude that the OPERA result is incompatible with current observations, at least without resorting to models beyond effective field theory, possibly with local environmental effects. (orig.)

Atmospheric, Long Baseline, and Reactor Neutrino Data Constraints on θ13

Science.gov (United States)

Roa, J. E.; Latimer, D. C.; Ernst, D. J.

2009-08-01

An atmospheric neutrino oscillation tool that uses full three-neutrino oscillation probabilities and a full three-neutrino treatment of the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect, together with an analysis of the K2K, MINOS, and CHOOZ data, is used to examine the bounds on θ13. The recent, more finely binned, Super-K atmospheric data are employed. For L/Eν≳104km/GeV, we previously found significant linear in θ13 terms. This analysis finds θ13 bounded from above by the atmospheric data while bounded from below by CHOOZ. The origin of this result arises from data in the previously mentioned very long baseline region; here, matter effects conspire with terms linear in θ13 to produce asymmetric bounds on θ13. Assuming CP conservation, we find θ13=-0.07-0.11+0.18 (90% C.L.).

All-sky search for high-energy neutrinos from gravitational wave event GW170104 with the Antares neutrino telescope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albert, A.; Drouhin, D.; Racca, C.; Andre, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Eberl, T.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; Hoessl, J.; Hofestaedt, J.; James, C.W.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kiessling, D.; Lahmann, R.; Sieger, C.; Ardid, M.; Felis, I.; Martinez-Mora, J.A.; Saldana, M.; Aubert, J.J.; Bertin, V.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Carr, J.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Dornic, D.; Enzenhoefer, A.; Quinn, L.; Salvadori, I.; Turpin, D.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Bourret, S.; Coelho, J.A.B.; Creusot, A.; Gregoire, T.; Gracia Ruiz, R.; Lachaud, C.; Barrios-Marti, J.; Hernandez-Rey, J.J.; Illuminati, G.; Lotze, M.; Toennis, C.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zuniga, J.; Basa, S.; Marcelin, M.; Nezri, E.; Belhorma, B.; Biagi, S.; Coniglione, R.; Distefano, C.; Piattelli, P.; Riccobene, G.; Sapienza, P.; Trovato, A.; Bormuth, R.; Jong, M. de; Samtleben, D.F.E.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Heijboer, A.J.; Jongen, M.; Michael, T.; Branzas, H.; Caramete, L.; Pavalas, G.E.; Popa, V.; Bruijn, R.; Melis, K.; Capone, A.; Di Palma, I.; Perrina, C.; Vizzoca, A.; Celli, S.; Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; El Khayati, N.; Ettahiri, A.; Fassi, F.; Tayalati, Y.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Sanchez-Losa, A.; Coleiro, A.; Diaz, A.F.; Deschamps, A.; Hello, Y.; De Bonis, G.; Domi, A.; Hugon, C.; Sanguineti, M.; Taiuti, M.; Donzaud, C.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Moussa, A.; Elsaesser, D.; Kadler, M.; Kreter, M.; Fusco, L.A.; Margiotta, A.; Pellegrino, C.; Spurio, M.; Versari, F.; Gay, P.; Giordano, V.; Glotin, H.; Haren, H. van; Kouchner, A.; Van Elewyck, V.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Wilms, J.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lefevre, D.; Leonora, E.; Loucatos, S.; Vallage, B.; Marinelli, A.; Mele, R.; Vivolo, D.; Migliozzi, P.; Navas, S.; Organokov, M.; Pradier, T.; Schuessler, F.; Stolarczyk, T.

2017-01-01

Advanced LIGO detected a significant gravitational wave signal (GW170104) originating from the coalescence of two black holes during the second observation run on January 4th, 2017. An all-sky high-energy neutrino follow-up search has been made using data from the Antares neutrino telescope, including both upgoing and downgoing events in two separate analyses. No neutrino candidates were found within ±500 s around the GW event time nor any time clustering of events over an extended time window of ±3 months. The non-detection is used to constrain isotropic-equivalent high-energy neutrino emission from GW170104 to less than ∝ 1.2 x 10 55 erg for a E -2 spectrum. This constraint is valid in the energy range corresponding to the 5-95% quantiles of the neutrino flux [3.2 TeV; 3.6 PeV], if the GW emitter was below the Antares horizon at the alert time. (orig.)

All-sky search for high-energy neutrinos from gravitational wave event GW170104 with the Antares neutrino telescope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albert, A.; Drouhin, D.; Racca, C. [Universite de Haute Alsace - Institut Universitaire de Technologie de Colmar, GRPHE, Colmar (France); Andre, M. [Technical University of Catalonia, Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, Vilanova i la Geltru, Barcelona (Spain); Anghinolfi, M. [INFN-Sezione di Genova, Genoa (Italy); Anton, G.; Eberl, T.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; Hoessl, J.; Hofestaedt, J.; James, C.W.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kiessling, D.; Lahmann, R.; Sieger, C. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Ardid, M.; Felis, I.; Martinez-Mora, J.A.; Saldana, M. [Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Institut d' Investigacio per a la Gestio Integrada de les Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Gandia (Spain); Aubert, J.J.; Bertin, V.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Carr, J.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Dornic, D.; Enzenhoefer, A.; Quinn, L.; Salvadori, I.; Turpin, D. [Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille (France); Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Bourret, S.; Coelho, J.A.B.; Creusot, A.; Gregoire, T.; Gracia Ruiz, R.; Lachaud, C. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (France); Barrios-Marti, J.; Hernandez-Rey, J.J.; Illuminati, G.; Lotze, M.; Toennis, C.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zuniga, J. [IFIC-Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (CSIC-Universitat de Valencia), Paterna, Valencia (Spain); Basa, S.; Marcelin, M.; Nezri, E. [Pole de l' Etoile Site de Chateau-Gombert, LAM-Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille (France); Belhorma, B. [National Center for Energy Sciences and Nuclear Techniques, Rabat (Morocco); Biagi, S.; Coniglione, R.; Distefano, C.; Piattelli, P.; Riccobene, G.; Sapienza, P.; Trovato, A. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS), Catania (Italy); Bormuth, R.; Jong, M. de; Samtleben, D.F.E. [Nikhef, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Universiteit Leiden, Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, Leiden (Netherlands); Bouwhuis, M.C.; Heijboer, A.J.; Jongen, M.; Michael, T. [Nikhef, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Branzas, H.; Caramete, L.; Pavalas, G.E.; Popa, V. [Institute for Space Science, Bucharest (Romania); Bruijn, R.; Melis, K. [Nikhef, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Universiteit van Amsterdam, Instituut voor Hoge-Energie Fysica, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Capone, A.; Di Palma, I.; Perrina, C.; Vizzoca, A. [INFN-Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita La Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Celli, S. [INFN-Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita La Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Gran Sasso Science Institute, L' Aquila (Italy); Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; El Khayati, N.; Ettahiri, A.; Fassi, F.; Tayalati, Y. [University Mohammed V, Faculty of Sciences, Rabat (Morocco); Chiarusi, T. [INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Circella, M.; Sanchez-Losa, A. [INFN-Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); Coleiro, A. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (France); IFIC-Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (CSIC-Universitat de Valencia), Paterna, Valencia (Spain); Diaz, A.F. [University of Granada, Department of Computer Architecture and Technology/CITIC, Granada (Spain); Deschamps, A.; Hello, Y. [Geoazur, UCA, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de la Cote d' Azur, Sophia Antipolis (France); De Bonis, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita La Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Domi, A.; Hugon, C.; Sanguineti, M.; Taiuti, M. [INFN-Sezione di Genova, Genoa (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita, Genoa (Italy); Donzaud, C. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (France); Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay (France); El Bojaddaini, I.; Moussa, A. [University Mohammed I, Laboratory of Physics of Matter and Radiations, Oujda (Morocco); Elsaesser, D.; Kadler, M.; Kreter, M. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg (Germany); Fusco, L.A.; Margiotta, A.; Pellegrino, C.; Spurio, M.; Versari, F. [INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell' Universita, Bologna (Italy); Gay, P. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (France); Clermont Universite, Universite Blaise Pascal, Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire, CNRS/IN2P3, Clermont-Ferrand (France); Giordano, V. [INFN-Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Glotin, H. [LSIS, Aix Marseille Universite CNRS ENSAM LSIS UMR 7296, Marseille (France); Universite de Toulon CNRS LSIS UMR 7296, La Garde (FR); Institut Universitaire de France, Paris (FR); Haren, H. van [Utrecht University, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), ' t Horntje (Texel) (NL); Kouchner, A.; Van Elewyck, V. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (FR); Institut Universitaire de France, Paris (FR); Kreykenbohm, I.; Wilms, J. [Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte and ECAP, Bamberg (DE); Kulikovskiy, V. [Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille (FR); Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow (RU); Lefevre, D. [Aix-Marseille University, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Marseille (FR); Universite du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS-INSU/IRD UM 110, La Garde (FR); Leonora, E. [INFN-Sezione di Catania, Catania (IT); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell' Universita, Catania (IT); Loucatos, S.; Vallage, B. [Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, APC, Paris (FR); Direction des Sciences de la Matiere-Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l' Univers-Service de Physique des Particules, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (FR); Marinelli, A. [INFN-Sezione di Pisa, Pisa (IT); Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita, Pisa (IT); Mele, R.; Vivolo, D. [INFN-Sezione di Napoli, Naples (IT); Dipartimento di Fisica dell' Universita Federico II di Napoli, Naples (IT); Migliozzi, P. [INFN-Sezione di Napoli, Naples (IT); Navas, S. [University of Granada, Dept. de Fisica Teorica y del Cosmos y C.A.F.P.E., Granada (ES); Organokov, M.; Pradier, T. [Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg (FR); Schuessler, F.; Stolarczyk, T. [Direction des Sciences de la Matiere-Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l' Univers-Service de Physique des Particules, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (FR); Collaboration: The ANTARES Collaboration

2017-12-15

Advanced LIGO detected a significant gravitational wave signal (GW170104) originating from the coalescence of two black holes during the second observation run on January 4th, 2017. An all-sky high-energy neutrino follow-up search has been made using data from the Antares neutrino telescope, including both upgoing and downgoing events in two separate analyses. No neutrino candidates were found within ±500 s around the GW event time nor any time clustering of events over an extended time window of ±3 months. The non-detection is used to constrain isotropic-equivalent high-energy neutrino emission from GW170104 to less than ∝ 1.2 x 10{sup 55} erg for a E{sup -2} spectrum. This constraint is valid in the energy range corresponding to the 5-95% quantiles of the neutrino flux [3.2 TeV; 3.6 PeV], if the GW emitter was below the Antares horizon at the alert time. (orig.)

Cosmogenic radionuclides as a synchronisation tool - present status

Science.gov (United States)

Muscheler, Raimund; Adolphi, Florian; Mekhaldi, Florian; Mellström, Anette; Svensson, Anders; Aldahan, Ala; Possnert, Göran

2014-05-01

Changes in the flux of galactic cosmic rays into Earth's atmosphere produce variations in the production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides. The resulting globally synchronous signal in cosmogenic radionuclide records can be used to compare time scales and synchronise climate records. The most prominent example is the 14C wiggle match dating approach where variations in the atmospheric 14C concentration are used to match climate records and the tree-ring based part of the 14C calibration record. This approach can be extended to other cosmogenic radionuclide records such as 10Be time series provided that the different geochemical behaviour of 10Be and 14C is taken into account. Here we will present some recent results that illustrate the potential of using cosmogenic radionuclide records for comparing and synchronising different time scales. The focus will be on the last 50000 years where we will show examples how geomagnetic field, solar activity and unusual short-term cosmic ray changes can be used for comparing ice core, tree ring and sediment time scales. We will discuss some unexpected offsets between Greenland ice core and 14C time scale and we will examine how far back in time solar induced 10Be and 14C variations presently can be used to reliably synchronise ice core and 14C time scales.

Neutrino physics after boomerang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannestad, Steen

2001-01-01

A new generation of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) experiments are currently providing the first precision measurements of fluctuations in the CMBR. These fluctuations hold information about all the fundamental cosmological parameters, and the experiments have already confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that the geometry of the universe is very close to being flat. The new CMBR experiments can also be used to probe particle physics beyond the standard model. For instance, data from the new Boomerang experiment yield an upper limit on the effective number of neutrinos present at recombination, N ν ≤ 13 (95% C.L.). This already puts significant constraints on many non-standard neutrino scenarios, such as the possible bulk neutrino modes expected in theories with large extra dimensions. The upcoming satellite experiments will improve the sensitivity of the CMBR by almost an order of magnitude and make the CMBR an excellent laboratory for precision particle physics

A search for matter enhanced neutrino oscillations through measurements of day and night solar neutrino fluxes at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Miknaitis, Kathryn Kelly Schaffer

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a heavy-water Cherenkov detector designed to study 8B neutrinos from the sun. Through the charged-current (CC) and neutral-current (NC) reactions of neutrinos on deuterium, SNO separately determines the flux of electron neutrinos and the flux of all active flavors of solar 8B neutrinos. SNO is also sensitive to the elastic scattering (ES) of neutrinos on electrons in the heavy water. Measurements of the CC and NC rates in SNO have conclusively demonstrated solar neutrino flavor change. This flavor change is believed to be caused by matter-enhanced oscillations in the sun, through the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. Matter effects could also change the flavor composition of neutrinos that traverse the earth. A comparison of the day and night measured CC flux at SNO directly tests for the MSW effect and contributes to constraints on neutrino oscillation parameters in the MSW model. We perform measurements of the day and night neutrino fluxes using data from the second phase of SNO, in which salt (NaCl) was added to the heavy water to enhance sensitivity to the NC reaction. Better discrimination between CC and NC events in the salt phase allows the fluxes to be determined without constraining the neutrino energy spectrum. The day-night asymmetry in the CC flux measured in this model-independent analysis is ACC = [-5.6 +/- 7.4(stat.) +/- 5.3(syst.)]%, where the asymmetry is defined as the difference between the night and day values divided by their average. The asymmetries in the NC and ES fluxes are ANC = [4.2 +/- 8.6(stat.) +/- 7.2(syst.)]%, and AES = (14.6 +/- 19.8(stat.) +/- 3.3(syst.)]%. The neutral current asymmetry is expected to be zero assuming standard neutrino oscillations. When we constrain it to be zero, we obtain ACC = [-3.7 +/- 6.3(stat.) +/- 3.2(syst.)]% and AES = [15.3 +/- 19.8(stat.) +/- 3.0(syst.)]%. The day and night energy spectra from the CC reaction have been measured and show no evidence for

Atmospheric, Long Baseline, and Reactor Neutrino Data Constraints on θ13

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roa, J. E.; Ernst, D. J.; Latimer, D. C.

2009-01-01

An atmospheric neutrino oscillation tool that uses full three-neutrino oscillation probabilities and a full three-neutrino treatment of the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect, together with an analysis of the K2K, MINOS, and CHOOZ data, is used to examine the bounds on θ 13 . The recent, more finely binned, Super-K atmospheric data are employed. For L/E ν > or approx. 10 4 km/GeV, we previously found significant linear in θ 13 terms. This analysis finds θ 13 bounded from above by the atmospheric data while bounded from below by CHOOZ. The origin of this result arises from data in the previously mentioned very long baseline region; here, matter effects conspire with terms linear in θ 13 to produce asymmetric bounds on θ 13 . Assuming CP conservation, we find θ 13 =-0.07 -0.11 +0.18 (90% C.L.).

Atmospheric, long baseline, and reactor neutrino data constraints on theta_{13}.

Science.gov (United States)

Roa, J E; Latimer, D C; Ernst, D J

2009-08-07

An atmospheric neutrino oscillation tool that uses full three-neutrino oscillation probabilities and a full three-neutrino treatment of the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect, together with an analysis of the K2K, MINOS, and CHOOZ data, is used to examine the bounds on theta_{13}. The recent, more finely binned, Super-K atmospheric data are employed. For L/E_{nu} greater, similar 10;{4} km/GeV, we previously found significant linear in theta_{13} terms. This analysis finds theta_{13} bounded from above by the atmospheric data while bounded from below by CHOOZ. The origin of this result arises from data in the previously mentioned very long baseline region; here, matter effects conspire with terms linear in theta_{13} to produce asymmetric bounds on theta_{13}. Assuming CP conservation, we find theta_{13} = -0.07_{-0.11};{+0.18} (90% C.L.).

A Measurement of Neutrino Charged Current Interactions and a Search for Muon Neutrino Disappearance with the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakajima, Yasuhiro [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

2011-01-01

In this thesis, we report on a measurement of muon neutrino inclusive charged current interactions on carbon in the few GeV region, using the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam. The all neutrino mode data collected in the SciBooNE experiment is used for this analysis. We collected high-statistics CC interaction sample at SciBooNE, and extracted energy dependent inclusive charged current interaction rates and cross sections for a wide energy range from 0.25 GeV to ~3 GeV. We measure the interaction rates with 6-15% precision, and the cross sections with 10-30% precision. We also made an energy integrated measurements, with the precisions of 3% for the rate, and 8% for the cross section measurements. This is the first measurement of the CC inclusive cross section on carbon around 1 GeV. This inclusive interaction measurement is nearly free from effects of hadron re-interactions in the nucleus. Hence, it is complementary to other exclusive cross section measurements, and essential to understand the neutrino interaction cross sections in the few GeV region, which is relevant to ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. This analysis also provides the normalization for SciBooNE's previous cross section ratio measurements for charged current coherent pion production and neutral current neutral pion production. Then, a precise comparison between our previous measurements and the model predictions becomes possible. The result of the interaction rate measurement is used to constrain the product of the neutrino flux and the cross section at the other experiment on the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam: Mini-BooNE. We conducted a search for short-baseline muon neutrino disappearance using data both from SciBooNE and MiniBooNE, to test a possible neutrino oscillation with sterile neutrinos which is suggested by the LSND experiment. With this constraint by SciBooNE, we significantly reduced the flux and the cross section uncertainties at MiniBooNE, and achieved the

Leptoquarks: Neutrino masses and related accelerator signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aristizabal Sierra, D.; Hirsch, M.; Kovalenko, S. G.

2008-01-01

Leptoquark-Higgs interactions induce mixing between leptoquark (LQ) states with different chiralities once the electroweak symmetry is broken. In such LQ models Majorana neutrino masses are generated at 1-loop order. Here we calculate the neutrino mass matrix and explore the constraints on the parameter space enforced by the assumption that LQ-loops explain current neutrino oscillation data. LQs will be produced at the CERN LHC, if their masses are at or below the TeV scale. Since the fermionic decays of LQs are governed by the same Yukawa couplings, which are responsible for the nontrivial neutrino mass matrix, several decay branching ratios of LQ states can be predicted from measured neutrino data. Especially interesting is that large lepton flavor violating rates in muon and tau final states are expected. In addition, the model predicts that, if kinematically possible, heavier LQs decay into lighter ones plus either a standard model Higgs boson or a Z 0 /W ± gauge boson. Thus, experiments at the LHC might be able to exclude the LQ mechanism as an explanation of neutrino data.

Constraints on decaying Dark Matter from XMM-Newton observations of M31

CERN Document Server

Boyarsky, Alexey; Ruchayskiy, Oleg; Savchenko, Vladimir

2007-01-01

We derive constraints on parameters of the radiatively decaying Dark Matter (DM) particles, using XMM-Newton EPIC spectra of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). Using the observations of the outer (5'-13') parts of M31 we improve the existing constraints. For the case of sterile neutrino DM, combining our constraints with the latest computation of abundances of sterile neutrino in the Dodelson-Widrow (DW) scenario, we obtain the lower mass limit m_s 5.6 kev), we argue that the scenario in which all the DM is produced via DW mechanism is ruled out. We discuss however other production mechanisms and note that the sterile neutrino remains a viable candidate of Dark Matter, either warm or cold.

The NESSiE Concept for Sterile Neutrinos

CERN Document Server

Stanco, L; Bagulya, A; Benettoni, M; Bernardini, P; Bertolin, A; Brugnera, R; Calabrese, M; Cecchetti, A; Cecchini, S; Chernyavskiy, M; Collazuol, G; Creti, P; Corso, F Dal; Dalkarov, O; Del Prete, A; De Mitri, I; De Robertis, G; De Serio, M; Esposti, L Degli; Di Ferdinando, D; Dore, U; Dusini, S; Dzhatdoev, T; Fanin, C; Fini, R A; Fiore, G; Galati, G; Garfagnini, A; Giacomelli, G; Giacomelli, R; Golovanov, S; Guandalin, C; Guerzoni, M; Klicek, B; Kose, U; Jakovcic, K; Laurenti, G; Laveder, M; Lippi, I; Loddo, F; Longhin, A; Loverre, P; Malenica, M; Mancarella, G; Mandrioli, G; Margiotta, A; Marsella, G; Mauri, N; Medinaceli, E; Mengucci, A; Mezzetto, M; Michinelli, R; Mingazheva, R; Morgunova, O; Muciaccia, M T; Orecchini, D; Paoloni, A; Papadia, G; Paparella, L; Pastore, A; Patrizii, L; Polukhina, N; Pozzato, M; Roda, M; Roganova, T; Rosa, G; Sahnoun, Z; Simone, S; Sioli, M; Sirignano, C; Sirri, G; Spurio, M; Starkov, N; Stipcevic, M; Surdo, A; Tenti, M; Togo, V; Ventura, M; Vladymyrov, M; Zago, M

2013-01-01

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the third mixing angle theta13 in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, several puzzling measurements exist, which deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake a definitive experiment to clarify the muon disappearance measurements at small L/E, which will be able to put severe constraints to any model with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. Within the context of the current CERN project, aimed to revitalize the neutrino field in Europe, we will illustrate the achievements that can be obtained by a double muon-spectrometer system, with emphasis on the search ...

Signatures of dark radiation in neutrino and dark matter detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yanou; Pospelov, Maxim; Pradler, Josef

2018-05-01

We consider the generic possibility that the Universe's energy budget includes some form of relativistic or semi-relativistic dark radiation (DR) with nongravitational interactions with standard model (SM) particles. Such dark radiation may consist of SM singlets or a nonthermal, energetic component of neutrinos. If such DR is created at a relatively recent epoch, it can carry sufficient energy to leave a detectable imprint in experiments designed to search for very weakly interacting particles: dark matter and underground neutrino experiments. We analyze this possibility in some generality, assuming that the interactive dark radiation is sourced by late decays of an unstable particle, potentially a component of dark matter, and considering a variety of possible interactions between the dark radiation and SM particles. Concentrating on the sub-GeV energy region, we derive constraints on different forms of DR using the results of the most sensitive neutrino and dark matter direct detection experiments. In particular, for interacting dark radiation carrying a typical momentum of ˜30 MeV /c , both types of experiments provide competitive constraints. This study also demonstrates that non-standard sources of neutrino emission (e.g., via dark matter decay) are capable of creating a "neutrino floor" for dark matter direct detection that is closer to current bounds than is expected from standard neutrino sources.

Lepton Flavorful Fifth Force and Depth-Dependent Neutrino Matter Interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wise, Mark B. [Caltech; Zhang, Yue [Northwestern U.

2018-03-01

We consider a fifth force to be an interaction that couples to matter with a strength that grows with the number of atoms. In addition to competing with the strength of gravity a fifth force can give rise to violations of the equivalence principle. Current long range constraints on the strength and range of fifth forces are very impressive. Amongst possible fifth forces are those that couple to lepton flavorful charges $L_e-L_{\\mu}$ or $L_e-L_{\\tau}$. They have the property that their range and strength are also constrained by neutrino interactions with matter. In this brief note we review the existing constraints on the allowed parameter space in gauged $U(1)_{L_e-L_{\\mu}, L_{\\tau}}$. We find two regions where neutrino oscillation experiments are at the frontier of probing such a new force. In particular, there is an allowed range of parameter space where neutrino matter interactions relevant for long baseline oscillation experiments depend on the depth of the neutrino beam below the surface of the earth.

Cosmogenic radionuclides. Theory and applications in the terrestrial and space environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beer, Juerg; Steiger, Rudolf von; McCracken, Ken

2012-01-01

Cosmogenic radionuclides are radioactive isotopes which are produced by natural processes and distributed within the Earth system. With a holistic view of the environment the authors show in this book how cosmogenic radionuclides can be used to trace and to reconstruct the history of a large variety of processes. They discuss the way in which cosmogenic radionuclides can assist in the quantification of complex processes in the present-day environment. The book aims to demonstrate to the reader the strength of analytic tools based on cosmogenic radionuclides, their contribution to almost any field of modern science, and how these tools may assist in the solution of many present and future problems that we face here on Earth. The book provides a comprehensive discussion of the basic principles behind the applications of cosmogenic (and other) radionuclides as environmental tracers and dating tools. The second section of the book discusses in some detail the production of radionuclides by cosmic radiation, their transport and distribution in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, their storage in natural archives, and how they are measured. The third section of the book presents a number of examples selected to illustrate typical tracer and dating applications in a number of different spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, solar physics and astronomy). At the same time the authors have outlined the limitations of the use of cosmogenic radionuclides. Written on a level understandable by graduate students without specialist skills in physics or mathematics, the book addresses a wide audience, ranging from archaeology, biophysics, and geophysics, to atmospheric physics, hydrology, astrophysics and space science.

Cosmogenic radionuclides. Theory and applications in the terrestrial and space environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beer, Juerg [Eidgenoessische Anstalt fuer Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewaesserschutz, Duebendorf (Switzerland); Steiger, Rudolf von [International Space Science Insitute, Bern (Switzerland); McCracken, Ken [Maryland Univ., College Park (United States). IPST

2012-07-01

Cosmogenic radionuclides are radioactive isotopes which are produced by natural processes and distributed within the Earth system. With a holistic view of the environment the authors show in this book how cosmogenic radionuclides can be used to trace and to reconstruct the history of a large variety of processes. They discuss the way in which cosmogenic radionuclides can assist in the quantification of complex processes in the present-day environment. The book aims to demonstrate to the reader the strength of analytic tools based on cosmogenic radionuclides, their contribution to almost any field of modern science, and how these tools may assist in the solution of many present and future problems that we face here on Earth. The book provides a comprehensive discussion of the basic principles behind the applications of cosmogenic (and other) radionuclides as environmental tracers and dating tools. The second section of the book discusses in some detail the production of radionuclides by cosmic radiation, their transport and distribution in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, their storage in natural archives, and how they are measured. The third section of the book presents a number of examples selected to illustrate typical tracer and dating applications in a number of different spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, solar physics and astronomy). At the same time the authors have outlined the limitations of the use of cosmogenic radionuclides. Written on a level understandable by graduate students without specialist skills in physics or mathematics, the book addresses a wide audience, ranging from archaeology, biophysics, and geophysics, to atmospheric physics, hydrology, astrophysics and space science.

Curtailing the dark side in non-standard neutrino interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coloma, Pilar [Theoretical Physics Department, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory,P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Denton, Peter B. [Theoretical Physics Department, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory,P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Niels Bohr International Academy, University of Copenhagen, The Niels Bohr Institute,Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100, Copenhagen (Denmark); Gonzalez-Garcia, M.C. [Departament de Fisíca Quàntica i Astrofísica and Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos,Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA),Pg. Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona (Spain); C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University,Stony Brook, NY 11794-3840 (United States); Maltoni, Michele [Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,Calle de Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Schwetz, Thomas [Institut für Kernphysik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2017-04-20

In presence of non-standard neutrino interactions the neutrino flavor evolution equation is affected by a degeneracy which leads to the so-called LMA-Dark solution. It requires a solar mixing angle in the second octant and implies an ambiguity in the neutrino mass ordering. Non-oscillation experiments are required to break this degeneracy. We perform a combined analysis of data from oscillation experiments with the neutrino scattering experiments CHARM and NuTeV. We find that the degeneracy can be lifted if the non-standard neutrino interactions take place with down quarks, but it remains for up quarks. However, CHARM and NuTeV constraints apply only if the new interactions take place through mediators not much lighter than the electroweak scale. For light mediators we consider the possibility to resolve the degeneracy by using data from future coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments. We find that, for an experiment using a stopped-pion neutrino source, the LMA-Dark degeneracy will either be resolved, or the presence of new interactions in the neutrino sector will be established with high significance.

Massive neutrinos and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shandarin, S.F.

1991-01-01

This paper discussed the importance of the consequences of a nonzero neutrino rest mass on cosmology, perhaps, first recognized by Gershtein and Zeldovich, after the discover of the 3-K microwave background radiation MBR. Since the first works on the primordial synthesis of 4 He, it has been known that additional neutrino species increase the rate of expansion of the universe during the epoch of the primordial nucleosynthesis, which increases the yield of 4 He. Combining the results of the theory with astronomical measurements of the 4 He abundance and the estimate of the mass density of MBR, Shvartsman suggested the upper limit on the mass density of all relativistic matter at that epoch: ρ rel ≤ 5ρ MBR which eventually became the upper limit for the number of neutrino species: N ν ≤ 7. At that time, the constraints based on cosmological arguments were much stronger than one based on laboratory experiments

Knitting neutrino mass textures with or without Tri-Bi maximal mixing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leontaris, G.K., E-mail: leonta@uoi.gr [Theoretical Physics Division, Ioannina University, GR-45110 Ioannina (Greece); Vlachos, N.D. [Theoretical Physics Division, Aristotle University, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)

2011-08-03

The solar and baseline neutrino oscillation data suggest bimaximal neutrino mixing among the first two generations, and trimaximal mixing between all three neutrino flavors. It has been conjectured that this indicates the existence of an underlying symmetry for the leptonic fermion mass textures. The experimentally measured quantities, however, are associated to the latter indirectly and in a rather complicated way through the mixing matrices of the charged leptons and neutrinos. Motivated by these facts, we derive exact analytical expressions which directly link the charged lepton and neutrino mass and mixing parameters to measured quantities and obtain constraints on the parameter space. We discuss deviations from Tri-Bi mixing matrices and present minimal extensions of the Harrison, Perkins and Scott matrices capable of interpreting all neutrino data.

Review of indirect detection of dark matter with neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Danninger, Matthias

2017-09-01

Dark Matter could be detected indirectly through the observation of neutrinos produced in dark matter self-annihilations or decays. Searches for such neutrino signals have resulted in stringent constraints on the dark matter self-annihilation cross section and the scattering cross section with matter. In recent years these searches have made significant progress in sensitivity through new search methodologies, new detection channels, and through the availability of rich datasets from neutrino telescopes and detectors, like IceCube, ANTARES, Super-Kamiokande, etc. We review recent experimental results and put them in context with respect to other direct and indirect dark matter searches. We also discuss prospects for discoveries at current and next generation neutrino detectors.

Some cosmological constraints on gauge theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1983-01-01

In these lectures, a review is made of various constraints cosmology may place on gauge theories. Particular emphasis is placed on those constraints obtainable from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, with only brief mention made of Big Bang Baryosynthesis. There is also a considerable discussion of astrophysical constraints on masses and lifetimes of neutrinos with specific mention of the 'missing mass (light)' problem of galactic dynamics. (orig./HSI)

Sphaleron-induced baryon-number nonconservation and a constraint on Majorana neutrino masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukugita, M.; Yanagida, T.

1990-01-01

We point out that the baryon-number asymmetry in the Universe is erased by the sphaleron effect just below the electroweak phase transition irrespective of the primordial baryon- and lepton-number asymmetry, if there exists a Majorana-type interaction. The requirement to avoid this happening leads to the condition that m ν (Majorana) <50 keV for all species of neutrinos, regardless of whether or not neutrinos are stable

DESI and other Dark Energy experiments in the era of neutrino mass measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Font-Ribera, Andreu [Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057 (Switzerland); McDonald, Patrick; Mostek, Nick; Reid, Beth A.; Seo, Hee-Jong [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720 (United States); Slosar, Anže, E-mail: afont@lbl.gov, E-mail: PVMcDonald@lbl.gov, E-mail: njmostek@lbl.gov, E-mail: BAReid@lbl.gov, E-mail: hee-jongseo@lbl.gov, E-mail: anze@bnl.gov [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973 (United States)

2014-05-01

We present Fisher matrix projections for future cosmological parameter measurements, including neutrino masses, Dark Energy, curvature, modified gravity, the inflationary perturbation spectrum, non-Gaussianity, and dark radiation. We focus on DESI and generally redshift surveys (BOSS, HETDEX, eBOSS, Euclid, and WFIRST), but also include CMB (Planck) and weak gravitational lensing (DES and LSST) constraints. The goal is to present a consistent set of projections, for concrete experiments, which are otherwise scattered throughout many papers and proposals. We include neutrino mass as a free parameter in most projections, as it will inevitably be relevant — DESI and other experiments can measure the sum of neutrino masses to ∼ 0.02 eV or better, while the minimum possible sum is ∼ 0.06 eV. We note that constraints on Dark Energy are significantly degraded by the presence of neutrino mass uncertainty, especially when using galaxy clustering only as a probe of the BAO distance scale (because this introduces additional uncertainty in the background evolution after the CMB epoch). Using broadband galaxy power becomes relatively more powerful, and bigger gains are achieved by combining lensing survey constraints with redshift survey constraints. We do not try to be especially innovative, e.g., with complex treatments of potential systematic errors — these projections are intended as a straightforward baseline for comparison to more detailed analyses.

LSND versus MiniBooNE: Sterile neutrinos with energy dependent masses and mixing?

CERN Document Server

Schwetz, Thomas

2008-01-01

Standard active-sterile neutrino oscillations do not provide a satisfactory description of the LSND evidence for neutrino oscillations together with the constraints from MiniBooNE and other null-result short-baseline oscillation experiments. However, if the mass or the mixing of the sterile neutrino depends in an exotic way on its energy all data become consistent. I explore the phenomenological consequences of the assumption that either the mass or the mixing scales with the neutrino energy as $1/E_\

Cosmic-ray interactions and dating of meteorite stranding surfaces with cosmogenic nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reedy, R.C.

1988-01-01

A wide variety of products from cosmic-ray interactions have been measured in terrestrial or extraterrestrial samples. These ''cosmogenic'' products include radiation damage tracks and rare nuclides that are made by nuclear reactions. They often have been used to determine the fluxes and composition of cosmic-ray particles in the past, but they are usually used to study the history of the ''target'' (such as the time period that it was exposed to cosmic-ray particles). Products made by both the high-energy galactic cosmic rays and energetic particles emitted irregularly from the Sun have been extensively studied. Some of these cosmogenic products, especially nuclides, have been or can be applied to studies of Antarctic meteorite stranding surfaces, the ice surfaces in Antarctica where meteorites have been found. Cosmogenic nuclides studied in samples from Antarctica and reported by others elsewhere in this volume include those in meteorites, especially radionuclides used to determine terrestrial ages, and those made in situ in terrestrial rocks. Cosmogenic nuclides made in the Earth's atmosphere or brought in with cosmic dust have also been studied in polar ice, and it should also be possible to measure nuclides made in situ in ice. As an introduction to cosmogenic nuclides and their applications, cosmic rays and their interactions will be presented below and production systematics of cosmogenic nuclides in these various media will be discussed later. 20 refs., 2 tabs

Cosmic-ray interactions and dating of meteorite stranding surfaces with cosmogenic nuclides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reedy, R.C.

1988-01-01

A wide variety of products from cosmic-ray interactions have been measured in terrestrial or extraterrestrial samples. These ''cosmogenic'' products include radiation damage tracks and rare nuclides that are made by nuclear reactions. They often have been used to determine the fluxes and composition of cosmic-ray particles in the past, but they are usually used to study the history of the ''target'' (such as the time period that it was exposed to cosmic-ray particles). Products made by both the high-energy galactic cosmic rays and energetic particles emitted irregularly from the Sun have been extensively studied. Some of these cosmogenic products, especially nuclides, have been or can be applied to studies of Antarctic meteorite stranding surfaces, the ice surfaces in Antarctica where meteorites have been found. Cosmogenic nuclides studied in samples from Antarctica and reported by others elsewhere in this volume include those in meteorites, especially radionuclides used to determine terrestrial ages, and those made in situ in terrestrial rocks. Cosmogenic nuclides made in the Earth's atmosphere or brought in with cosmic dust have also been studied in polar ice, and it should also be possible to measure nuclides made in situ in ice. As an introduction to cosmogenic nuclides and their applications, cosmic rays and their interactions will be presented below and production systematics of cosmogenic nuclides in these various media will be discussed later. 20 refs., 2 tabs.

Unifying leptogenesis, dark matter and high-energy neutrinos with right-handed neutrino mixing via Higgs portal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bari, Pasquale Di; Ludl, Patrick Otto [Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València,Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain)

2016-11-21

We revisit a model in which neutrino masses and mixing are described by a two right-handed (RH) neutrino seesaw scenario, implying a strictly hierarchical light neutrino spectrum. A third decoupled RH neutrino, N{sub DM} with mass M{sub DM}, plays the role of cold dark matter (DM) and is produced by the mixing with a source RH neutrino, N{sub S} with mass M{sub S}, induced by Higgs portal interactions. The same interactions are also responsible for N{sub DM} decays. We discuss in detail the constraints coming from DM abundance and stability conditions showing that in the hierarchical case, for M{sub DM}≫M{sub S}, there is an allowed window on M{sub DM} values necessarily implying a contribution, from DM decays, to the high-energy neutrino flux recently detected by IceCube. We also show how the model can explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe via leptogenesis in the quasi-degenerate limit. In this case, the DM mass should be within the range 300 GeV ≲M{sub S}neutrino flux and show the predicted event spectrum for two exemplary cases. Although DM decays, with a relatively hard spectrum, cannot account for all the IceCube high-energy data, we illustrate how this extra source of high-energy neutrinos could reasonably explain some potential features in the observed spectrum. In this way, this represents a unified scenario for leptogenesis and DM that could be tested during the next years with more high-energy neutrino events.

Solar constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Provost, J.

1984-01-01

Accurate tests of the theory of stellar structure and evolution are available from the Sun's observations. The solar constraints are reviewed, with a special attention to the recent progress in observing global solar oscillations. Each constraint is sensitive to a given region of the Sun. The present solar models (standard, low Z, mixed) are discussed with respect to neutrino flux, low and high degree five-minute oscillations and low degree internal gravity modes. It appears that actually there do not exist solar models able to fully account for all the observed quantities. (Auth.)

Golden measurements at a neutrino factory

CERN Document Server

Cervera-Villanueva, Anselmo; Gavela-Legazpi, Maria Belen; Cadenas, J J G; Hernández, Pilar; Mena, O; Rigolin, Stefano

2000-01-01

The precision and discovery potential of a neutrino factory based on muonstorage rings is studied. For three-family neutrino oscillations, we analysehow to measure or severely constraint the angle $\\theta_{13}$, CP violation,MSW effects and the sign of the atmospheric mass difference $\\Delta m^2_{23}$.We present a simple analytical formula for the oscillation probabilities inmatter, with all neutrino mass differences non-vanishing, which clarifies thesubtleties involved in disentangling the unknown parameters. The appearance of``wrong-sign muons'' at three reference baselines is considered: 732 km, 3500km, and 7332 km. We exploit the dependence of the signal on the neutrinoenergy, and include as well realistic background estimations and detectionefficiencies. The optimal baseline turns out to be ${\\cal O}(3000$ km).Analyses combining the information from different baselines are also presented.

Constraints on the neutrino emission from the Galactic Ridge with the ANTARES telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Albert, A.; André, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.-J.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Martí, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Celli, S.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coleiro, A.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Elsässer, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Fehn, K.; Felis, I.; Fusco, L.A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Geißelsöder, S.; Geyer, K.; Giordano, V.; Gleixner, A.; Glotin, H.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A.J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J.J.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; Illuminati, C.; James, C.W.; de Jong, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmann, R.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martínez-Mora, J.A.; Mathieu, A.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Mueller, C.; Nezri, E.; Păvălaş, G.E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Roensch, K.; Saldaña, M.; Samtleben, D.F.E.; Sánchez-Losa, A.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schnabel, J.; Schüssler, F.; Seitz, T.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Stolarczyk, T.; Taiuti, M.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Turpin, D.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Vallée, C.; Van Elewyck, V.; Visser, E.; Vivolo, D.; Wagner, S.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zúñiga, J.

A highly significant excess of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos has been reported by the IceCube Collaboration. Some features of the energy and declination distributions of IceCube events hint at a North/South asymmetry of the neutrino flux. This could be due to the presence of the bulk of our

Supernova nucleosynthesis and the physics of neutrino oscillation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajino, Toshitaka [National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan) and Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)

2012-11-20

We studied the explosive nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae and found that several isotopes of rare elements like {sup 7}Li, {sup 11}B, {sup 138}La, {sup 180}Ta and others are predominantly produced by the neutrino interactions with several abundant nuclei. These isotopes are strongly affected by the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect. We here first study how to know the suitable average neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the neutrino oscillation effects on their abundances, and propose a new novel method to determine the neutrino oscillation parameters, {theta}{sub 13} and mass hierarchy, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that some SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced neutrino-process {sup 11}B and {sup 7}Li encapsulated in the grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on {theta}{sub 13}, we show that although the uncertainties are still large, our method hints at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy for the first time.

Supernova nucleosynthesis and the physics of neutrino oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, Toshitaka

2012-11-01

We studied the explosive nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae and found that several isotopes of rare elements like 7Li, 11B, 138La, 180Ta and others are predominantly produced by the neutrino interactions with several abundant nuclei. These isotopes are strongly affected by the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect. We here first study how to know the suitable average neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the neutrino oscillation effects on their abundances, and propose a new novel method to determine the neutrino oscillation parameters, θ13 and mass hierarchy, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that some SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced neutrino-process 11B and 7Li encapsulated in the grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13, we show that although the uncertainties are still large, our method hints at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy for the first time.

Objective Bayesian analysis of neutrino masses and hierarchy

Science.gov (United States)

Heavens, Alan F.; Sellentin, Elena

2018-04-01

Given the precision of current neutrino data, priors still impact noticeably the constraints on neutrino masses and their hierarchy. To avoid our understanding of neutrinos being driven by prior assumptions, we construct a prior that is mathematically minimally informative. Using the constructed uninformative prior, we find that the normal hierarchy is favoured but with inconclusive posterior odds of 5.1:1. Better data is hence needed before the neutrino masses and their hierarchy can be well constrained. We find that the next decade of cosmological data should provide conclusive evidence if the normal hierarchy with negligible minimum mass is correct, and if the uncertainty in the sum of neutrino masses drops below 0.025 eV. On the other hand, if neutrinos obey the inverted hierarchy, achieving strong evidence will be difficult with the same uncertainties. Our uninformative prior was constructed from principles of the Objective Bayesian approach. The prior is called a reference prior and is minimally informative in the specific sense that the information gain after collection of data is maximised. The prior is computed for the combination of neutrino oscillation data and cosmological data and still applies if the data improve.

Neutrino Flux Prediction for the NuMI Beamline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aliaga Soplin, Leonidas [William-Mary Coll.

2016-01-01

The determination of the neutrino flux in any conventional neutrino beam presents a challenge for the current and future short and long baseline neutrino experiments. The uncertainties associated with the production and attenuation of the hadrons in the beamline materials along with those associated with the beam optics have a big effect in the flux spectrum knowledge. For experiments like MINERvA, understanding the flux is crucial since it enters directly into every neutrino-nucleus cross-sections measurements. The foundation of this work is predicting the neutrino flux at MINERvA using dedicated measurements of hadron production in hadron-nucleus collisions and incorporating in-situ MINERvA data that can provide additional constraints. This work also includes the prospect for predicting the flux at other detectors like the NOvA Near detector. The procedure and conclusions of this thesis will have a big impact on future hadron production experiments and on determining the fl ux for the upcoming DUNE experiment.

Neutrino Flux Prediction for the NuMI Beamline

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soplin, Leonidas Aliaga [Coll. William and Mary

2016-01-01

The determination of the neutrino flux in any conventional neutrino beam presents a challenge for the current and future short and long baseline neutrino experiments. The uncertainties associated with the production and attenuation of the hadrons in the beamline materials along with those associated with the beam optics have a big effect in the flux spectrum knowledge. For experiments like MINERvA, understanding the flux is crucial since it enters directly into every neutrino-nucleus cross-sections measurements. The foundation of this work is predicting the neutrino flux at MINERvA using dedicated measurements of hadron production in hadron-nucleus collisions and incorporating in-situ MINERvA data that can provide additional constraints. This work also includes the prospect for predicting the flux at other detectors like the NOvA Near detector. The procedure and conclusions of this thesis will have a big impact on future hadron production experiments and on determining the flux for the upcoming DUNE experiment.

Coherent Active-Sterile Neutrino Flavor Transformation in the Early Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Kishimoto, Chad T.; Fuller, George M.; Smith, Christel J.

2006-10-01

We solve the problem of coherent Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonant active-to-sterile neutrino flavor conversion driven by an initial lepton number in the early Universe. We find incomplete destruction of the lepton number in this process and a sterile neutrino energy distribution with a distinctive cusp and high energy tail. These features imply alteration of the nonzero lepton number primordial nucleosynthesis paradigm when there exist sterile neutrinos with rest masses ms˜1eV. This could result in better light element probes of (constraints on) these particles.

Coherent Active-Sterile Neutrino Flavor Transformation in the Early Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, Chad T.; Fuller, George M.; Smith, Christel J.

2006-01-01

We solve the problem of coherent Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonant active-to-sterile neutrino flavor conversion driven by an initial lepton number in the early Universe. We find incomplete destruction of the lepton number in this process and a sterile neutrino energy distribution with a distinctive cusp and high energy tail. These features imply alteration of the nonzero lepton number primordial nucleosynthesis paradigm when there exist sterile neutrinos with rest masses m s ∼1 eV. This could result in better light element probes of (constraints on) these particles

Detection prospects for high energy neutrino sources from the anisotropic matter distribution in the local universe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mertsch, Philipp; Rameez, Mohamed; Tamborra, Irene

2017-01-01

Constraints on the number and luminosity of the sources of the cosmic neutrinos detected by IceCube have been set by targeted searches for point sources. We set complementary constraints by using the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) catalogue, which maps the matter distribution of the local Universe....... Assuming that the distribution of the neutrino sources follows that of matter we look for correlations between `warm' spots on the IceCube skymap and the 2MRS matter distribution. Through Monte Carlo simulations of the expected number of neutrino multiplets and careful modelling of the detector performance...... (including that of IceCube-Gen2) we demonstrate that sources with local density exceeding $10^{-6} \\, \\text{Mpc}^{-3}$ and neutrino luminosity $L_{\

A White Paper on keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adhikari, R.; Agostini, M.; Ky, N. Anh

2016-01-01

We present a comprehensive review of keV-scale sterile neutrino Dark Matter, collecting views and insights from all disciplines involved - cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear, and particle physics - in each case viewed from both theoretical and experimental/observational perspectives. After reviewing...... the role of active neutrinos in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, we focus on sterile neutrinos in the context of the Dark Matter puzzle. Here, we first review the physics motivation for sterile neutrino Dark Matter, based on challenges and tensions in purely cold Dark Matter scenarios. We...... then round out the discussion by critically summarizing all known constraints on sterile neutrino Dark Matter arising from astrophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations. In this context, we provide a balanced discourse on the possibly positive signal from X...

Testing the Equivalence Principle and Lorentz Invariance with PeV Neutrinos from Blazar Flares.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zi-Yi; Liu, Ruo-Yu; Wang, Xiang-Yu

2016-04-15

It was recently proposed that a giant flare of the blazar PKS B1424-418 at redshift z=1.522 is in association with a PeV-energy neutrino event detected by IceCube. Based on this association we here suggest that the flight time difference between the PeV neutrino and gamma-ray photons from blazar flares can be used to constrain the violations of equivalence principle and the Lorentz invariance for neutrinos. From the calculated Shapiro delay due to clusters or superclusters in the nearby universe, we find that violation of the equivalence principle for neutrinos and photons is constrained to an accuracy of at least 10^{-5}, which is 2 orders of magnitude tighter than the constraint placed by MeV neutrinos from supernova 1987A. Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) arises in various quantum-gravity theories, which predicts an energy-dependent velocity of propagation in vacuum for particles. We find that the association of the PeV neutrino with the gamma-ray outburst set limits on the energy scale of possible LIV to >0.01E_{pl} for linear LIV models and >6×10^{-8}E_{pl} for quadratic order LIV models, where E_{pl} is the Planck energy scale. These are the most stringent constraints on neutrino LIV for subluminal neutrinos.

Late Pleistocene - Holocene development of the Tista megafan (West Bengal, India): 10Be cosmogenic and IRSL age constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Abrahami, Rachel; Huyghe, Pascale; van der Beek, Peter; Lowick, Sally; Carcaillet, Julien; Chakraborty, Tapan

2018-04-01

The Himalayan proximal foreland is characterized by Quaternary megafans, of which the formational mechanisms remain debated. The Tista megafan spreads over more than 16,000 km2 from the mountain front, where it is strongly incised, to the confluence of the Tista River with the Jamuna/Brahmaputra River, and stores sediments produced in the Sikkim Himalaya. We propose a scenario for the late Pleistocene - Holocene development of the Tista megafan based on new 10Be cosmogenic and Infra-Red Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) age constraints, and discuss the main potential controls on its evolution. We suggest that two distal lobes developed successively downstream from a common proximal lobe. Deposition in the proximal lobe took place since at least ∼135 ka and incision began at 3.7-0.7+1.0 ka. The western distal lobe of the megafan was deposited early in the history of the megafan, when the Sikkim Himalaya catchment was drained by a tributary of the Ganga River, and was abandoned in the early Holocene (10-11 ka). The eastern, recent (active. Approximately synchronous incision between terraces in the hinterland and megafan surfaces suggests that incision propagated rapidly through the system. Our data do not evidence a direct link between incicion and tectonic processes. Aggradation and incision episodes appear more compatible with a climatic control, through changes in monsoon intensity and associated sediment flux. Depositional episodes in the Tista megafan, as elsewhere in the Himalaya and its foreland, appear to correlate with periods of strong monsoon precipitation and associated high sediment flux toward the foreland. Abandonment and incision of megafan surfaces and hinterland terraces appear associated to both the onset and the ending of phases of strong monsoon precipitation, during which the balance between water and sediment discharge changes rapidly.

Hadronic EDMs in SUSY SU(5) GUTs with right-handed neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hisano, Junji; Kakizaki, Mitsuru; Nagai, Minoru; Shimizu, Yasuhiro

2004-01-01

We discuss hadronic EDM constraints on the neutrino sector in the SUSY SU(5) GUT with the right-handed neutrinos. The hadronic EDMs are sensitive to the right-handed down-type squark mixings, especially between the second and third generations and between the first and third ones, compared with the other low-energy hadronic observables, and the flavor mixings are induced by the neutrino Yukawa interaction. The current experimental bound of the neutron EDM may imply that the right-handed tau neutrino mass is smaller than about 10 14 GeV in the minimal supergravity scenario, and it may be improved furthermore in future experiments, such as the deuteron EDM measurement

A new anti-neutrino detection technique based on positronium tagging with plastic scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Consolati, G. [Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, via La Masa 34, 20156 Milano (Italy); Franco, D., E-mail: dfranco@in2p3.fr [APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs. de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205 Paris (France); Jollet, C. [IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS/IN2P3, 67037 Strasbourg (France); Meregaglia, A., E-mail: amerega@in2p3.fr [IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS/IN2P3, 67037 Strasbourg (France); Minotti, A. [IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS/IN2P3, 67037 Strasbourg (France); Perasso, S.; Tonazzo, A. [APC, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs. de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205 Paris (France)

2015-09-21

The main signature for anti-neutrino detection in reactor and geo-neutrino experiments based on scintillators is provided by the space–time coincidence of positron and neutron produced in the Inverse Beta Decay reaction. Such a signature strongly suppresses backgrounds and allows for measurements performed underground with a relatively high signal-to-background ratio. In an aboveground environment, however, the twofold coincidence technique is not sufficient to efficiently reject the high background rate induced by cosmogenic events. Enhancing the positron–neutron twofold coincidence efficiency may pave the way to future aboveground detectors for reactor monitoring. We propose a new detection scheme based on a threefold coincidence, among the positron ionization, the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) decay, and the neutron capture, in a sandwich detector with alternated layers of plastic scintillator and aerogel powder. We present the results of a set of dedicated measurements on the achievable light yield and on the o-Ps formation and lifetime. The efficiencies for signal detection and background rejection of a preliminary detector design are also discussed.

Helium synthesis, neutrino flavors, and cosmological implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stecker, F.W.

1980-01-01

The problem of the production of helium in the big bang is reexamined in the light of several recent astrophysical observations. These data, and theoretical particle-physics considerations, lead to some important inconsistencies in the standard big-bang model and suggest that a more complicated picture is needed. Thus, recent constraints on the number of neutrino flavors, as well as constraints on the mean density (openness) of the universe, need not be valid

Expected neutrino fluence from short Gamma-Ray Burst 170817A and off-axis angle constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Biehl, D.; Heinze, J.; Winter, W.

2018-05-01

We compute the expected neutrino fluence from SGRB 170817A, associated with the gravitational wave event GW 170817, directly based on Fermi observations in two scenarios: structured jet and off-axis (observed) top-hat jet. While the expected neutrino fluence for the structured jet case is very small, large off-axis angles imply high radiation densities in the jet, which can enhance the neutrino production efficiency. In the most optimistic allowed scenario, the neutrino fluence can reach only 10-4 of the sensitivity of the neutrino telescopes. We furthermore demonstrate that the fact that gamma-rays can escape limits the baryonic loading (energy in protons versus photons) and the off-axis angle for the internal shock scenario. In particular, for a baryonic loading of 10, the off-axis angle is more strongly constrained by the baryonic loading than by the time delay between the gravitational wave event and the onset of the gamma-ray emission.

Neutrino mixing and oscillation in a grand unified field theory SO(10)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, K.

1980-01-01

The investigation shows that it is very difficult to achieve neutrino mixing of other than the V/sub μ/-ν/sub tau/ type in any minimal SO(10) model in which neutrino masses are generated by the Gell-Mann-Ramond-Slansky mechanism, because of the severe constraints placed on the mass matrix by quark phenomenology

Estimating cumulative soil accumulation rates with in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclide depth profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, William M.

2000-01-01

A numerical model relating spatially averaged rates of cumulative soil accumulation and hillslope erosion to cosmogenic nuclide distribution in depth profiles is presented. Model predictions are compared with cosmogenic 21 Ne and AMS radiocarbon data from soils of the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico. Rates of soil accumulation and hillslope erosion estimated by cosmogenic 21 Ne are significantly lower than rates indicated by radiocarbon and regional soil-geomorphic studies. The low apparent cosmogenic erosion rates are artifacts of high nuclide inheritance in cumulative soil parent material produced from erosion of old soils on hillslopes. In addition, 21 Ne profiles produced under conditions of rapid accumulation (>0.1 cm/a) are difficult to distinguish from bioturbated soil profiles. Modeling indicates that while 10 Be profiles will share this problem, both bioturbation and anomalous inheritance can be identified with measurement of in situ-produced 14 C

TeV-PeV neutrinos from low-power gamma-ray burst jets inside stars.

Science.gov (United States)

Murase, Kohta; Ioka, Kunihito

2013-09-20

We study high-energy neutrino production in collimated jets inside progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae, considering both collimation and internal shocks. We obtain simple, useful constraints, using the often overlooked point that shock acceleration of particles is ineffective at radiation-mediated shocks. Classical GRBs may be too powerful to produce high-energy neutrinos inside stars, which is consistent with IceCube nondetections. We find that ultralong GRBs avoid such constraints and detecting the TeV signal will support giant progenitors. Predictions for low-power GRB classes including low-luminosity GRBs can be consistent with the astrophysical neutrino background IceCube may detect, with a spectral steepening around PeV. The models can be tested with future GRB monitors.

Infrared Constraint on Ultraviolet Theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Yuhsin [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

2012-08-01

While our current paradigm of particle physics, the Standard Model (SM), has been extremely successful at explaining experiments, it is theoretically incomplete and must be embedded into a larger framework. In this thesis, we review the main motivations for theories beyond the SM (BSM) and the ways such theories can be constrained using low energy physics. The hierarchy problem, neutrino mass and the existence of dark matter (DM) are the main reasons why the SM is incomplete . Two of the most plausible theories that may solve the hierarchy problem are the Randall-Sundrum (RS) models and supersymmetry (SUSY). RS models usually suffer from strong flavor constraints, while SUSY models produce extra degrees of freedom that need to be hidden from current experiments. To show the importance of infrared (IR) physics constraints, we discuss the flavor bounds on the anarchic RS model in both the lepton and quark sectors. For SUSY models, we discuss the difficulties in obtaining a phenomenologically allowed gaugino mass, its relation to R-symmetry breaking, and how to build a model that avoids this problem. For the neutrino mass problem, we discuss the idea of generating small neutrino masses using compositeness. By requiring successful leptogenesis and the existence of warm dark matter (WDM), we can set various constraints on the hidden composite sector. Finally, to give an example of model independent bounds from collider experiments, we show how to constrain the DM–SM particle interactions using collider results with an effective coupling description.

First direct detection of solar pp neutrinos by Borexino

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maneschg, Werner [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: Werner Maneschg on behalf of the Borexino collaboration

2015-07-01

According to the Standard Solar Model (SSM) the radiative energy of our Sun is produced by a series of nuclear reactions that convert hydrogen into helium. In 99% of cases these processes are supposed to start with a fusion of two protons and the emission of a positron and a low-energy neutrino. These so-called pp neutrinos vastly outnumber those emitted in other sub-reactions, but only the large volume organic liquid scintillator detector Borexino has recently succeeded to perform a spectroscopic and direct measurement of them. The present talk reviews the procedure adopted by the Borexino collaboration to detect pp neutrinos. The key requirements, i.e. unprecedented radiopurity levels at low energies and a precise spectral description of the main background arising from 14C decays, and their fulfillment are discussed. The measured pp neutrino flux is then compared with the predictions of the SSM including neutrino oscillation mechanisms, and with the solar luminosity constraint deduced from photospheric observations.

An all-sky, three-flavor search for neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts with the icecube neutrino observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Hellauer, Robert Eugene, III

place the strongest constraints thus far on models of neutrino and UHECR production in GRB fireballs.

Evidence for Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects in solar neutrino flavor transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fogli, G.L.; Lisi, E.; Marrone, A.; Palazzo, A.

2004-01-01

We point out that the recent data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, together with other relevant measurements from solar and reactor neutrino experiments, convincingly show that the flavor transitions of solar neutrinos are affected by Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effects. More precisely, one can safely reject the null hypothesis of no MSW interaction energy in matter, despite the fact that the interaction amplitude (formally treated as a free parameter) is still weakly constrained by the current phenomenology. Such a constraint can be improved, however, by future data from the KamLAND experiment. In the standard MSW case, we also perform an updated analysis of two-family active oscillations of solar and reactor neutrinos

Evidence for Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects in solar neutrino flavor transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Fogli, G. L.; Lisi, E.; Marrone, A.; Palazzo, A.

2004-03-01

We point out that the recent data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, together with other relevant measurements from solar and reactor neutrino experiments, convincingly show that the flavor transitions of solar neutrinos are affected by Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effects. More precisely, one can safely reject the null hypothesis of no MSW interaction energy in matter, despite the fact that the interaction amplitude (formally treated as a free parameter) is still weakly constrained by the current phenomenology. Such a constraint can be improved, however, by future data from the KamLAND experiment. In the standard MSW case, we also perform an updated analysis of two-family active oscillations of solar and reactor neutrinos.

Effects of fermionic singlet neutrinos on high- and low-energy observables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiland, C.

2013-01-01

In this doctoral thesis, we study both low- and high-energy observables related to massive neutrinos. Neutrino oscillations have provided indisputable evidence in favour of non-zero neutrino masses and mixings. However, the original formulation of the standard model cannot account for these observations, which calls for the introduction of new physics. Among many possibilities, we focus here on the inverse seesaw, a neutrino mass generation mechanism in which the standard model is extended with fermionic gauge singlets. This model offers an attractive alternative to the usual seesaw realisations since it can potentially have natural Yukawa couplings (O(1)) while keeping the new physics scale at energies within the reach of the LHC. Among the many possible effects, this scenario can lead to deviations from lepton flavour universality. We have investigated these signatures and found that the ratios R K and R π provide new, additional constraints on the inverse seesaw. We have also considered the embedding of the inverse seesaw in supersymmetric models. This leads to increased rates for various lepton flavour violating processes, due to enhanced contributions from penguin diagrams mediated by the Higgs and Z 0 bosons. Finally, we also found that the new invisible decay channels associated with the sterile neutrinos present in the super-symmetric inverse seesaw could significantly weaken the constraints on the mass and couplings of a light CP-odd Higgs boson. (author)

A White Paper on keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter

CERN Document Server

Drewes, M.; Merle, A.; Mertens, S.; Adhikari, R.; Agostini, M.; Ky, N.Anh; Araki, T.; Archidiacono, M.; Bahr, M.; Behrens, J.; Bezrukov, F.; Bhupal Dev, P.S.; Borah, D.; Boyarsky, A.; de Gouvea, A.; de S. Pires, C.A.; de Vega, H.J.; Dias, A.G.; Di Bari, P.; Djurcic, Z.; Dolde, K.; Dorrer, H.; Durero, M.; Dragoun, O.; Dullmann, Ch. E.; Eberhardt, K.; Eliseev, S.; Enss, C.; Evans, N.W.; Faessler, A.; Filianin, P.; Fischer, V.; Fleischmann, A.; Formaggio, J.A.; Franse, J.; Fraenkle, F.M.; Frenk, C.S.; Fuller, G.; Gastaldo, L.; Garzilli, A.; Giunti, C.; Gluck, F.; Goodman, M.C.; Gonzalez-Garcia, M.C.; Gorbunov, D.; Hamann, J.; Hannen, V.; Hannestad, S.; Heeck, J.; Hansen, S.H.; Hassel, C.; Hofmann, F.; Houdy, T.; Huber, A.; Iakubovskyi, D.; Ianni, A.; Ibarra, A.; Jacobsson, R.; Jeltema, T.; Kempf, S.; Kieck, T.; Korzeczek, M.; Kornoukhov, V.; Lachenmaier, T.; Laine, M.; Langacker, P.; Lesgourgues, J.; Lhuillier, D.; Li, Y.F.; Liao, W.; Long, A.W.; Maltoni, M.; Mangano, G.; Mavromatos, N.E.; Menci, N.; Mirizzi, A.; Monreal, B.; Nozik, A.; Neronov, A.; Niro, V.; Novikov, Y.; Oberauer, L.; Otten, E.; Palanque-Delabrouille, N.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantuev, V.S.; Papastergis, E.; Parke, S.; Pastor, S.; Patwardhan, A.; Pilaftsis, A.; Radford, D.C.; Ranitzsch, P.C.O.; Rest, O.; Robinson, D.J.; Rodrigues da Silva, P.S.; Ruchayskiy, O.; Sanchez, N.G.; Sasaki, M.; Saviano, N.; Schneider, A.; Schneider, F.; Schwetz, T.; Schonert, S.; Shankar, F.; Steinbrink, N.; Strigari, L.; Suekane, F.; Suerfu, B.; Takahashi, R.; Van, N.Thi Hong; Tkachev, I.; Totzauer, M.; Tsai, Y.; Tully, C.G.; Valerius, K.; Valle, J.; Venos, D.; Viel, M.; Wang, M.Y.; Weinheimer, C.; Wendt, K.; Winslow, L.; Wolf, J.; Wurm, M.; Xing, Z.; Zhou, S.; Zuber, K.; Baur, J.; Drexlin, G.; Jochum, J.; Pascoli, S.; Scholl, S.; Shrock, R.; Vivier, M.

2017-01-13

We present a comprehensive review of keV-scale sterile neutrino Dark Matter, collecting views and insights from all disciplines involved - cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear, and particle physics - in each case viewed from both theoretical and experimental/observational perspectives. After reviewing the role of active neutrinos in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, we focus on sterile neutrinos in the context of the Dark Matter puzzle. Here, we first review the physics motivation for sterile neutrino Dark Matter, based on challenges and tensions in purely cold Dark Matter scenarios. We then round out the discussion by critically summarizing all known constraints on sterile neutrino Dark Matter arising from astrophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations. In this context, we provide a balanced discourse on the possibly positive signal from X-ray observations. Another focus of the paper concerns the construction of particle physics models, aiming to explain how steri...

Neutrino oscillations in dense neutrino gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel, S.

1993-01-01

We consider oscillations of neutrinos under conditions in which the neutrino density is sufficiently large that neutrino-neutrino interactions cannot be neglected. A formalism is developed to treat this highly nonlinear system. Numerical analysis reveals a rich array of phenomena. In certain gases, a self-induced Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect occurs in which electron neutrinos are resonantly converted into muon neutrinos. In another relatively low-density gas, an unexpected parametric resonant conversion takes place. Finally, neutrino-neutrino interactions maintain coherence in one system for which a priori one expected decoherence

Search for massive neutrinos in π → eν decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixit, M.S.; Bryman, D.A.; Dubois, R.; Numao, T.; Olaniyi, B.; Olin, A.; Poutissou, J.-M.; Macdonald, J.A.

1982-11-01

The positron spectrum from π sup(+) → e sup(+)ν sub(e) decay has been examined for evidence of peaks arising from an admixture in the ν sub(e) weak eigenstate of massive neutrinos. Limits on the intensity of such peaks, together with the measured π → eν branching ratio, have been used to derive constraints on the neutrino mixing parameters over the range 4 MeV < m(ν) < 120 MeV

CP violation in the lepton sector with Majorana neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguila, F. del

1995-01-01

We study CP violation in the lepton sector in extended models with right-handed neutrinos, without and with left-right symmetry, and with arbitrary mass terms. We find the conditions which must be satisfied by the neutrino and charged lepton mass matrices for CP conservation. These constraints, which are independent of the choice of weak basis, are proven to be also sufficient in simple cases. This invariant formulation makes apparent the necessary requirements for CP violation, as well as the size of CP violating effects. As an example, we show that CP violation can be much larger in left-right symmetric models than in models with only additional right-handed neutrinos, i.e., without right-handed currents. (orig.)

Heavy neutrinos and lepton number violation in lp colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaksley, Carl; Blennow, Mattias; Bonnet, Florian; Coloma, Pilar; Fernandez-Martinez, Enrique

2011-01-01

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.

Tectonic-magmatic interplay during the early stages of oceanic rifting: temporal constraints from cosmogenic 3He dating in the Dabbahu rift segment, Afar

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, A.; Pik, R.; Burnard, P.; Medynski, S.; Yirgu, G.

2009-12-01

The Afar Rift in Ethiopia is one of the only subaerial locations in the world where the transition from continental break-up to oceanic-spreading can be observed. Extension and volcanism in the Afar is concentrated in tectono-magmatic segments (TMS), similar in size and morphology to those that characterize mid-ocean ridge systems. However, unlike their submarine equivalents, the Afar TMS contain large silicic central volcanoes, implying that magma differentiation plays an important role in the early evolution of the oceanic rifts. The Dabbahu TMS at the south of the western Afar rift system has recently been the site of significant activity. A massive seismic event in late 2005, triggered by dyke injection, heralded the onset of new rifting period. Volcanism associated with the periods of magma-driven extension has been both silicic (explosive) and basaltic (fissural). The most recent activity in the Afar thus testifies to the close interplay of tectonics and magmatism in rifting environments. In an effort to decipher the long-term structural and volcanic evolution of Dabbahu TMS, we combine cosmogenic 3He dating with geological interpretation of ASTER images and major and trace element analyses of the main volcanic units present. The cosmogenic dating method has advantages over other geochronological tools in that we can target both volcanic and tectonic surfaces of a few Kyr to several Myr age. At Baddi Volcano, an off-axis stratovolcano located west of the Dabbahu rift-axis, basaltic lava flows overlie an acidic base, previously dated at 290 ka using the K-Ar technique (Lahitte et al., 2003). Following preliminary sampling in 2007, we determined cosmogenic 3He ages of 57 ka and 45 ka for two basaltic flows on the flanks of Baddi. We now investigate whether this presumed replenishment of the Baddi magma chamber represents a replenishment of the entire sub-rift plumbing system, and how this in turn relates to the onset and maintenance of surface deformation

Atmospheric and astrophysical Neutrinos above 1 TeV Interacting in IceCube

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aartsen, M.G.; Ackermann, M.; Adam, J.

2015-01-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory was designed primarily to search for high-energy (TeV-PeV) neutrinos produced in distant astrophysical objects. A search for ≳100  TeV neutrinos interacting inside the instrumented volume has recently provided evidence for an isotropic flux of such neutrinos...... the energy threshold for neutrinos from the southern sky below 10 TeV for the first time, far below the threshold of the previous high-energy analysis. Astrophysical neutrinos remain the dominant component in the southern sky down to a deposited energy of 10 TeV. From these data we derive new constraints...... on the diffuse astrophysical neutrino spectrum, Φ_ν=2.06_{-0.3}^{+0.4}×10-18(E_ν/10^5  GeV)^{-2.46±0.12} GeV^-1 cm^−2 sr^−1 s^-1 for 25  TeV

Light sterile neutrino sensitivity at the nuSTORM facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adey, D.; Agarwalla, S. K.; Ankenbrandt, C. M.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Back, J. J.; Barker, G.; Baussan, E.; Bayes, R.; Bhadra, S.; Blackmore, V.; Blondel, A.; Bogacz, S. A.; Booth, C.; Boyd, S. B.; Bramsiepe, S. G.; Bravar, A.; Brice, S. J.; Bross, A. D.; Cadoux, F.; Cease, H.; Cervera, A.; Cobb, J.; Colling, D.; Coloma, P.; Coney, L.; Dobbs, A.; Dobson, J.; Donini, A.; Dornan, P.; Dracos, M.; Dufour, F.; Edgecock, R.; Geelhoed, M.; Uchida, M. A.; Ghosh, T.; Gómez-Cadenas, J. J.; de Gouvêa, A.; Haesler, A.; Hanson, G.; Harrison, P. F.; Hartz, M.; Hernández, P.; Hernando Morata, J. A.; Hodgson, P.; Huber, P.; Izmaylov, A.; Karadzhov, Y.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kopp, J.; Kormos, L.; Korzenev, A.; Kuno, Y.; Kurup, A.; Kyberd, P.; Lagrange, J. B.; Laing, A.; Liu, A.; Link, J. M.; Long, K.; Mahn, K.; Mariani, C.; Martin, C.; Martin, J.; McCauley, N.; McDonald, K. T.; Mena, O.; Mishra, S. R.; Mokhov, N.; Morfín, J.; Mori, Y.; Murray, W.; Neuffer, D.; Nichol, R.; Noah, E.; Palmer, M. A.; Parke, S.; Pascoli, S.; Pasternak, J.; Plunkett, R.; Popovic, M.; Ratoff, P.; Ravonel, M.; Rayner, M.; Ricciardi, S.; Rogers, C.; Rubinov, P.; Santos, E.; Sato, A.; Sen, T.; Scantamburlo, E.; Sedgbeer, J. K.; Smith, D. R.; Smith, P. J.; Sobczyk, J. T.; Søby, L.; Soler, F. J. P.; Sorel, M.; Snopok, P.; Stamoulis, P.; Stanco, L.; Striganov, S.; Tanaka, H. A.; Taylor, I. J.; Touramanis, C.; Tunnell, C. D.; Uchida, Y.; Vassilopoulos, N.; Wascko, M. O.; Weber, A.; Wilking, M. J.; Wildner, E.; Winter, W.

2014-04-01

A facility that can deliver beams of electron and muon neutrinos from the decay of a stored muon beam has the potential to unambiguously resolve the issue of the evidence for light sterile neutrinos that arises in short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments and from estimates of the effective number of neutrino flavors from fits to cosmological data. In this paper, we show that the nuSTORM facility, with stored muons of 3.8GeV/c±10%, will be able to carry out a conclusive muon neutrino appearance search for sterile neutrinos and test the LSND and MiniBooNE experimental signals with 10σ sensitivity, even assuming conservative estimates for the systematic uncertainties. This experiment would add greatly to our knowledge of the contribution of light sterile neutrinos to the number of effective neutrino flavors from the abundance of primordial helium production and from constraints on neutrino energy density from the cosmic microwave background. The appearance search is complemented by a simultaneous muon neutrino disappearance analysis that will facilitate tests of various sterile neutrino models.

How robust are inflation model and dark matter constraints from cosmological data?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamann, J.; Hannestad, S.; Sloth, M.S.; Wong, Y.Y.Y.

2006-11-01

High-precision data from observation of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale structure of the universe provide very tight constraints on the effective parameters that describe cosmological inflation. Indeed, within a constrained class of ΛCDM models, the simple λφ 4 chaotic inflation model already appears to be ruled out by cosmological data. In this paper, we compute constraints on inflationary parameters within a more general framework that includes other physically motivated parameters such as a nonzero neutrino mass. We find that a strong degeneracy between the tensor-to-scalar ratio τ and the neutrino mass prevents λφ 4 from being excluded by present data. Reversing the argument, if λφ 4 is the correct model of inflation, it predicts a sum of neutrino masses at 0.3→0.5 eV, a range compatible with present experimental limits and within the reach of the next generation of neutrino mass measurements. We also discuss the associated constraints on the dark matter density, the dark energy equation of state, and spatial curvature, and show that the allowed regions are significantly altered. Importantly, we find an allowed range of 0.094 c h 2 <0.136 for the dark matter density, a factor of two larger than that reported in previous studies. This expanded parameter space may have implications for constraints on SUSY dark matter models. (orig.)

Black holes at neutrino telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowalski, M.; Ringwald, A.; Tu, H.

2002-01-01

In scenarios with extra dimensions and TeV-scale quantum gravity, black holes are expected to be produced in the collision of light particles at center-of-mass energies above the fundamental Planck scale with small impact parameters. Black hole production and evaporation may thus be studied in detail at the large hadron collider (LHC). But even before the LHC starts operating, neutrino telescopes such as AMANDA/IceCube, ANTARES, Baikal, and RICE have an opportunity to search for black hole signatures. Black hole production in the scattering of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on nucleons in the ice or water may initiate cascades and through-going muons with distinct characteristics above the Standard Model rate. In this Letter, we investigate the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to black hole production and compare it to the one expected at the Pierre Auger Observatory, an air shower array currently under construction, and at the LHC. We find that, already with the currently available data, AMANDA and RICE should be able to place sensible constraints in black hole production parameter space, which are competitive with the present ones from the air shower facilities Fly's Eye and AGASA. In the optimistic case that a ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrino flux significantly higher than the one expected from cosmic ray interactions with the cosmic microwave background radiation is realized in nature, one even has discovery potential for black holes at neutrino telescopes beyond the reach of LHC. (orig.)

The NESSiE way to searches for sterile neutrinos at FNAL

CERN Document Server

Stanco, L.; Benettoni, M.; Bernardini, P.; Brugnera, R.; Calabrese, M.; Cecchetti, A.; Cecchini, S.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Creti, P.; Dal Corso, F.; Dalkarov, O.; Del Prete, A.; De Robertis, G.; De Serio, M.; Esposti, L.Degli; Di Ferdinando, D.; Dusini, S.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Fanin, C.; Fini, R.A.; Fiore, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Golovanov, S.; Guerzoni, M.; Klicek, B.; Jakovcic, K.; Laurenti, G.; Lippi, I.; Loddo, F.; Longhin, A.; Malenica, M.; Mancarella, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Margiotta, A.; Marsella, G.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Mengucci, A.; Mingazheva, R.; Morgunova, O.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Orecchini, D.; Paoloni, A.; Papadia, G.; Paparella, L.; Pasqualini, L.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Roda, M.; Roganova, T.; Rosa, G.; Sahnoun, Z.; Simone, S.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Spurio, M.; Stanko, L.; Starkov, N.; Stipcevic, M.; Surdo, A.; Tenti, M.; Togo, V.; Ventura, M.; Vladymyrov, M.; Kose, U.; Nessi, M.

2016-01-01

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle $\\theta_{13}$ in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small $L/E$, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. Its recent proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far...

Global Analysis of Solar Neutrino Oscillations Including SNO CC Measurement

CERN Document Server

Bahcall, J N; Peña-Garay, C; Bahcall, John N; Peña-Garay, Carlos

2001-01-01

For active and sterile neutrinos, we present the globally allowed solutions for two neutrino oscillations. We include the SNO CC measurement and all other relevant solar neutrino and reactor data. Five active neutrino oscillation solutions (LMA, LOW, SMA, VAC, and Just So2) are currently allowed at 3 sigma; three sterile neutrino solutions (Just So2, SMA, and VAC) are allowed at 3 sigma. The goodness of fit is satisfactory for all eight solutions. We also investigate the robustness of the allowed solutions by carrying out global analyses with and without: 1) imposing solar model constraints on the 8B neutrino flux, 2) including the Super-Kamiokande spectral energy distribution and day-night data, 3) using an enhanced CC cross section for deuterium (due to radiative corrections), and 4) a optimistic, hypothetical reduction by a factor of three of the error of the SNO CC rate. For every analysis strategy used in this paper, the most favored solutions all involve large mixing angles: LMA, LOW, or VAC. The favore...

A White Paper on keV sterile neutrino Dark Matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adhikari, R. [Centre for Theoretical Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi-110025 (India); Agostini, M. [Gran Sasso Science Institute (INFN), L' Aquila (Italy); Ky, N. Anh [Institute of physics, Vietnam academy of science and technology, 10 Dao Tan, Ba Dinh, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Araki, T. [Department of physics, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo 255, 338-8570 Saitama Sakura-ku (Japan); Archidiacono, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Bahr, M. [University of California, Santa Barbara (United States); Baur, J. [Commissariat à l' énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Centre de Saclay, DSM/IRFU, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Behrens, J. [Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, Institut für Kernphysik, Wilhelm Klemm-Str.9, D-48149 Münster (Germany); Bezrukov, F. [University of Connecticut (United States); Dev, P.S. Bhupal [Consortium for Fundamental Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Borah, D. [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039 (India); Boyarsky, A. [Universiteit Leiden - Instituut Lorentz for Theoretical Physics, P.O. Box 9506, NL-2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands (Netherlands); De Gouvea, A. [Northwestern University (United States); Pires, C.A. de S. [Departamento de Física, UFPB, Caixa Postal 5008, 58051-970, João Pessoa, PB (Brazil); De Vega, H.J. [CNRS LPTHE UPMC Univ P. et M. Curie Paris VI (France); and others

2017-01-01

We present a comprehensive review of keV-scale sterile neutrino Dark Matter, collecting views and insights from all disciplines involved—cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear, and particle physics—in each case viewed from both theoretical and experimental/observational perspectives. After reviewing the role of active neutrinos in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, we focus on sterile neutrinos in the context of the Dark Matter puzzle. Here, we first review the physics motivation for sterile neutrino Dark Matter, based on challenges and tensions in purely cold Dark Matter scenarios. We then round out the discussion by critically summarizing all known constraints on sterile neutrino Dark Matter arising from astrophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations. In this context, we provide a balanced discourse on the possibly positive signal from X-ray observations. Another focus of the paper concerns the construction of particle physics models, aiming to explain how sterile neutrinos of keV-scale masses could arise in concrete settings beyond the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. The paper ends with an extensive review of current and future astrophysical and laboratory searches, highlighting new ideas and their experimental challenges, as well as future perspectives for the discovery of sterile neutrinos.

Hiding an elephant: heavy sterile neutrino with large mixing angle does not contradict cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bezrukov, F. [The University of Manchester, School of Physics and Astronomy, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Chudaykin, A.; Gorbunov, D., E-mail: Fedor.Bezrukov@manchester.ac.uk, E-mail: chudy@ms2.inr.ac.ru, E-mail: gorby@ms2.inr.ac.ru [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 60th October Anniversary prospect 7a, Moscow 117312 (Russian Federation)

2017-06-01

We study a model of a keV-scale sterile neutrino with a relatively large mixing with the Standard Model sector. Usual considerations predict active generation of such particles in the early Universe, which leads to constraints from the total Dark Matter density and absence of X-ray signal from sterile neutrino decay. These bounds together may deem any attempt of creation of the keV scale sterile neutrino in the laboratory unfeasible. We argue that for models with a hidden sector coupled to the sterile neutrino these bounds can be evaded, opening new perspectives for the direct studies at neutrino experiments such as Troitsk ν-mass and KATRIN. We estimate the generation of sterile neutrinos in scenarios with the hidden sector dynamics keeping the sterile neutrinos either massless or superheavy in the early Universe. In both cases the generation by oscillations from active neutrinos in plasma is suppressed.

PRODUCTION AND RECOIL LOSS OF COSMOGENIC NUCLIDES IN PRESOLAR GRAINS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trappitsch, Reto; Leya, Ingo

2016-01-01

Presolar grains are small particles that condensed in the vicinity of dying stars. Some of these grains survived the voyage through the interstellar medium (ISM) and were incorporated into meteorite parent bodies at the formation of the Solar System. An important question is when these stellar processes happened, i.e., how long presolar grains were drifting through the ISM. While conventional radiometric dating of such small grains is very difficult, presolar grains are irradiated with galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) in the ISM, which induce the production of cosmogenic nuclides. This opens the possibility to determine cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages, i.e., how long presolar grains were irradiated in the ISM. Here, we present a new model for the production and loss of cosmogenic 3 He, 6,7 Li, and 21,22 Ne in presolar SiC grains. The cosmogenic production rates are calculated using a state-of-the-art nuclear cross-section database and a GCR spectrum in the ISM consistent with recent Voyager data. Our findings are that previously measured 3 He and 21 Ne CRE ages agree within the (sometimes large) 2 σ uncertainties and that the CRE ages for most presolar grains are smaller than the predicted survival times. The obtained results are relatively robust since interferences from implanted low-energy GCRs into the presolar SiC grains and/or from cosmogenic production within the meteoroid can be neglected.

Entropy, baryon asymmetry and dark matter from heavy neutrino decays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchmueller, W.; Schmitz, K.; Vertongen, G.

2011-01-01

The origin of the hot phase of the early universe remains so far an unsolved puzzle. A viable option is entropy production through the decays of heavy Majorana neutrinos whose lifetimes determine the initial temperature. We show that baryogenesis and the production of dark matter are natural by-products of this mechanism. As is well known, the cosmological baryon asymmetry can be accounted for by leptogenesis for characteristic neutrino mass parameters. We find that thermal gravitino production then automatically yields the observed amount of dark matter, for the gravitino as the lightest superparticle and typical gluino masses. As an example, we consider the production of heavy Majorana neutrinos in the course of tachyonic preheating associated with spontaneous B-L breaking. A quantitative analysis leads to constraints on the superparticle masses in terms of neutrino masses: For a light neutrino mass of 10 -5 eV the gravitino mass can be as small as 200 MeV, whereas a lower neutrino mass bound of 0.01 eV implies a lower bound of 9 GeV on the gravitino mass. The measurement of a light neutrino mass of 0.1 eV would rule out heavy neutrino decays as the origin of entropy, visible and dark matter.

Prospects for discovering a neutrino line induced by dark matter annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aisati, Chaimae El; Garcia-Cely, Camilo; Hambye, Thomas; Vanderheyden, Laurent, E-mail: Chaimae.El.Aisati@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: Camilo.Alfredo.Garcia.Cely@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: thambye@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: laurent.vanderheyden@ulb.ac.be [Service de Physique Théorique—Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, CP225, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2017-10-01

In the near future, neutrino telescopes are expected to improve their sensitivity to the flux of monochromatic neutrinos produced by dark matter (DM) in our galaxy. This is illustrated by a new limit on the corresponding cross section that we derive from public IceCube data. In this context, we study which DM models could produce an observable flux of monochromatic neutrinos from DM annihilations. To this end, we proceed in two steps. First, within a set of simple and minimal assumptions concerning the properties of the DM particle, we determine the models that could give rise to a significant annihilation into monochromatic neutrinos at the freeze-out epoch. The list of models turns out to be very limited as a result of various constraints, in particular direct detection and neutrino masses at loop level. Given the fact that, even if largely improved, the sensitivities will be far from reaching the thermal annihilation cross section soon, a signal could only be observed if the annihilation into neutrinos today is boosted with respect to the freeze-out epoch. This is why, in a second step, we analyze the possibility of having such a large enhancement from the Sommerfeld effect. For each scenario, we also compute the cross sections into other annihilation products and confront our results with experimental constraints. We find that, within our simple and minimal assumptions, the expectation to observe monochromatic neutrinos is only possible in very specific scenarios. Some will be confirmed or excluded in the near future because they predict signals slightly below the current experimental sensitivities. We also discuss how these prospects change by relaxing our assumptions as well as by considering other types of sharp spectral features. For the latter, we consider boxed-shaped and bremsstrahlung spectra and provide the corresponding limits from IceCube data.

Cosmological implication of massive neutrinos in a horizontal model context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, C.

1985-04-01

An extended version of the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model for the eletroweak interactions is studied in detail. It has an extra global horizontal symmetry, which allows the appearance of neutrino mass terms. The constraints imposed by the standard cosmological model were used to determine the allowed range of variations of the free parameters of this model. As applications, the solar neutrinos problem and the formation of large scale structures in the universe is studied. (Author) [pt

Extending the Search for Muon Neutrinos Coincident with Gamma-Ray Bursts in IceCube Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M. G. [Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 (Australia); Ackermann, M. [DESY, D-15735 Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J. [Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J. A.; Ansseau, I. [Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M. [Dept. of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Ahrens, M. [Oskar Klein Centre and Dept. of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Samarai, I. Al [Département de Physique Nucléaire et Corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève (Switzerland); Altmann, D.; Anton, G. [Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany); Andeen, K. [Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States); Anderson, T. [Dept. of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Archinger, M.; Baum, V. [Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz (Germany); Argüelles, C.; Axani, S. [Dept. of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Auffenberg, J. [III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701 (United States); Barwick, S. W. [Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2017-07-10

We present an all-sky search for muon neutrinos produced during the prompt γ -ray emission of 1172 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The detection of these neutrinos would constitute evidence for ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) production in GRBs, as interactions between accelerated protons and the prompt γ -ray field would yield charged pions, which decay to neutrinos. A previously reported search for muon neutrino tracks from northern hemisphere GRBs has been extended to include three additional years of IceCube data. A search for such tracks from southern hemisphere GRBs in five years of IceCube data has been introduced to enhance our sensitivity to the highest energy neutrinos. No significant correlation between neutrino events and observed GRBs is seen in the new data. Combining this result with previous muon neutrino track searches and a search for cascade signature events from all neutrino flavors, we obtain new constraints for single-zone fireball models of GRB neutrino and UHECR production.

Neutrino masses and neutrino oscillations

CERN Document Server

Di Lella, L

2000-01-01

These lectures review direct measurements of neutrino masses and the status of neutrino oscillation searches using both natural neutrino sources (the Sun and cosmic rays interacting in the Earth atmosphere) and artificial neutrinos (produced by nuclear reactors and accelerators). Finally, future experiments and plans are presented. (68 refs).

Thermal dark matter through the Dirac neutrino portal

Science.gov (United States)

Batell, Brian; Han, Tao; McKeen, David; Haghi, Barmak Shams Es

2018-04-01

We study a simple model of thermal dark matter annihilating to standard model neutrinos via the neutrino portal. A (pseudo-)Dirac sterile neutrino serves as a mediator between the visible and the dark sectors, while an approximate lepton number symmetry allows for a large neutrino Yukawa coupling and, in turn, efficient dark matter annihilation. The dark sector consists of two particles, a Dirac fermion and complex scalar, charged under a symmetry that ensures the stability of the dark matter. A generic prediction of the model is a sterile neutrino with a large active-sterile mixing angle that decays primarily invisibly. We derive existing constraints and future projections from direct detection experiments, colliders, rare meson and tau decays, electroweak precision tests, and small scale structure observations. Along with these phenomenological tests, we investigate the consequences of perturbativity and scalar mass fine tuning on the model parameter space. A simple, conservative scheme to confront the various tests with the thermal relic target is outlined, and we demonstrate that much of the cosmologically-motivated parameter space is already constrained. We also identify new probes of this scenario such as multibody kaon decays and Drell-Yan production of W bosons at the LHC.

On scaling cosmogenic nuclide production rates for altitude and latitude using cosmic-ray measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Desilets, Darin; Zreda, Marek

2001-11-01

The wide use of cosmogenic nuclides for dating terrestrial landforms has prompted a renewed interest in characterizing the spatial distribution of terrestrial cosmic rays. Cosmic-ray measurements from neutron monitors, nuclear emulsions and cloud chambers have played an important role in developing new models for scaling cosmic-ray neutron intensities and, indirectly, cosmogenic production rates. Unfortunately, current scaling models overlook or misinterpret many of these data. In this paper, we describe factors that must be considered when using neutron measurements to determine scaling formulations for production rates of cosmogenic nuclides. Over the past 50 years, the overwhelming majority of nucleon flux measurements have been taken with neutron monitors. However, in order to use these data for scaling spallation reactions, the following factors must be considered: (1) sensitivity of instruments to muons and to background, (2) instrumental biases in energy sensitivity, (3) solar activity, and (4) the way of ordering cosmic-ray data in the geomagnetic field. Failure to account for these factors can result in discrepancies of as much as 7% in neutron attenuation lengths measured at the same location. This magnitude of deviation can result in an error on the order of 20% in cosmogenic production rates scaled from 4300 m to sea level. The shapes of latitude curves of nucleon flux also depend on these factors to a measurable extent, thereby causing additional uncertainties in cosmogenic production rates. The corrections proposed herein significantly improve our ability to transfer scaling formulations based on neutron measurements to scaling formulations applicable to spallation reactions, and, therefore, constitute an important advance in cosmogenic dating methodology.

Analytic solutions for neutrino momenta in decay of top quarks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Betchart, Burton A., E-mail: bbetchar@pas.rochester.edu; Demina, Regina, E-mail: regina@pas.rochester.edu; Harel, Amnon, E-mail: amnon.harel@cern.ch

2014-02-01

We employ a geometric approach to analytically solve equations of constraint on the decay of top quarks involving leptons. The neutrino momentum is found as a function of the 4-vectors of the associated bottom quark and charged lepton, the masses of the top quark and W boson, and a single parameter, which constrains it to an ellipse. We show how the measured imbalance of momenta in the event reduces the solutions for neutrino momenta to a discrete set, in the cases of one or two top quarks decaying to leptons. The algorithms can be implemented concisely with common linear algebra routines. -- Highlights: • Neutrino momentum from top quark decay is constrained to an ellipse. • We find analytically the best neutrino momenta given the momentum imbalance. • A reference implementation of the algorithms is included.

Lithogenic and cosmogenic tracers in catchment hydrology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nimz, G.J.

1995-01-01

A variety of physical processes affect solute concentrations within catchment waters. The isotopic compositions of the solutes can indicate which processes have determined the observed concentrations. These processes together constitute the physical history of the water, which is one of the primary concerns in hydrology. Many groundwater solutes are derived as a result of interaction between the water and the rock and/or soil within the system. These are termed {open_quotes}lithogenic{close_quotes} solutes. The isotopic compositions of these solutes provide information regarding rock-water interactions. Many other solutes have their isotopic compositions determined both internally and externally to the catchment system. Important members of this group include solutes that have isotopic compositions produced by atomic particle interactions with other nuclides. The source of the atomic particles can be cosmic radiation (producing {open_quotes}cosmogenic{close_quotes} nuclides in the atmosphere and land surface), anthropogenic nuclear reactions (producing {open_quotes}thermonuclear{close_quotes} nuclides), or radioactive and fission decay of naturally-occurring elements, such as U and Th (producing {open_quotes}in-situ{close_quotes} lithogenic nuclides in the deep subsurface). Current language usage often combines all of the atomic particle-produced nuclides under the heading {open_quotes}cosmogenic nuclides{close_quotes}, and for simplicity we will often follow that usage, although always clearly indicating which variety is being discussed. This paper addresses the processes that affect the lithogenic and cosmogenic solute compositions in groundwater, and how these compositions can therefore be used in integrative ways to understand the physical history of groundwater within a catchment system.

The role of self-interacting right-handed neutrinos in galactic structure

CERN Document Server

Argüelles, C.R.; Rueda, J.A.; Ruffini, R.

2016-01-01

We show that warm dark matter keV fermions (`inos') can be responsible for both core and halo galactic structure, in agreement with current astrophysical/cosmological constraints. We identify the inos with sterile right-handed neutrinos. The possible mass range of up to a few tens of keV, obtained independently from the galactic structure and dark matter astroparticle physics, points towards an important role of the right-handed neutrinos in the cosmic structure.

Cosmogenic activation of germanium used for tonne-scale rare event search experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, W.-Z.; Mei, D.-M.; Zhang, C.

2017-11-01

We report a comprehensive study of cosmogenic activation of germanium used for tonne-scale rare event search experiments. The germanium exposure to cosmic rays on the Earth's surface are simulated with and without a shielding container using Geant4 for a given cosmic muon, neutron, and proton energy spectrum. The production rates of various radioactive isotopes are obtained for different sources separately. We find that fast neutron induced interactions dominate the production rate of cosmogenic activation. Geant4-based simulation results are compared with the calculation of ACTIVIA and the available experimental data. A reasonable agreement between Geant4 simulations and several experimental data sets is presented. We predict that cosmogenic activation of germanium can set limits to the sensitivity of the next generation of tonne-scale experiments.

Nuclear weak interactions, supernova nucleosynthesis and neutrino oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, Toshitaka

2013-07-01

We study the nuclear weak response in light-to-heavy mass nuclei and calculate neutrino-nucleus cross sections. We apply these cross sections to the explosive nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae and find that several isotopes of rare elements 7Li, 11B, 138La, 180Ta and several others are predominantly produced by the neutrino-process nucleosynthesis. We discuss how to determine the suitable neutrino spectra of three different flavors and their anti-particles in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. Light-mass nuclei like 7Li and 11B, which are produced in outer He-layer, are strongly affected by the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect, while heavy-mass nuclei like 138La, 180Ta and r-process elements, which are produced in the inner O-Ne-Mg layer or the atmosphere of proto-neutron star, are likely to be free from the MSW effect. Using such a different nature of the neutrino-process nucleosynthesis, we study the neutrino oscillation effects on their abundances, and propose a new novel method to determine the unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, θ13 and mass hierarchy, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that some SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced neutrino-process 11B and 7Li encapsulated in the grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13, we show that although the uncertainties are still large, our method hints at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy for the first time.

Prospects for the measurement of muon-neutrino disappearance at the FNAL-Booster

CERN Document Server

Anokhina, A; Benettoni, M; Bernardini, P; Brugnera, R; Calabrese, M; Cecchetti, A; Cecchini, S; Chernyavskiy, M; Creti, P; Corso, F Dal; Dalkarov, O; Del Prete, A; De Robertis, G; De Serio, M; Esposti, L Degli; Di Ferdinando, D; Dusini, S; Dzhatdoev, T; Fanin, C; Fini, R A; Fiore, G; Garfagnini, A; Golovanov, S; Guerzoni, M; Klicek, B; Kose, U; Jakovcic, K; Laurent, G; Lippi, I; Loddo, F; Longhin, A; Malenica, M; Mancarella, G; Mandrioli, G; Margiotta, A; Marsella, G; Mauri, N; Medinaceli, E; Mengucci, A; Mingazheva, R; Morgunova, O; Muciaccia, M T; Nessi, M; Orecchini, D; Paoloni, A; Papadia, G; Paparella, L; Pasqualini, L; Pastore, A; Patrizii, L; Polukhina, N; Pozzato, M; Roda, M; Roganova, T; Rosa, G; Sahnoun, Z; Simone, S; Sirignano, C; Sirri, G; Spurio, M; Stanco, L; Starkov, N; Stipcevic, M; Surdo, A; Tenti, M; Togo, V; Ventura, M; Vladymyrov, M

2014-01-01

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle $\\theta_{13}$ in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small $L/E$, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. This proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far. Thei...

The reactor antineutrino anomaly and low energy threshold neutrino experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Cañas, B. C.; Garcés, E. A.; Miranda, O. G.; Parada, A.

2018-01-01

Short distance reactor antineutrino experiments measure an antineutrino spectrum a few percent lower than expected from theoretical predictions. In this work we study the potential of low energy threshold reactor experiments in the context of a light sterile neutrino signal. We discuss the perspectives of the recently detected coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering in future reactor antineutrino experiments. We find that the expectations to improve the current constraints on the mixing with sterile neutrinos are promising. We also analyze the measurements of antineutrino scattering off electrons from short distance reactor experiments. In this case, the statistics is not competitive with inverse beta decay experiments, although future experiments might play a role when compare it with the Gallium anomaly.

Reionization in sterile neutrino cosmologies

Science.gov (United States)

Bose, Sownak; Frenk, Carlos S.; Hou, Jun; Lacey, Cedric G.; Lovell, Mark R.

2016-12-01

We investigate the process of reionization in a model in which the dark matter is a warm elementary particle such as a sterile neutrino. We focus on models that are consistent with the dark matter decay interpretation of the recently detected line at 3.5 keV in the X-ray spectra of galaxies and clusters. In warm dark matter models, the primordial spectrum of density perturbations has a cut-off on the scale of dwarf galaxies. Structure formation therefore begins later than in the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model and very few objects form below the cut-off mass scale. To calculate the number of ionizing photons, we use the Durham semi-analytic model of galaxy formation, GALFORM. We find that even the most extreme 7 keV sterile neutrino we consider is able to reionize the Universe early enough to be compatible with the bounds on the epoch of reionization from Planck. This, perhaps surprising, result arises from the rapid build-up of high redshift galaxies in the sterile neutrino models which is also reflected in a faster evolution of their far-UV luminosity function between 10 > z > 7 than in CDM. The dominant sources of ionizing photons are systematically more massive in the sterile neutrino models than in CDM. As a consistency check on the models, we calculate the present-day luminosity function of satellites of Milky Way-like galaxies. When the satellites recently discovered in the Dark Energy Survey are taken into account, strong constraints are placed on viable sterile neutrino models.

Evidence for an increase in cosmogenic 10Be during a geomagnetic reversal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raisbeck, G.M.; Yiou, F.; Bourles, D.

1985-01-01

The authors report evidence in marine sediments for an increase in cosmogenic 10 Be production in the Earth's atmosphere during the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal 730,000 yr ago. In addition to confirming an increase in cosmogenic isotope production, the results provide information on the magnitude and duration of the geomagnetic intensity decrease during such an event, and the depth at which remanent magnetism is acquired in marine sediments. (author)

DEMNUni: massive neutrinos and the bispectrum of large scale structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggeri, Rossana; Castorina, Emanuele; Carbone, Carmelita; Sefusatti, Emiliano

2018-03-01

The main effect of massive neutrinos on the large-scale structure consists in a few percent suppression of matter perturbations on all scales below their free-streaming scale. Such effect is of particular importance as it allows to constraint the value of the sum of neutrino masses from measurements of the galaxy power spectrum. In this work, we present the first measurements of the next higher-order correlation function, the bispectrum, from N-body simulations that include massive neutrinos as particles. This is the simplest statistics characterising the non-Gaussian properties of the matter and dark matter halos distributions. We investigate, in the first place, the suppression due to massive neutrinos on the matter bispectrum, comparing our measurements with the simplest perturbation theory predictions, finding the approximation of neutrinos contributing at quadratic order in perturbation theory to provide a good fit to the measurements in the simulations. On the other hand, as expected, a linear approximation for neutrino perturbations would lead to Script O(fν) errors on the total matter bispectrum at large scales. We then attempt an extension of previous results on the universality of linear halo bias in neutrino cosmologies, to non-linear and non-local corrections finding consistent results with the power spectrum analysis.

Constraining local subglacial bedrock erosion rates with cosmogenic nuclides

Science.gov (United States)

Wirsig, Christian; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Christl, Marcus; Reitner, Jürgen; Reindl, Martin; Bichler, Mathias; Vockenhuber, Christof; Akcar, Naki; Schlüchter, Christian

2014-05-01

The constant buildup of cosmogenic nuclides, most prominently 10Be, in exposed rock surfaces is routinely employed for dating various landforms such as landslides or glacial moraines. One fundamental assumption is that no cosmogenic nuclides were initially present in the rock, before the event to be dated. In the context of glacially formed landscapes it is commonly assumed that subglacial erosion of at least a few meters of bedrock during the period of ice coverage is sufficient to remove any previously accumulated nuclides, since the production of 10Be ceases at a depth of 2-3 m. Insufficient subglacial erosion leads to overestimation of surface exposure ages. If the time since the retreat of the glacier is known, however, a discordant concentration of cosmogenic nuclides delivers information about the depth of subglacial erosion. Here we present data from proglacial bedrock at two sites in the Alps. Goldbergkees in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria and Gruebengletscher in the Grimsel Pass area in Switzerland. Samples were taken inside as well as outside of the glaciers' Little Ice Age extent. Measured nuclide concentrations are analyzed with the help of a MATLAB model simulating periods of exposure or glacial cover of user-definable length and erosion rates.

Leptogenesis constraints on B - L breaking Higgs boson in TeV scale seesaw models

Science.gov (United States)

Dev, P. S. Bhupal; Mohapatra, Rabindra N.; Zhang, Yongchao

2018-03-01

In the type-I seesaw mechanism for neutrino masses, there exists a B - L symmetry, whose breaking leads to the lepton number violating mass of the heavy Majorana neutrinos. This would imply the existence of a new neutral scalar associated with the B - L symmetry breaking, analogous to the Higgs boson of the Standard Model. If in such models, the heavy neutrino decays are also responsible for the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe via the leptogenesis mechanism, the new seesaw scalar interactions with the heavy neutrinos will induce additional dilution terms for the heavy neutrino and lepton number densities. We make a detailed study of this dilution effect on the lepton asymmetry in three generic classes of seesaw models with TeV-scale B - L symmetry breaking, namely, in an effective theory framework and in scenarios with global or local U(1) B- L symmetry. We find that requiring successful leptogenesis imposes stringent constraints on the mass and couplings of the new scalar in all three cases, especially when it is lighter than the heavy neutrinos. We also discuss the implications of these new constraints and prospects of testing leptogenesis in presence of seesaw scalars at colliders.

Cosmogenic 45Sc in Gibeon iron meteorite by radioanalytical neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oura, Y.; Honda, M.; Ebihara, M.; Bajo, K.; Nagao, K.

2011-01-01

Cosmogenic nuclides in many fragments of Gibeon iron meteorite have been studied by Honda and coworkers. They observed that their concentrations varied by 5 orders and found that Gibeon gives two different exposure ages using pair of stable noble gas isotopes and radinuclide. To assess one possible cause for the difference, namely loss of partial noble gases due to atmospheric heating of the incoming meteoroid, concentrations of non-volatile and stable cosmogenic 45 Sc of Gibeon were determined by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA). For RNAA, a radiochemical procedure using extraction chromatography was developed to separate Sc from an iron meteorite. Concentrations of 45 Sc in 7 fragments ranged from 0.0064 to 0.11 ppb and correlated with cosmogenic 4 He concentrations. This correlation suggests that noble gases in Gibeon were not lost during the fall to the earth. (orig.)

The Majorana Experiment: a Straightforward Neutrino Mass Experiment Using The Double-Beta Decay of Ge-76

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, Harry S.; Y Suzuki; M Nakahata; Y Itow; M Shiozawa; Y Obayashi

2004-01-01

The Majorana Experiment proposes to measure the effective mass of the electron neutrino to as low as 0.02 eV using well-tested technology. A half life of about 4E27 y, corresponding to a mass range of [0.02 - 0.07] eV can be reached by operating 500 kg of germanium enriched to 86% in Ge-76 deep underground. Radiological backgrounds of cosmogenic or primordial origin will be greatly reduced by ultra-low background screening of detector, structural, and shielding materials, by chemical processing of materials, and by electronic rejection of multi-site events in the detector. Electronic background reduction is achieved with pulse shape analysis, detector segmentation, and detector-to detector coincidence rejection

Anti-neutrino imprint in solar neutrino flare

Science.gov (United States)

Fargion, D.

2006-10-01

A future neutrino detector at megaton mass might enlarge the neutrino telescope thresholds revealing cosmic supernova background and largest solar flares (SFs) neutrinos. Indeed the solar energetic (Ep>100 MeV) flare particles (protons, α), while scattering among themselves on solar corona atmosphere must produce prompt charged pions, whose chain decays are source of a solar (electron muon) neutrino 'flare' (at tens or hundreds MeV energy). These brief (minutes) neutrino 'bursts' at largest flare peak may overcome by three to five orders of magnitude the steady atmospheric neutrino noise on the Earth, possibly leading to their detection above detection thresholds (in a full mixed three flavour state). Moreover the birth of anti-neutrinos at a few tens of MeV very clearly flares above a null thermal 'hep' anti-neutrino solar background and also above a tiny supernova relic and atmospheric noise. The largest prompt solar anti-neutrino 'burst' may be well detected in future Super Kamikande (gadolinium implemented) anti-neutrino \\bar\

A combined muon-neutrino and electron-neutrino oscillation search at MiniBooNE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monroe, Jocelyn Rebecca [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)

2006-01-01

MiniBooNE seeks to corroborate or refute the unconfirmed oscillation result from the LSND experiment. If correct, the result implies that a new kind of massive neutrino, with no weak interactions, participates in neutrino oscillations. MiniBooNE searches for v_μ → v_e oscillations with the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory 8 GeV beam line, which produces a v_μ beam with an average energy of ~ 0.8 GeV and an intrinsic v_e content of 0.4%. The neutrino detector is a 6.1 m radius sphere filled with CH₂, viewed by 1540 photo-multiplier tubes, and located 541 m downstream from the source. This work focuses on the estimation of systematic errors associated with the neutrino flux and neutrino interaction cross section predictions, and in particular, on constraining these uncertainties using in-situ MiniBooNE v_μ charged current quasielastic (CCQE) scattering data. A data set with ~ 100,000 events is identified, with 91% CCQE purity. This data set is used to measure several parameters of the CCQE cross section: the axial mass, the Fermi momentum, the binding energy, and the functional dependence of the axial form factor on four-momentum transfer squared. Constraints on the v_μ and v_e fluxes are derived using the v_μ CCQE data set. A Monte Carlo study of a combined v_μ disappearance and v_e appearance oscillation fit is presented, which improves the v_μ → v_e oscillation sensitivity of MiniBooNE with respect to a v_e appearance-only fit by 1.2-1.5σ, depending on the value of Δm².

Constraints on dark radiation from cosmological probes

CERN Document Server

Rossi, Graziano; Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie; Lesgourgues, Julien

2015-01-01

We present joint constraints on the number of effective neutrino species N_eff and the sum of neutrino masses M_nu, based on a technique which exploits the full information contained in the one-dimensional Lyman-Alpha forest flux power spectrum, complemented by additional cosmological probes. In particular, we obtain N_eff=2.91(+0.21)(-0.22) (95% CL) and M_nu<0.15 eV (95% CL) when we combine BOSS Lyman-Alpha forest data with CMB (Planck+ACT+SPT+WMAP polarization) measurements, and N_eff=2.88(+0.20)(-0.20) (95% CL) and M_nu<0.14 eV (95% CL) when we further add baryon acoustic oscillations. Our results provide evidence for the Cosmic Neutrino Background from N_eff~3 (N_eff=0 is rejected at more than 14 sigma), and rule out the possibility of a sterile neutrino thermalized with active neutrinos (i.e., N_eff=4) - or more generally any decoupled relativistic relic with Delta N_eff ~ 1 - at a significance of over 5 sigma, the strongest bound to date, implying that there is no need for exotic neutrino physics ...

Direct bounds on the tau neutrino mass from LEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passalacqua, L.

1996-11-01

A review of direct bounds on the mass of the tau neutrino obtained at the LEP collider is presented. In addition to published results it includes preliminary results presented at recent conferences and new results presented at the 1996 Tau Workshop. The different techniques and decay modes employed by the ALEPH, DELPHI and OPAL collaborations are compared. The impact of the theoretical modelling of tau decays is also discussed. The most stringent 95 % CL limit on the tau neutrino mass is now obtained by a preliminary ALEPH analysis which combines the results from τ → 5 π ± (π 0 ) v τ and τ → 3 π ± v τ decays. This bound constraints the mass of the tau neutrino below 18.2 M e V / c 2

Report of the Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Working Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Back, H.; Bahcall, J.N.; Bernabeu, J.; Boulay, M.G.; Bowles, T.; Calaprice, F.; Champagne, A.; Freedman, S.; Gai, M.; Galbiati, C.; Gallagher, H.; Gonzalez-Garcia, C.; Hahn, R.L.; Heeger, K.M.; Hime, A.; Jung, C.K.; Klein, J.R.; Koike, M.; Lanou, R.; Learned, J.G.; Lesko, K.T.; Losecco, J.; Maltoni, M.; Mann, A.; McKinsey, D.; Palomares-Ruiz, S.; Pena-Garay, C.; Petcov, S.T.; Piepke, A.; Pitt, M.; Raghavan, R.; Robertson, R.G.H.; Scholberg, K.; Sobel, H.W.; Takeuchi, T.; Vogelaar, R.; Wolfenstein, L.

2004-01-01

The highest priority of the Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Experiment Working Group is the development of a real-time, precision experiment that measures the pp solar neutrino flux. A measurement of the pp solar neutrino flux, in comparison with the existing precision measurements of the high energy 8 B neutrino flux, will demonstrate the transition between vacuum and matter-dominated oscillations, thereby quantitatively testing a fundamental prediction of the standard scenario of neutrino flavor transformation. The initial solar neutrino beam is pure ν e , which also permits sensitive tests for sterile neutrinos. The pp experiment will also permit a significantly improved determination of θ 12 and, together with other solar neutrino measurements, either a measurement of θ 13 or a constraint a factor of two lower than existing bounds. In combination with the essential pre-requisite experiments that will measure the 7 Be solar neutrino flux with a precision of 5%, a measurement of the pp solar neutrino flux will constitute a sensitive test for non-standard energy generation mechanisms within the Sun. The Standard Solar Model predicts that the pp and 7 Be neutrinos together constitute more than 98% of the solar neutrino flux. The comparison of the solar luminosity measured via neutrinos to that measured via photons will test for any unknown energy generation mechanisms within the nearest star. A precise measurement of the pp neutrino flux (predicted to be 92% of the total flux) will also test stringently the theory of stellar evolution since the Standard Solar Model predicts the pp flux with a theoretical uncertainty of 1%. We also find that an atmospheric neutrino experiment capable of resolving the mass hierarchy is a high priority. Atmospheric neutrino experiments may be the only alternative to very long baseline accelerator experiments as a way of resolving this fundamental question. Such an experiment could be a very large scale water Cerenkov detector, or a

Collective neutrino oscillations and neutrino wave packets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akhmedov, Evgeny; Lindner, Manfred [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Kopp, Joachim, E-mail: akhmedov@mpi-hd.mpg.de, E-mail: jkopp@uni-mainz.de, E-mail: lindner@mpi-hd.mpg.de [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence and Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz (Germany)

2017-09-01

Effects of decoherence by wave packet separation on collective neutrino oscillations in dense neutrino gases are considered. We estimate the length of the wave packets of neutrinos produced in core collapse supernovae and the expected neutrino coherence length, and then proceed to consider the decoherence effects within the density matrix formalism of neutrino flavour transitions. First, we demonstrate that for neutrino oscillations in vacuum the decoherence effects are described by a damping term in the equation of motion of the density matrix of a neutrino as a whole (as contrasted to that of the fixed-momentum components of the neutrino density matrix). Next, we consider neutrino oscillations in ordinary matter and dense neutrino backgrounds, both in the adiabatic and non-adiabatic regimes. In the latter case we study two specific models of adiabaticity violation—one with short-term and another with extended non-adiabaticity. It is demonstrated that, while in the adiabatic case a damping term is present in the equation of motion of the neutrino density matrix (just like in the vacuum oscillation case), no such term in general appears in the non-adiabatic regime.

Scrutinizing supergravity models through neutrino telescopes

CERN Document Server

Gandhi, R; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V; Yuan, K; Zichichi, Antonino; Gandhi, Raj; Lopez, Jorge L.; Yuan, Kajia

1994-01-01

Galactic halo neutralinos ($\\chi$) captured by the Sun or Earth produce high-energy neutrinos as end-products of various annihilation modes. These neutrinos can travel from the Sun or Earth cores to the neighborhood of underground detectors (``neutrino telescopes") where they can interact and produce upwardly-moving muons. We compute these muon fluxes in the context of the minimal $SU(5)$ supergravity model, and the no-scale and dilaton $SU(5)\\times U(1)$ supergravity models. At present, with the Kamiokande 90\\% C.L. upper limits on the flux, only a small fraction of the parameter space of the $SU(5)\\times U(1)$ models is accessible for $m_\\chi\\sim m_{\\rm Fe}$, which in turn implies constraints for the lightest chargino mass around 100 GeV for a range of $\\tan\\beta$ values. We also delineate the regions of parameter space that would be accessible with the improvements of experimental sensitivity expected in the near future at Gran Sasso, Super-Kamiokande, and other facilities such as DUMAND and AMANDA, curren...

Large gauge invariant nonstandard neutrino interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavela, M. B.; Hernandez, D.; Ota, T.; Winter, W.

2009-01-01

Theories beyond the standard model must necessarily respect its gauge symmetry. This implies strict constraints on the possible models of nonstandard neutrino interactions, which we analyze. The focus is set on the effective low-energy dimension six and eight operators involving four leptons, decomposing them according to all possible tree-level mediators, as a guide for model building. The new couplings are required to have sizable strength, while processes involving four charged leptons are required to be suppressed. For nonstandard interactions in matter, only diagonal tau-neutrino interactions can escape these requirements and can be allowed to result from dimension six operators. Large nonstandard neutrino interactions from dimension eight operators alone are phenomenologically allowed in all flavor channels and are shown to require at least two new mediator particles. The new couplings must obey general cancellation conditions both at the dimension six and dimension eight levels, which result from expressing the operators obtained from the mediator analysis in terms of a complete basis of operators. We illustrate with one example how to apply this information to model building.

Detecting supernova neutrinos in Daya Bay Neutrino Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Mingyang; Guo Xinheng; Yang Binglin

2011-01-01

While detecting supernova neutrinos in the Daya Bay neutrino laboratory, several supernova neutrino effects need to be considered, including the supernova shock effects, the neutrino collective effects, the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effects, and the Earth matter effects. The phenomena of neutrino oscillation is affected by the above effects. Using some ratios of the event numbers of different supernova neutrinos, we propose some possible methods to identify the mass hierarchy and acquire information about the neutrino mixing angle θ13 and neutrino masses. (authors)

Experimental tests for the Babu-Zee two-loop model of Majorana neutrino masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sierra, Diego Aristizabal; Hirsch, Martin

2006-01-01

The smallness of the observed neutrino masses might have a radiative origin. Here we revisit a specific two-loop model of neutrino mass, independently proposed by Babu and Zee. We point out that current constraints from neutrino data can be used to derive strict lower limits on the branching ratio of flavour changing charged lepton decays, such as μ→eγ. Non-observation of Br(μ→eγ) at the level of 10 -13 would rule out singly charged scalar masses smaller than 590 GeV (5.04 TeV) in case of normal (inverse) neutrino mass hierarchy. Conversely, decay branching ratios of the non-standard scalars of the model can be fixed by the measured neutrino angles (and mass scale). Thus, if the scalars of the model are light enough to be produced at the LHC or ILC, measuring their decay properties would serve as a direct test of the model as the origin of neutrino masses

Experimental tests for the Babu-Zee two-loop model of Majorana neutrino masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aristizabal, D.

2006-01-01

Abstract: The smallness of the observed neutrino masses might have a radiative origin. Here we revisit a specific two-loop model of neutrino mass, independently proposed by Babu and Zee. We point out that current constraints from neutrino data can be used to derive strict lower limits on the branching ratio of flavour changing charged lepton decays, such as μ → e γ. Non-observation of Br(μ → e γ) at the level of 10 -13 would rule out singly charged scalar masses smaller than 590 GeV (5.04 TeV) in case of normal (inverse) neutrino mass hierarchy. Conversely, decay branching ratios of the non-standard scalars of the model can be fixed by the measured neutrino angles (and mass scale). Thus, if the scalars of the model are light enough to be produced at the LHC or ILC, measuring their decay properties would serve as a direct test of the model as the origin of neutrino masses. (author)

Using cosmogenic isotopes to measure basin-scale rates of erosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bierman, P.R.; Steig, E.

1992-01-01

The authors present a new and different approach to interpreting the abundance of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides such as 36 Cl, 26 Al, and 10 Be. Unlike most existing models, which are appropriate for evaluating isotope concentrations on bedrock surfaces, this model can be used to interpret isotope concentration in fluvial sediment. Because sediment is a mixture of material derived from the entire drainage basin, measured isotope abundances can be used to estimate spatially-averaged rates of erosion and sediment transport. Their approach has the potential to provide geomorphologists with a relatively simple but powerful means by which to constrain rates of landscape evolution. The model considers the flux of cosmogenic isotopes into and out of various reservoirs. Implicit in model development are the assumptions that a geomorphic steady-state has been reached and that sampled sediment is spatially and temporally representative of all sediment leaving the basin. Each year, the impinging cosmic-ray flux produces a certain quantity of cosmogenic isotopes in the rock and soil of a drainage basin. For a basin in steady state, the outgoing isotope flux is also constant. They solve for the rate of mass loss as a function of isotope abundance in the sediment, the cosmic ray attenuation length, the isotope half life, and the effective isotope production rate. There are only a few published measurements of cosmogenic isotope abundance in sediment. They calculated model denudation rates for sediment samples from Zaire and central Texas. The denudation rates they calculated appear reasonable and are similar to those they have measured directly on granite landforms in Georgia and southeastern California and those calculated for the Appalachian Piedmont

New (anti)neutrino results from the T2K experiment on CP violation in the lepton sector

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

T2K is a long-baseline neutrino experiment in which a muon neutrino beam produced by J-PARC in Tokai is sent 295 km across Japan to the Super-Kamiokande detector, to study neutrino oscillations via the disappearance of muon neutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos. Since the start of operations in 2010, T2K has conclusively observed muon neutrino to electron neutrino oscillations, opening the door to the observation of CP violation in neutrino mixing, and performed the most precise measurement of the muon neutrino disappearance parameters. In a joint analysis between these two modes, T2K placed its first constraints on the CP-violating phase delta. Starting in 2014, T2K has been running primarily with an antineutrino beam in order to study the corresponding antineutrino oscillations, resulting in leading measurements of the muon antineutrino disappearance parameters. The joint analysis of neutrino and antineutrino data indicates that CP-conserving parameters lie outside the 90% confidence interval....

Neutrinos

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2004-01-01

The Standard Model predicts that the neutrinos are massless and do not mix. Generic extensions of the Standard Model predict that neutrinos are massive (but, very likely, much lighter than the charged fermions). Therefore, the search for neutrino masses and mixing tests the Standard Model and probes new phasics. Measurements of various features of the fluxes of atmospheric, solar and, more recently, reactor neutrinos have provided evidence for neutrino oscillations and therefore for neutrino masses and mixing. These results have significant theoretical implications: new physics exists, and its scale can be estimated. There are interesting lessons for grand unified theories and for models of extra dimensions. The measured neutrino flavor parameters pose a challenge to flavor models.

MeV-scale sterile neutrino decays at the Fermilab Short-Baseline Neutrino program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ballett, Peter; Pascoli, Silvia; Ross-Lonergan, Mark [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Department of Physics, Durham University,South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2017-04-19

Nearly-sterile neutrinos with masses in the MeV range and below would be produced in the beam of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab. In this article, we study the potential for SBN to discover these particles through their subsequent decays in its detectors. We discuss the decays which will be visible at SBN in a minimal and non-minimal extension of the Standard Model, and perform simulations to compute the parameter space constraints which could be placed in the absence of a signal. We demonstrate that the SBN programme can extend existing bounds on well constrained channels such as N→νl{sup +}l{sup −} and N→l{sup ±}π{sup ∓} while, thanks to the strong particle identification capabilities of liquid-Argon technology, also place bounds on often neglected channels such as N→νγ and N→νπ{sup 0}. Furthermore, we consider the phenomenological impact of improved event timing information at the three detectors. As well as considering its role in background reduction, we note that if the light-detection systems in SBND and ICARUS can achieve nanosecond timing resolution, the effect of finite sterile neutrino mass could be directly observable, providing a smoking-gun signature for this class of models. We stress throughout that the search for heavy nearly-sterile neutrinos is a complementary new physics analysis to the search for eV-scale oscillations, and would extend the BSM programme of SBN while requiring no beam or detector modifications.

Searching for sterile neutrinos in dynamical dark energy cosmologies

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Lu; Zhang, Jing-Fei; Zhang, Xin

2018-05-01

We investigate how the dark energy properties change the cosmological limits on sterile neutrino parameters by using recent cosmological observations. We consider the simplest dynamical dark energy models, the wCDM model and the holographic dark energy (HDE) model, to make an analysis. The cosmological observations used in this work include the Planck 2015 CMB temperature and polarization data, the baryon acoustic oscillation data, the type Ia supernova data, the Hubble constant direct measurement data, and the Planck CMB lensing data. We find that, m v,terile ff energy properties could significantly influence the constraint limits of sterile neutrino parameters.

Cosmogenic Radionuclides in Bunburra Rockhole Achondrite Fall

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Welten, K.C.; Nishiizumi, K.; Caffee, M. W.; Meier, M.M.M.; Bland, P.A.; Spurný, Pavel

2009-01-01

Roč. 44, Supplement (2009), A216-A216 ISSN 1086-9379. [Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society /72./. Nancy, 13.06.2009-18.06.2009] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : Bunburra Rockhole * cosmogenic radionuclide concentrations Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 3.253, year: 2009

Ice Elevation Changes in the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica Using Multiple Cosmogenic Nuclides

Science.gov (United States)

Marrero, S.; Hein, A.; Sugden, D.; Woodward, J.; Dunning, S.; Reid, K.

2014-12-01

Well-dated geologic data points provide important indicators that can be used for the reconstruction of ice sheet dynamics and as constraints in ice sheet models predicting future change. Cosmogenic nuclides, which accumulate in rocks exposed at the earth's surface, can be used to directly date the exposure age of the rock surfaces that have been created through glacial erosion or deposition. The technique requires a detailed understanding of the local geomorphology as well as awareness of the post-depositional processes that may affect the interpretation of exposure ages. Initial surface exposure ages (10Be, 26Al, 21Ne, and 36Cl ) from local limestone bedrock and other glacially deposited exotic lithologies provide a history spanning from 0 to 1.1 Ma in the Patriot, Independence, and Marble Hills in the southern Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. Using the new surface exposure ages combined with geomorphological mapping, we will discuss the implications for the glacial history of the southern Ellsworth Mountains.

The Majorana Experiment:. a Straightforward Neutrino Mass Experiment Using the Double-Beta Decay of 76GE

Science.gov (United States)

Miley, H. S.

2004-04-01

The Majorana Experiment proposes to measure the effective mass of the electron neutrino to as low as 0.02 eV using well-tested technology. A half-life of about 4E27 y, corresponding to a mass range of [0.02 - 0.07] eV can be reached by operating 500 kg of germanium enriched to 86% in 76Ge deep underground. Radiological backgrounds of cosmogenic or primordial origin will be greatly reduced by ultra-low-background screening of detector, structural, and shielding materials, by chemical processing of materials, and by electronic rejection of multi-site events in the detector. Electronic background reduction is achieved with pulse-shape analysis, detector segmentation, and detector-to-detector coincidence rejection. Sensitivity calculations assuming worst-case germanium cosmogenic activation predict rapid growth in mass sensitivity (T1/2 at 90%CL) after the beginning of detector production: [0.08-0.28] eV at ~1 year, [0.04-0.14] eV at ~2.5 years, [0.03-0.10] eV at ~5 years, and [0.02 - 0.07] eV at ~10 years. The impact of primordial backgrounds in structural and electronic components is being studied at the 1 μBq/kg level, and appears to be controllable to below levels needed to attain these results.

Neutrino problems proliferate (Neutrino 94 conference report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, Fraser

1994-01-01

The enigma of the neutrino continues. More than sixty years after its hesitant prediction by Pauli and forty years after its discovery by Reines and Cowan, the neutrino still refuses to give up all its secrets. The longer we travel down the neutrino road and the more we find out about these particles, the more problems we uncover en route. The present state of the neutrino mystery was highlighted at the Neutrino 94 meeting in Eilat, Israel, from 29 May to 3 June. It was a distinguished meeting, with the first morning including one session chaired by neutrino co-discoverer Fred Reines, and an introductory talk by muon-neutrino co-discoverer Leon Lederman. One figurehead neutrino personality conspicuously absent this time was Bruno Pontecorvo, who died last year and had attended the previous conference in the series, in Grenada, Spain, in 1992

Neutrino problems proliferate (Neutrino 94 conference report)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordon, Fraser

1994-09-15

The enigma of the neutrino continues. More than sixty years after its hesitant prediction by Pauli and forty years after its discovery by Reines and Cowan, the neutrino still refuses to give up all its secrets. The longer we travel down the neutrino road and the more we find out about these particles, the more problems we uncover en route. The present state of the neutrino mystery was highlighted at the Neutrino 94 meeting in Eilat, Israel, from 29 May to 3 June. It was a distinguished meeting, with the first morning including one session chaired by neutrino co-discoverer Fred Reines, and an introductory talk by muon-neutrino co-discoverer Leon Lederman. One figurehead neutrino personality conspicuously absent this time was Bruno Pontecorvo, who died last year and had attended the previous conference in the series, in Grenada, Spain, in 1992.

The prompt atmospheric neutrino flux in the light of LHCb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauld, Rhorry; Rojo, Juan; Rottoli, Luca; Sarkar, Subir; Talbert, Jim

2016-01-01

The recent observation of very high energy cosmic neutrinos by IceCube heralds the beginning of neutrino astronomy. At these energies, the dominant background to the astrophysical signal is the flux of ‘prompt’ neutrinos, arising from the decay of charmed mesons produced by cosmic ray collisions in the atmosphere. In this work we provide predictions for the prompt atmospheric neutrino flux in the framework of perturbative QCD, using state-of-the-art Monte Carlo event generators. Our calculation includes the constraints set by charm production measurements from the LHCb experiment at 7 TeV, recently validated with the corresponding 13 TeV data. Our result for the prompt flux is a factor of about 2 below the previous benchmark calculation, in general agreement with other recent estimates, but with an improved estimate of the uncertainty. This alleviates the existing tension between the theoretical prediction and IceCube limits, and suggests that a direct detection of the prompt flux is imminent.

The case for mixed dark matter from sterile neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lello, Louis; Boyanovsky, Daniel

2016-01-01

Sterile neutrinos are SU(2) singlets that mix with active neutrinos via a mass matrix, its diagonalization leads to mass eigenstates that couple via standard model vertices. We study the cosmological production of heavy neutrinos via standard model charged and neutral current vertices under a minimal set of assumptions: i) the mass basis contains a hierarchy of heavy neutrinos , ii) these have very small mixing angles with the active (flavor) neutrinos, iii) standard model particles, including light (active-like) neutrinos are in thermal equilibrium. If kinematically allowed, the same weak interaction processes that produce active-like neutrinos also produce the heavier species. We introduce the quantum kinetic equations that describe their production, freeze out and decay and discuss the various processes that lead to their production in a wide range of temperatures assessing their feasibility as dark matter candidates. The final distribution function at freeze-out is a mixture of the result of the various production processes. We identify processes in which finite temperature collective excitations may lead to the production of the heavy species. As a specific example, we consider the production of heavy neutrinos in the mass range M h ∼< 140 MeV from pion decay shortly after the QCD crossover including finite temperature corrections to the pion form factors and mass. We consider the different decay channels that allow for the production of heavy neutrinos showing that their frozen distribution functions exhibit effects from ''kinematic entanglement'' and argue for their viability as mixed dark matter candidates. We discuss abundance, phase space density and stability constraints and argue that heavy neutrinos with lifetime τ> 1/ H 0 freeze out of local thermal equilibrium, and conjecture that those with lifetimes τ || 1/ H 0 may undergo cascade decay into lighter DM candidates and/or inject non-LTE neutrinos into the cosmic neutrino

The case for mixed dark matter from sterile neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lello, Louis; Boyanovsky, Daniel, E-mail: lal81@pitt.edu, E-mail: boyan@pitt.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States)

2016-06-01

Sterile neutrinos are SU(2) singlets that mix with active neutrinos via a mass matrix, its diagonalization leads to mass eigenstates that couple via standard model vertices. We study the cosmological production of heavy neutrinos via standard model charged and neutral current vertices under a minimal set of assumptions: i) the mass basis contains a hierarchy of heavy neutrinos , ii) these have very small mixing angles with the active (flavor) neutrinos, iii) standard model particles, including light (active-like) neutrinos are in thermal equilibrium. If kinematically allowed, the same weak interaction processes that produce active-like neutrinos also produce the heavier species. We introduce the quantum kinetic equations that describe their production, freeze out and decay and discuss the various processes that lead to their production in a wide range of temperatures assessing their feasibility as dark matter candidates. The final distribution function at freeze-out is a mixture of the result of the various production processes. We identify processes in which finite temperature collective excitations may lead to the production of the heavy species. As a specific example, we consider the production of heavy neutrinos in the mass range M {sub h} ∼< 140 MeV from pion decay shortly after the QCD crossover including finite temperature corrections to the pion form factors and mass. We consider the different decay channels that allow for the production of heavy neutrinos showing that their frozen distribution functions exhibit effects from ''kinematic entanglement'' and argue for their viability as mixed dark matter candidates. We discuss abundance, phase space density and stability constraints and argue that heavy neutrinos with lifetime τ> 1/ H {sub 0} freeze out of local thermal equilibrium, and conjecture that those with lifetimes τ || 1/ H {sub 0} may undergo cascade decay into lighter DM candidates and/or inject non-LTE neutrinos into the

Sterile neutrinos with eV masses in cosmology — How disfavoured exactly?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamann, Jan; Hannestad, Steen; Raffelt, Georg G.; Wong, Yvonne Y.Y.

2011-01-01

We study cosmological models that contain sterile neutrinos with eV-range masses as suggested by reactor and short-baseline oscillation data. We confront these models with both precision cosmological data (probing the CMB decoupling epoch) and light-element abundances (probing the BBN epoch). In the minimal ΛCDM model, such sterile neutrinos are strongly disfavoured by current data because they contribute too much hot dark matter. However, if the cosmological framework is extended to include also additional relativistic degrees of freedom beyond the three standard neutrinos and the putative sterile neutrinos, then the hot dark matter constraint on the sterile states is considerably relaxed. A further improvement is achieved by allowing a dark energy equation of state parameter w e degeneracy. Any model containing eV-mass sterile neutrinos implies also strong modifications of other cosmological parameters. Notably, the inferred cold dark matter density can shift up by 20–75% relative to the standard ΛCDM value

Physics of neutrino flavor transformation through matter-neutrino resonances

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Meng-Ru; Duan, Huaiyu; Qian, Yong-Zhong

2016-01-01

In astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and neutron star-neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers where dense neutrino media are present, matter-neutrino resonances (MNRs) can occur when the neutrino propagation potentials due to neutrino-electron and neutrino-neutrino forward scattering nearly cancel each other. We show that neutrino flavor transformation through MNRs can be explained by multiple adiabatic solutions similar to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein mechanism. We find that for the normal neutrino mass hierarchy, neutrino flavor evolution through MNRs can be sensitive to the shape of neutrino spectra and the adiabaticity of the system, but such sensitivity is absent for the inverted hierarchy.

Neutrino Physics

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Dydak, Friedrich

2001-01-01

Starting from a review of theoretical concepts and experimental results in the early years of neutrino physics after Pauli's 1930 letter, today's double role of the neutrino as a cornerstone of the Standard Model and as a promising probe of physics beyond the Standard Model will be discussed. Topics comprise: - Conventional neutrino beams - Neutrinos as probes of the nucleon structure - Neutrinos from the universe - Dirac or Majorana neutrinos - Neutrino oscillations - MNS matrix - CP violation in the lepton sector - Neutrino factory.

Neutrino Physics

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva. Audiovisual Unit

2002-01-01

Starting from a review of theoretical concepts and experimental results in the early years of neutrino physics after Pauli's 1930 letter, today's double role of the neutrino as a cornerstone of the Standard Model and as a promising probe of physics beyond the Standard Model will be discussed. Topics comprise: - Conventional neutrino beams - Neutrinos as probes of the nucleon structure - Neutrinos from the universe - Dirac or Majorana neutrinos - Neutrino oscillations - MNS matrix - CP violation in the lepton sector - Neutrino factory.

Neutrino mixing and future accelerator neutrino experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilenky, S.M.

1992-01-01

No evidence for neutrino mixing has been obtained in experiments searching for oscillations with neutrinos from accelerators and reactors. The possible reason is that neutrino masses are too small to produce any sizable effects in the experiments with terrestrial neutrinos. We put forward here the point of view that the reason for that can be traced to the presence of a hierarchy of neutrino masses as well as strength of couplings between lepton families. (orig.)

Constraining the neutrino emission of gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars with ANTARES data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Ardid, M.; Bou-Cabo, M. [Institut d' Investigació per a la Gestió Integrada de les Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, C/ Paranimf 1, Gandia, 46730 Spain (Spain); Albert, A. [GRPHE - Institut universitaire de technologie de Colmar, 34 rue du Grillenbreit BP 50568, Colmar, 68008 France (France); André, M. [Technical University of Catalonia, Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, Rambla Exposició, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, 08800 Spain (Spain); Anton, G. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, Erlangen, 91058 Germany (Germany); Aubert, J.-J.; Bertin, V.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, Marseille, 13288 France (France); Baret, B. [APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 10, rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, Paris Cedex 13, F-75205 France (France); Barrios-Martí, J. [IFIC - Instituto de Física Corpuscular, Edificios Investigación de Paterna, CSIC - Universitat de València, Apdo de Correos 22085, Valencia, 46071 Spain (Spain); Basa, S. [LAM - Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille, Pôle de l' Étoile Site de Château-Gombert, rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie 38, Marseille Cedex 13, 13388 France (France); Biagi, S. [INFN - Sezione di Bologna, Viale Berti-Pichat 6/2, Bologna, 40127 Italy (Italy); Bogazzi, C.; Bormuth, R.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Bruijn, R. [Nikhef, Science Park 105, Amsterdam, 1098XG The Netherlands (Netherlands); Capone, A. [INFN -Sezione di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro 2, Roma, 00185 Italy (Italy); Caramete, L., E-mail: antares.spokesperson@in2p3.fr [Institute for Space Sciences, Bucharest, Măgurele, R-77125 Romania (Romania); and others

2014-11-01

This paper proposes to exploit gravitational lensing effects to improve the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to the intrinsic neutrino emission of distant blazar populations. This strategy is illustrated with a search for cosmic neutrinos in the direction of four distant and gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars. The magnification factor is estimated for each system assuming a singular isothermal profile for the lens. Based on data collected from 2007 to 2012 by the ANTARES neutrino telescope, the strongest constraint is obtained from the lensed quasar B0218+357, providing a limit on the total neutrino luminosity of this source of 1.08× 10{sup 46} erg s{sup -1}. This limit is about one order of magnitude lower than those previously obtained in the ANTARES standard point source searches with non-lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars.

Acquiring information about neutrino parameters by detecting supernova neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ming-Yang; Guo, Xin-Heng; Young, Bing-Lin

2010-08-01

We consider the supernova shock effects, the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects, the collective effects, and the Earth matter effects in the detection of type II supernova neutrinos on the Earth. It is found that the event number of supernova neutrinos depends on the neutrino mass hierarchy, the neutrino mixing angle θ13, and neutrino masses. Therefore, we propose possible methods to identify the mass hierarchy and acquire information about θ13 and neutrino masses by detecting supernova neutrinos. We apply these methods to some current neutrino experiments.

Neutrino factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dydak, F.

2002-01-01

The discovery of neutrino oscillations marks a major milestone in the history of neutrino physics, and opens a window to what lies beyond the Standard Model. Many current and forthcoming experiments will answer open questions; however, a major step forward, up to and possibly including CP violation in the neutrino mixing matrix, will be offered by the neutrino beams from a neutrino factory. The neutrino factory is a new concept for producing neutrino beams of unprecedented quality in terms of intensity, flavour composition, and precision of the beam parameters. These beams enable the exploration of otherwise inaccessible domains in neutrino oscillation physics by exploiting baselines of planetary dimensions. Suitable detectors pose formidable challenges but seem within reach with only moderate extrapolations from existing technologies. Although the main physics attraction of the neutrino factory is in the area of neutrino oscillations, an interesting spectrum of further opportunities ranging from high-precision, high-rate neutrino scattering to physics with high-intensity stopped muons comes with it

Constraining neutrino mass from neutrinoless double beta decay

Science.gov (United States)

Dev, P. S. Bhupal; Goswami, Srubabati; Mitra, Manimala; Rodejohann, Werner

2013-11-01

We study the implications of the recent results on neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) from GERDA-I (Ge76) and KamLAND-Zen+EXO-200 (Xe136) and the upper limit on the sum of light neutrino masses from Planck. We show that the upper limits on the effective neutrino mass from Xe136 are stronger than those from Ge76 for most of the recent calculations of the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). We also analyze the compatibility of these limits with the claimed observation in Ge76 and show that while the updated claim value is still compatible with the recent GERDA limit as well as the individual Xe136 limits for a few NME calculations, it is inconsistent with the combined Xe136 limit for all but one NME. Imposing the most stringent limit from Planck, we find that the canonical light neutrino contribution cannot saturate the current limit, irrespective of the NME uncertainties. Saturation can be reached by inclusion of the right-handed (RH) neutrino contributions in TeV-scale left-right symmetric models with type-II seesaw. This imposes a lower limit on the lightest neutrino mass. Using the 0νββ bounds, we also derive correlated constraints in the RH sector, complimentary to those from direct searches at the LHC.

Fundamental Fermions (e.g. Neutrinos) as Topological Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Gerald L.

1999-05-01

A new internal ``macroscopic'' description of fundamental fermions based on a matrix-generalization (F) of the scalar fermion-number f, predicts that only three families of quarks and leptons, and their associated neutrinos (ν_e, ν_μ and ν_τ), exist [1]. Moreover, this description places important phtopological constraints on neutrino mixtures [2]. With respect to F, the topology of the νe (ν_μ or ν_τ) is that of a cylinder (Möbius strip). Assuming that topology-changing neutrino-neutrino transitions are suppressed (e.g., one cannot continuously deform a donut into a sphere), while topology-maintaining transitions are relatively enhanced, one may have an explanation for short-distance observations of (nearly) maximal ν_μ-ν_τ mixing [3]. To test this idea, simple topological arguments were used to deduce a matrix describing long-distance neutrino mixtures, which is phidentical to that proposed by Georgi and Glashow on different grounds [4]. Experimental confirmation of this prediction would support the new description, which requires the νe and (ν_μ or ν_τ) to start ``life'' as topologically-distinct quantum objects.l [1] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0965569500, [2] G. L. Fitzpatrick, aps1999feb12\\underbar001 at http://publish.aps.org/eprint/, [3] hep-ex/981001, [4] hep-ph/9808293, p. 5, Eq. 20.

Solar neutrino oscillation parameters after SNO Phase-III and SAGE Part-III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Ping; Liu Qiuyu

2009-01-01

We analyse the recently published results from solar neutrino experiments SNO Phase-III and SAGE Part-III and show their constraints on solar neutrino oscillation parameters, especially for the mixing angle θ 12 . Through a global analysis using all existing data from SK, SNO, Ga and Cl radiochemical experiments and long base line reactor experiment KamLAND , we obtain the parameters Δm 12 2 =7.684 -0.208 +0.212 x 10 -5 eV 2 , tan 2 θ 12 =0.440 -0.057 +0.059 . We also find that the discrepancy between the KamLAND and solar neutrino results can be reduced by choosing a small non-zero value for the mixing angle θ 13 . (authors)

SOLAR NEUTRINO PHYSICS OSCILLATIONS: SENSITIVITY TO THE ELECTRONIC DENSITY IN THE SUN'S CORE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopes, Ilidio [Centro Multidisciplinar de Astrofisica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Turck-Chieze, Sylvaine, E-mail: ilidio.lopes@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: ilopes@uevora.pt, E-mail: sylvaine.turck-chieze@cea.fr [CEA/IRFU/Service d' Astrophysique, CE Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette (France)

2013-03-01

Solar neutrinos coming from different nuclear reactions are now detected with high statistics. Consequently, an accurate spectroscopic analysis of the neutrino fluxes arriving on Earth's detectors becomes available, in the context of neutrino oscillations. In this work, we explore the possibility of using this information to infer the radial profile of the electronic density in the solar core. So, we discuss the constraints on the Sun's density and chemical composition that can be determined from solar neutrino observations. This approach constitutes an independent and alternative diagnostic to the helioseismic investigations already done. The direct inversion method, which we propose to obtain the radial solar electronic density profile, is almost independent of the solar model.

How robust are inflation model and dark matter constraints from cosmological data?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hamann, Jan; Hannestad, Steen; Sloth, Martin Snoager

2006-01-01

the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and the neutrino mass prevents lambda phi^4 from being excluded by present data. Reversing the argument, if lambda phi^4 is the correct model of inflation, it predicts a sum of neutrino masses at 0.3-0.5 eV, a range compatible with present experimental limits and within the reach......High-precision data from observation of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale structure of the universe provide very tight constraints on the effective parameters that describe cosmological inflation. Indeed, within a constrained class of LambdaCDM models, the simple lambda phi^4...... chaotic inflation model already appears to be ruled out by cosmological data. In this paper, we compute constraints on inflationary parameters within a more general framework that includes other physically motivated parameters such as a nonzero neutrino mass. We find that a strong degeneracy between...

Search for magnetic monopoles with the neutrino telescope ANTARES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Picot-Clemente, N.

2010-01-01

The ANTARES neutrino telescope is located at a 2500 meters depth, and is composed of an array of 900 photomultipliers installed for the detection of Cherenkov light emitted by neutrino-induced muons, after having interacted with matter, and in order to reconstruct their directions. However, besides of being capable of detecting high energy neutrinos, neutrino telescopes could measure the incoming flux of magnetic monopoles in the detector. In this work, were first presented the different methods used in order to calibrate the photomultipliers, which are the heart of a neutrino telescope. The possibility of detecting magnetic monopoles with ANTARES was then discussed, and a first analysis optimised for the search for high velocity magnetic monopoles showed the great sensitivity offered by the telescope. Finally, a track reconstruction algorithm was modified, and a new analysis this time sensitive over a wider range of velocities was performed. After the application of the last analysis on the data taken in 2008 with the ANTARES telescope, new upper limits on the upward going magnetic monopole flux, of masses lower than 10 14 GeV were obtained, and are the best experimental constraints on their flux for the velocity region β ∼ [0.65, 0.995]. (author)

Leptoquarks and neutrino masses at the LHC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fileviez Perez, Pavel [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States)], E-mail: fileviez@physics.wisc.edu; Han Tao [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Li Tong [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Department of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J. [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2009-09-21

The properties of light leptoquarks predicted in the context of a simple grand unified theory and their observability at the LHC are investigated. The SU(5) symmetry of the theory implies that the leptoquark couplings to matter are related to the neutrino mass matrix. We study the resulting connection between neutrino masses and mixing parameters and the leptoquark decays, and show that different light neutrino hierarchies imply distinctive leptoquark decay signatures. We also discuss low-energy constraints implied by searches for charged lepton flavour violation, studies of meson decays, and electroweak precision data. We perform a detailed parton-level study of the leptoquark signals and the Standard Model backgrounds at the LHC. With the clean final states containing a di-lepton plus two jets, the QCD production of the leptoquark pair can be observed for a leptoquark mass of one TeV and beyond. By examining the lepton flavor structure of the observed events, one could further test the model predictions related to the neutrino mass spectrum. In particular, b-flavor tagging will be useful in distinguishing the neutrino mass pattern and possibly probing an unknown Majorana phase in the Inverted Hierarchy or the Quasi-Degenerate scenario. Electroweak associated production of the leptoquark doublet can also be useful in identifying the quantum numbers of the leptoquarks and distinguishing between the neutrino mass spectra, even though the corresponding event rates are smaller than for QCD production. We find that with only the clean channel of {mu}+E/{sub T}+jets, one could expect an observable signal for a leptoquark masses of about 600 GeV or higher.

Leptoquarks and neutrino masses at the LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fileviez Perez, Pavel; Han Tao; Li Tong; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.

2009-01-01

The properties of light leptoquarks predicted in the context of a simple grand unified theory and their observability at the LHC are investigated. The SU(5) symmetry of the theory implies that the leptoquark couplings to matter are related to the neutrino mass matrix. We study the resulting connection between neutrino masses and mixing parameters and the leptoquark decays, and show that different light neutrino hierarchies imply distinctive leptoquark decay signatures. We also discuss low-energy constraints implied by searches for charged lepton flavour violation, studies of meson decays, and electroweak precision data. We perform a detailed parton-level study of the leptoquark signals and the Standard Model backgrounds at the LHC. With the clean final states containing a di-lepton plus two jets, the QCD production of the leptoquark pair can be observed for a leptoquark mass of one TeV and beyond. By examining the lepton flavor structure of the observed events, one could further test the model predictions related to the neutrino mass spectrum. In particular, b-flavor tagging will be useful in distinguishing the neutrino mass pattern and possibly probing an unknown Majorana phase in the Inverted Hierarchy or the Quasi-Degenerate scenario. Electroweak associated production of the leptoquark doublet can also be useful in identifying the quantum numbers of the leptoquarks and distinguishing between the neutrino mass spectra, even though the corresponding event rates are smaller than for QCD production. We find that with only the clean channel of μ+E/ T +jets, one could expect an observable signal for a leptoquark masses of about 600 GeV or higher.

IceCube Gen2. The next-generation neutrino observatory for the South Pole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santen, Jakob van [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer Cherenkov telescope buried in the ice sheet at the South Pole that detects neutrinos of all flavors with energies from tens of GeV to several PeV. The instrument provided the first measurement of the flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, opening a new window to the TeV universe. At the other end of its sensitivity range, IceCube has provided precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters that are competitive with dedicated accelerator-based experiments. Here we present design studies for IceCube Gen2, the next-generation neutrino observatory for the South Pole. Instrumenting a volume of more that 5 km{sup 3} with over 100 new strings, IceCube Gen2 will have substantially greater sensitivity to high-energy neutrinos than current-generation instruments. PINGU, a dense infill array, will lower the energy threshold of the inner detector region to 4 GeV, allowing a determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy. On the surface, a large air shower detector will veto high-energy atmospheric muons and neutrinos from the southern hemisphere, enhancing the reach of astrophysical neutrino searches. With its versatile instrumentation, the IceCube Gen2 facility will allow us to explore the neutrino sky with unprecedented sensitivity, providing new constraints on the sources of the highest-energy cosmic rays, and yield precision data on the mixing and mass ordering of neutrinos.

Probing neutrino dark energy with extremely high-energy cosmic neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringwald, A.; Schrempp, L.

2006-06-01

Recently, a new non-Standard Model neutrino interaction mediated by a light scalar field was proposed, which renders the big-bang relic neutrinos of the cosmic neutrino background a natural dark energy candidate, the so-called Neutrino Dark Energy. As a further consequence of this interaction, the neutrino masses become functions of the neutrino energy densities and are thus promoted to dynamical, time/redshift dependent quantities. Such a possible neutrino mass variation introduces a redshift dependence into the resonance energies associated with the annihilation of extremely high-energy cosmic neutrinos on relic anti-neutrinos and vice versa into Z-bosons. In general, this annihilation process is expected to lead to sizeable absorption dips in the spectra to be observed on earth by neutrino observatories operating in the relevant energy region above 10 13 GeV. In our analysis, we contrast the characteristic absorption features produced by constant and varying neutrino masses, including all thermal background effects caused by the relic neutrino motion. We firstly consider neutrinos from astrophysical sources and secondly neutrinos originating from the decomposition of topological defects using the appropriate fragmentation functions. On the one hand, independent of the nature of neutrino masses, our results illustrate the discovery potential for the cosmic neutrino background by means of relic neutrino absorption spectroscopy. On the other hand, they allow to estimate the prospects for testing its possible interpretation as source of Neutrino Dark Energy within the next decade by the neutrino observatories ANITA and LOFAR. (Orig.)

Neutrino physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil-Botella, I.

2011-01-01

The fundamental properties of neutrinos are reviewed in these lectures. The first part is focused on the basic characteristics of neutrinos in the Standard Model and how neutrinos are detected. Neutrino masses and oscillations are introduced and a summary of the most important experimental results on neutrino oscillations to date is provided. Then, present and future experimental proposals are discussed, including new precision reactor and accelerator experiments. Finally, different approaches for measuring the neutrino mass and the nature (Majorana or Dirac), of neutrinos are reviewed. The detection of neutrinos from supernovae explosions and the information that this measurement can provide are also summarized at the end. (author)

Neutrino mass and the solar neutrino problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfenstein, L.

1987-01-01

Theoretical ideas about neutrino mass based on grand-unified theories are reviewed. These give the see-saw formula in which neutrino mass is inversely proportional to a large mass scale M. For M between 10/sup 11/ and 10/sup 15/ Gev the study of solar neutrinos appears to be the best probe of neutrino masses and mixings

Neutrino magnetic moments and the solar neutrino problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akhmedov, E.Kh. [Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Inst. for Nuclear Theory]|[Valencia Univ. (Spain). Dept. de Fisica Teorica

1994-08-01

Present status of the neutrino magnetic moment solutions of the solar neutrino problem is reviewed. In particular, we discuss a possibility of reconciling different degrees of suppression and time variation of the signal (or lack of such a variation) observed in different solar neutrino experiments. It is shown that the resonant spin-flavor precession of neutrinos due to the interaction of their transitions magnetic moments with solar magnetic field can account for all the available solar neutrino data. For not too small neutrino mixing angles (sin 2{theta}{sub o} {approx_gt} 0.2 the combined effect of the resonant spin-flavor precession and neutrino oscillations can result in an observable flux of solar {bar {nu}}{sub e}`s.

Neutrino magnetic moments and the solar neutrino problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmedov, E.Kh.; Valencia Univ.

1994-01-01

Present status of the neutrino magnetic moment solutions of the solar neutrino problem is reviewed. In particular, we discuss a possibility of reconciling different degrees of suppression and time variation of the signal (or lack of such a variation) observed in different solar neutrino experiments. It is shown that the resonant spin-flavor precession of neutrinos due to the interaction of their transitions magnetic moments with solar magnetic field can account for all the available solar neutrino data. For not too small neutrino mixing angles (sin 2θ o approx-gt 0.2 the combined effect of the resonant spin-flavor precession and neutrino oscillations can result in an observable flux of solar bar ν e 's

Study of Electron Anti-neutrinos Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Using KamLAND

Science.gov (United States)

Asakura, K.; Gando, A.; Gando, Y.; Hachiya, T.; Hayashida, S.; Ikeda, H.; Inoue, K.; Ishidoshiro, K.; Ishikawa, T.; Ishio, S.; Koga, M.; Matsuda, S.; Mitsui, T.; Motoki, D.; Nakamura, K.; Obara, S.; Oki, Y.; Oura, T.; Shimizu, I.; Shirahata, Y.; Shirai, J.; Suzuki, A.; Tachibana, H.; Tamae, K.; Ueshima, K.; Watanabe, H.; Xu, B. D.; Yoshida, H.; Kozlov, A.; Takemoto, Y.; Yoshida, S.; Fushimi, K.; Piepke, A.; Banks, T. I.; Berger, B. E.; Fujikawa, B. K.; O'Donnell, T.; Learned, J. G.; Maricic, J.; Sakai, M.; Winslow, L. A.; Efremenko, Y.; Karwowski, H. J.; Markoff, D. M.; Tornow, W.; Detwiler, J. A.; Enomoto, S.; Decowski, M. P.; KamLAND Collaboration

2015-06-01

We search for electron anti-neutrinos ({{\\bar{ν }}e}) from long- and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using data taken by the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector (KamLAND) from 2002 August to 2013 June. No statistically significant excess over the background level is found. We place the tightest upper limits on {{\\bar{ν }}e} fluence from GRBs below 7 MeV and place first constraints on the relation between {{\\bar{ν }}e} luminosity and effective temperature.

Testing the Big Bang: Light elements, neutrinos, dark matter and large-scale structure

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

Several experimental and observational tests of the standard cosmological model are examined. In particular, a detailed discussion is presented regarding: (1) nucleosynthesis, the light element abundances, and neutrino counting; (2) the dark matter problems; and (3) the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Comments are made on the possible implications of the recent solar neutrino experimental results for cosmology. An appendix briefly discusses the 17 keV thing and the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on it.

Evidence for massive neutrinos from cosmic microwave background and lensing observations.

Science.gov (United States)

Battye, Richard A; Moss, Adam

2014-02-07

We discuss whether massive neutrinos (either active or sterile) can reconcile some of the tensions within cosmological data that have been brought into focus by the recently released Planck data. We point out that a discrepancy is present when comparing the primary CMB and lensing measurements both from the CMB and galaxy lensing data using CFHTLenS, similar to that which arises when comparing CMB measurements and SZ cluster counts. A consistent picture emerges and including a prior for the cluster constraints and BAOs we find that for an active neutrino model with three degenerate neutrinos, ∑m(ν)=(0.320±0.081)  eV, whereas for a sterile neutrino, in addition to 3 neutrinos with a standard hierarchy and ∑m(ν)=0.06  eV, m(ν,sterile)(eff)=(0.450±0.124)  eV and ΔN(eff)=0.45±0.23. In both cases there is a significant detection of modification to the neutrino sector from the standard model and in the case of the sterile neutrino it is possible to reconcile the BAO and local H0 measurements. However, a caveat to our result is some internal tension between the CMB and lensing and cluster observations, and the masses are in excess of those estimated from the shape of the matter power spectrum from galaxy surveys.

Physics of neutrino flavor transformation through matter–neutrino resonances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Meng-Ru, E-mail: mwu@theorie.ikp.physik.tu-darmstadt.de [Institut für Kernphysik (Theoriezentrum), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 2, 64289 Darmstadt (Germany); Duan, Huaiyu, E-mail: duan@unm.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 (United States); Qian, Yong-Zhong, E-mail: qian@physics.umn.edu [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)

2016-01-10

In astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and neutron star–neutron star or neutron star–black hole mergers where dense neutrino media are present, matter–neutrino resonances (MNRs) can occur when the neutrino propagation potentials due to neutrino–electron and neutrino–neutrino forward scattering nearly cancel each other. We show that neutrino flavor transformation through MNRs can be explained by multiple adiabatic solutions similar to the Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein mechanism. We find that for the normal neutrino mass hierarchy, neutrino flavor evolution through MNRs can be sensitive to the shape of neutrino spectra and the adiabaticity of the system, but such sensitivity is absent for the inverted hierarchy.

Constraints on neutrino masses from Lyman-alpha forest power spectrum with BOSS and XQ-100

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yèche, Christophe; Palanque-Delabrouille, Nathalie; Baur, Julien; Bourboux, Hélion du Mas des, E-mail: christophe.yeche@cea.fr, E-mail: nathalie.palanque-delabrouille@cea.fr, E-mail: julien.baur@cea.fr, E-mail: helion.du-mas-des-bourboux@cea.fr [CEA, Centre de Saclay, IRFU/SPP, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2017-06-01

We present constraints on masses of active and sterile neutrinos in the context of the ΛCDMν and ΛWDM models, respectively. We use the one-dimensional Lyα-forest power spectrum from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) measured by Palanque-Delabrouille et al. [1], and from the VLT/XSHOOTER legacy survey (XQ-100). In this paper, we present our own measurement of the publicly released XQ-100 quasar spectra, focusing in particular on an improved determination of the spectrograph resolution that allows us to push to smaller scales than the public release and reach k -modes of 0.070 s km{sup −1}. We compare the obtained 1D Lyα flux power spectrum to the one measured by Irsic et al. [2] to k -modes of 0.057 s km{sup −1}. Fitting Lyα data alone leads to cosmological parameters in excellent agreement with the values derived independently from Planck 2015 Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. Combining BOSS and XQ-100 Lyα power spectra, we constrain the sum of neutrino masses to ∑ m {sub ν} < 0.8 eV (95% C.L.) including all identified sources of systematic uncertainties. With the addition of CMB data, this bound is tightened to ∑ m {sub ν} < 0.14 eV (95% C.L.). With their sensitivity to small scales, Lyα data are ideal to constrain ΛWDM models. Using XQ-100 alone, we issue lower bounds on pure dark matter particles: m {sub X} ∼> 2.08 : keV (95% C.L.) for early decoupled thermal relics, and m {sub s} ∼> 10.2 : keV (95% C.L.) for non-resonantly produced right-handed neutrinos. Combining the 1D Lyα-forest power spectrum measured by BOSS and XQ-100, we improve the two bounds to m {sub X} ∼> 4.17 : keV and m {sub s} ∼> 25.0 : keV (95% C.L.), slightly more constraining than what was achieved in Baur et al. 2015 [3] with BOSS data alone. The 3 σ bound shows a more significant improvement, increasing from m {sub X} ∼> 2.74 : keV for BOSS alone to m {sub X} ∼> 3.10 : keV for the combined BOSS

Neutrino mass and physics beyond the Standard Model; Masse des Neutrinos et Physique au-dela du Modele Standard

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosteins, P

2007-09-15

The purpose of this thesis is to study, in the neutrino sector, the flavour structures at high energy. The work is divided into two main parts. The first part is dedicated to the well known mechanism to produce small neutrino masses: the seesaw mechanism, which implies the existence of massive particles whose decays violate lepton number. Therefore this mechanism can also be used to generate a net baryon number in the early universe and explain the cosmological observation of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. However, it is often non-trivial to fulfill the constraints coming at the same time from neutrino oscillations and cosmological experiments, at least in frameworks where the couplings can be somehow constrained, like some Grand Unification models. Therefore we devoted the first part to the study of a certain class of seesaw mechanism which can be found in the context of SO(10) theories for example. We introduce a method to extract the mass matrix of the heavy right-handed neutrinos and explore the phenomenological consequences of this quantity, mainly concerning the production of a sufficient baryon asymmetry. When trying to identify the underlying symmetry governing the mixings between the different generations, we see that there is a puzzling difference between the quark and the lepton sectors. However, the quark and lepton parameters have to be compared at the scale of the flavour symmetry breaking, therefore we have to make them run to the appropriate scale. Thus, it is worthwhile investigating models where quantum corrections allow an approximate unification of quark and lepton mixings. This is why the other part of the thesis investigates the running of the effective neutrino mass operator in models with an extra compact dimension, where quantum corrections to the neutrino masses and mixings can be potentially large due to the multiplicity of states.

Cosmogenic nuclide age estimate for Laurentide Ice Sheet recession from the terminal moraine, New Jersey, USA, and constraints on latest Pleistocene ice sheet history

Science.gov (United States)

Corbett, Lee B.; Bierman, Paul R.; Stone, Byron D.; Caffee, Marc W.; Larsen, Patrick L.

2017-01-01

The time at which the Laurentide Ice Sheet reached its maximum extent and subsequently retreated from its terminal moraine in New Jersey has been constrained by bracketing radiocarbon ages on preglacial and postglacial sediments. Here, we present measurements of in situ produced 10Be and 26Al in 16 quartz-bearing samples collected from bedrock outcrops and glacial erratics just north of the terminal moraine in north-central New Jersey; as such, our ages represent a minimum limit on the timing of ice recession from the moraine. The data set includes field and laboratory replicates, as well as replication of the entire data set five years after initial measurement. We find that recession of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from the terminal moraine in New Jersey began before 25.2±2.1 ka (10Be, n=16, average, 1 standard deviation). This cosmogenic nuclide exposure age is consistent with existing limiting radiocarbon ages in the study area and cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages from the terminal moraine on Martha’s Vineyard ~300 km to the northeast. The age we propose for Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat from the New Jersey terminal position is broadly consistent with regional and global climate records of the last glacial maximum termination and records of fluvial incision.

Neutrinos today

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pontecorvo, B.; Bilen'kij, S.

1987-01-01

After the famous 1983 discovery of intermediate W, Z 0 bosons it may be stated with certainty that W, Z 0 are entirely responsible for the production of neutrinos and for their interactions. Neutrino physics notions are presented from this point of view in the first four introductory, quite elementary, paragraphs of the paper. The following seven paragraphs are more sophisticated. They are devoted to the neutrino mass and neutrino mixing question, which is the most actual problem in today neutrino physics. Vacuum neutrino oscillations, matter neutrino oscillations and netrinoless double-decay are considered. Solar neutrino physics is discussed in some detail from the point of view of vacuum and matter neutrino oscillations. The role played by neutrinos in the Universe is briefly considered. In the last paragraph there discussed the probable observation by different groups of neutrinos connected with the Supernova 1987 A: the first observation of gravitational star collapse (at least the general rehearsal of such observation) opens up a new era in astronomy of today exerimental physics and astrophysics is presented at the end of the paper in the form of a Table

Neutrino mass?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kayser, B.

1992-01-01

After arguing that we should be looking for evidence of neutrino mass, we illustrate the possible consequences of neutrino mass and mixing. We then turn to the question of whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles, and to the process which may answer this question: neutrinoless double beta decay. Next, we review the proposed Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein solution to the solar neutrino problem, and discuss models which can generate neutrino electromagnetic moments large enough to play a role in the sun. Finally, we consider how the possible 17 keV neutrino, if real, would fit in with everything we know about neutrinos. (orig.)

Probing Neutrino Properties with Long-Baseline Neutrino Beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marino, Alysia

2015-01-01

This final report on an Early Career Award grant began in April 15, 2010 and concluded on April 14, 2015. Alysia Marino's research is focussed on making precise measurements of neutrino properties using intense accelerator-generated neutrino beams. As a part of this grant, she is collaborating on the Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) long-baseline neutrino experiment, currently taking data in Japan, and on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) design effort for a future Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) in the US. She is also a member of the NA61/SHINE particle production experiment at CERN, but as that effort is supported by other funds, it will not be discussed further here. T2K was designed to search for the disappearance of muon neutrinos (?_?) and the appearance of electron neutrinos (?_e), using a beam of muon neutrino beam that travels 295 km across Japan towards the Super-Kamiokande detector. In 2011 T2K first reported indications of ?_e appearance, a previously unobserved mode of neutrino oscillations. In the past year, T2K has published a combined analysis of ?_? disappearance and ?_e appearance, and began collecting taking data with a beam of anti-neutrinos, instead of neutrinos, to search for hints of violation of the CP symmetry of the universe. The proposed DUNE experiment has similar physics goals to T2K, but will be much more sensitive due to its more massive detectors and new higher-intensity neutrino beam. This effort will be very high-priority particle physics project in the US over the next decade.

Updated global 3+1 analysis of short-baseline neutrino oscillations

Science.gov (United States)

Gariazzo, S.; Giunti, C.; Laveder, M.; Li, Y. F.

2017-06-01

We present the results of an updated fit of short-baseline neutrino oscillation data in the framework of 3+1 active-sterile neutrino mixing. We first consider ν e and {\\overline{ν}}_e disappearance in the light of the Gallium and reactor anomalies. We discuss the implications of the recent measurement of the reactor {\\overline{ν}}_e spectrum in the NEOS experiment, which shifts the allowed regions of the parameter space towards smaller values of | U e4|2. The β-decay constraints of the Mainz and Troitsk experiments allow us to limit the oscillation length between about 2 cm and 7 m at 3 σ for neutrinos with an energy of 1 MeV. The corresponding oscillations can be discovered in a model-independent way in ongoing reactor and source experiments by measuring ν e and {\\overline{ν}}_e disappearance as a function of distance. We then consider the global fit of the data on short-baseline {}_{ν_{μ}}^{(-)}{\\to}_{ν_e}^{(-)} transitions in the light of the LSND anomaly, taking into account the constraints from {}_{ν_e}^{(-)} and {}_{ν_{μ}}^{(-)} disappearance experiments, including the recent data of the MINOS and IceCube experiments. The combination of the NEOS constraints on | U e4|2 and the MINOS and IceCube constraints on | U μ4|2 lead to an unacceptable appearance-disappearance tension which becomes tolerable only in a pragmatic fit which neglects the MiniBooNE low-energy anomaly. The minimization of the global χ 2 in the space of the four mixing parameters Δ m 41 2 , | U e4|2, | U μ4|2, and | U τ4|2 leads to three allowed regions with narrow Δ m 41 2 widths at Δ m 41 2 ≈ 1.7 (best-fit), 1.3 (at 2 σ), 2.4 (at 3 σ) eV2. The effective amplitude of short-baseline {}_{ν_{μ}}^{(-)}{\\to}_{ν_e}^{(-)} oscillations is limited by 0.00048 ≲ sin2 2 ϑ eμ ≲ 0.0020 at 3 σ. The restrictions of the allowed regions of the mixing parameters with respect to our previous global fits are mainly due to the NEOS constraints. We present a comparison of the

Physics of neutrino flavor transformation through matter–neutrino resonances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng-Ru Wu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and neutron star–neutron star or neutron star–black hole mergers where dense neutrino media are present, matter–neutrino resonances (MNRs can occur when the neutrino propagation potentials due to neutrino–electron and neutrino–neutrino forward scattering nearly cancel each other. We show that neutrino flavor transformation through MNRs can be explained by multiple adiabatic solutions similar to the Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein mechanism. We find that for the normal neutrino mass hierarchy, neutrino flavor evolution through MNRs can be sensitive to the shape of neutrino spectra and the adiabaticity of the system, but such sensitivity is absent for the inverted hierarchy.

Neutrino sunshine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Full text: On 10 June 1992, at the Neutrino 92 meeting in Grenada, Spain, Till Kirsten of Heidelberg's Max Planck Institute reported that neutrinos from sunshine had been seen. Most of the energy pumped out by the Sun comes from the fusion of protons into alpha particles, a process which also liberates neutrinos. While it takes about a million years for radiant energy formed in the deep interior of the Sun to fight its way to the surface, the highly penetrating neutrinos emerge almost immediately. It was in 1970 that Ray Davis and his team began taking data with a tank containing 615 tons of perchloroethylene (dry cleaning fluid) 1500 metres underground in the Homestake gold mine, South Dakota. The observed signal is consistently smaller than what is expected. This 'solar neutrino problem' was confirmed by the Kamioka mine experiment in Japan, looking at the Cherenkov light released by neutrino interactions in some 700 tons of water. However these experiments are only sensitive to a tiny high energy tail of the solar neutrino spectrum, and to understand what is going on needs measurements of the primary neutrinos from proton fusion. To get at these neutrinos, two large new detectors, using gallium and sensitive to these lower energy particles, have been built and commissioned in the past few years. The detectors are SAGE ('Soviet' American Gallium Experiment) in the Baksan Neutrino Observatory in the Caucasus, and Gallex, a team from France, Germany, Israel, Italy and the US in the Italian Gran Sasso underground Laboratory. At Grenada, Kirsten reported unmistakable signs of solar neutrinos of proton origin recorded in Gallex. SAGE and Gallex do not yet have enough data to unambiguously fix the level of primary solar neutrinos reaching the Earth, and the interpretation of the interim results tends to be subjective. However after 23 years of conditioning through watching the solar neutrinos' high energy tail, the prospect of a neutrino

Detection prospects for high energy neutrino sources from the anisotropic matter distribution in the local Universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mertsch, Philipp; Rameez, Mohamed; Tamborra, Irene, E-mail: mertsch@nbi.ku.dk, E-mail: mohamed.rameez@nbi.ku.dk, E-mail: tamborra@nbi.ku.dk [Niels Bohr International Academy, Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, 2100 Copenhagen (Denmark)

2017-03-01

Constraints on the number and luminosity of the sources of the cosmic neutrinos detected by IceCube have been set by targeted searches for point sources. We set complementary constraints by using the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) catalogue, which maps the matter distribution of the local Universe. Assuming that the distribution of the neutrino sources follows that of matter, we look for correlations between ''warm'' spots on the IceCube skymap and the 2MRS matter distribution. Through Monte Carlo simulations of the expected number of neutrino multiplets and careful modelling of the detector performance (including that of IceCube-Gen2), we demonstrate that sources with local density exceeding 10{sup −6} Mpc{sup −3} and neutrino luminosity L {sub ν} ∼< 10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1} (10{sup 41} erg s{sup −1}) will be efficiently revealed by our method using IceCube (IceCube-Gen2). At low luminosities such as will be probed by IceCube-Gen2, the sensitivity of this analysis is superior to requiring statistically significant direct observation of a point source.

Search for nonstandard neutrino interactions with IceCube DeepCore

Science.gov (United States)

Aartsen, M. G.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Ahrens, M.; Al Samarai, I.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Anderson, T.; Ansseau, I.; Anton, G.; Argüelles, C.; Auffenberg, J.; Axani, S.; Bagherpour, H.; Bai, X.; Barron, J. P.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker Tjus, J.; Becker, K.-H.; BenZvi, S.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Besson, D. Z.; Binder, G.; Bindig, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Blot, S.; Bohm, C.; Börner, M.; Bos, F.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Bourbeau, E.; Bourbeau, J.; Bradascio, F.; Braun, J.; Brayeur, L.; Brenzke, M.; Bretz, H.-P.; Bron, S.; Brostean-Kaiser, J.; Burgman, A.; Carver, T.; Casey, J.; Casier, M.; Cheung, E.; Chirkin, D.; Christov, A.; Clark, K.; Classen, L.; Coenders, S.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Cowen, D. F.; Cross, R.; Day, M.; de André, J. P. A. M.; De Clercq, C.; DeLaunay, J. J.; Dembinski, H.; De Ridder, S.; Desiati, P.; de Vries, K. D.; de Wasseige, G.; de With, M.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; di Lorenzo, V.; Dujmovic, H.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Dvorak, E.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Eichmann, B.; Eller, P.; Evenson, P. A.; Fahey, S.; Fazely, A. R.; Felde, J.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Franckowiak, A.; Friedman, E.; Fuchs, T.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Ghorbani, K.; Giang, W.; Glauch, T.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Grant, D.; Griffith, Z.; Haack, C.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Hebecker, D.; Heereman, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hignight, J.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, R.; Hokanson-Fasig, B.; Hoshina, K.; Huang, F.; Huber, M.; Hultqvist, K.; Hünnefeld, M.; In, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Japaridze, G. S.; Jeong, M.; Jero, K.; Jones, B. J. P.; Kalaczynski, P.; Kang, W.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Katz, U.; Kauer, M.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kheirandish, A.; Kim, J.; Kim, M.; Kintscher, T.; Kirby, C.; Kiryluk, J.; Kittler, T.; Klein, S. R.; Kohnen, G.; Koirala, R.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, C.; Kopper, S.; Koschinsky, J. P.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krings, K.; Kroll, M.; Krückl, G.; Kunnen, J.; Kunwar, S.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Kyriacou, A.; Labare, M.; Lanfranchi, J. L.; Larson, M. J.; Lauber, F.; Lennarz, D.; Lesiak-Bzdak, M.; Leuermann, M.; Liu, Q. R.; Lu, L.; Lünemann, J.; Luszczak, W.; Madsen, J.; Maggi, G.; Mahn, K. B. M.; Mancina, S.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Maunu, R.; McNally, F.; Meagher, K.; Medici, M.; Meier, M.; Menne, T.; Merino, G.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Micallef, J.; Momenté, G.; Montaruli, T.; Moore, R. W.; Moulai, M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nakarmi, P.; Naumann, U.; Neer, G.; Niederhausen, H.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Olivas, A.; O'Murchadha, A.; Palczewski, T.; Pandya, H.; Pankova, D. V.; Peiffer, P.; Pepper, J. A.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Pieloth, D.; Pinat, E.; Plum, M.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Raab, C.; Rädel, L.; Rameez, M.; Rawlins, K.; Rea, I. C.; Reimann, R.; Relethford, B.; Relich, M.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Richman, M.; Robertson, S.; Rongen, M.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Ryckbosch, D.; Rysewyk, D.; Sälzer, T.; Sanchez Herrera, S. E.; Sandrock, A.; Sandroos, J.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Sarkar, S.; Satalecka, K.; Schlunder, P.; Schmidt, T.; Schneider, A.; Schoenen, S.; Schöneberg, S.; Schumacher, L.; Seckel, D.; Seunarine, S.; Soedingrekso, J.; Soldin, D.; Song, M.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stachurska, J.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stasik, A.; Stettner, J.; Steuer, A.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strotjohann, N. L.; Stuttard, T.; Sullivan, G. W.; Sutherland, M.; Taboada, I.; Tatar, J.; Tenholt, F.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Terliuk, A.; Tešić, G.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Tobin, M. N.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Tselengidou, M.; Tung, C. F.; Turcati, A.; Turley, C. F.; Ty, B.; Unger, E.; Usner, M.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Driessche, W.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vanheule, S.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Vraeghe, M.; Walck, C.; Wallace, A.; Wallraff, M.; Wandler, F. D.; Wandkowsky, N.; Waza, A.; Weaver, C.; Weiss, M. J.; Wendt, C.; Werthebach, J.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wille, L.; Williams, D. R.; Wills, L.; Wolf, M.; Wood, J.; Wood, T. R.; Woolsey, E.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Xu, Y.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Yuan, T.; Zoll, M.; IceCube Collaboration

2018-04-01

As atmospheric neutrinos propagate through the Earth, vacuumlike oscillations are modified by Standard Model neutral- and charged-current interactions with electrons. Theories beyond the Standard Model introduce heavy, TeV-scale bosons that can produce nonstandard neutrino interactions. These additional interactions may modify the Standard Model matter effect producing a measurable deviation from the prediction for atmospheric neutrino oscillations. The result described in this paper constrains nonstandard interaction parameters, building upon a previous analysis of atmospheric muon-neutrino disappearance with three years of IceCube DeepCore data. The best fit for the muon to tau flavor changing term is ɛμ τ=-0.0005 , with a 90% C.L. allowed range of -0.0067 <ɛμ τ<0.0081 . This result is more restrictive than recent limits from other experiments for ɛμ τ. Furthermore, our result is complementary to a recent constraint on ɛμ τ using another publicly available IceCube high-energy event selection. Together, they constitute the world's best limits on nonstandard interactions in the μ -τ sector.

Testing SO(10)-inspired leptogenesis with low energy neutrino experiments

CERN Document Server

Di Bari, Pasquale

2011-01-01

We extend the results of a previous analysis of ours showing that, when both heavy and light flavour effects are taken into account, successful minimal (type I + thermal) leptogenesis with SO(10)-inspired relations is possible. Barring fine tuned choices of the parameters, these relations enforce a hierarchical RH neutrino mass spectrum that results into a final asymmetry dominantly produced by the next-to-lightest RH neutrino decays (N_2 dominated leptogenesis). We present the constraints on the whole set of low energy neutrino parameters. Allowing a small misalignment between the Dirac basis and the charged lepton basis as in the quark sector, the allowed regions enlarge and the lower bound on the reheating temperature gets relaxed to values as low as ~ 10^10 GeV. It is confirmed that for normal ordering (NO) there are two allowed ranges of values for the lightest neutrino mass: m_1 \\simeq (1-5)\\times 10^-3 eV and m_1\\simeq (0.03-0.1) eV. For m_1\\lesssim 0.01 eV the allowed region in the plane theta_13-thet...

Acquire information about neutrino parameters by detecting supernova neutrinos

OpenAIRE

Huang, Ming-Yang; Guo, Xin-Heng; Young, Bing-Lin

2010-01-01

We consider the supernova shock effects, the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effects, the collective effects, and the Earth matter effects in the detection of type II supernova neutrinos on the Earth. It is found that the event number of supernova neutrinos depends on the neutrino mass hierarchy, the neutrino mixing angle $\\theta_{13}$, and neutrino masses. Therefore, we propose possible methods to identify the mass hierarchy and acquire information about $\\theta_{13}$ and neutrino masses ...

Cosmogenically-produced isotopes in natural and enriched high-purity germanium detectors for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

Science.gov (United States)

Gilliss, Thomas; MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR Collaboration

2017-01-01

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR advances toward measurements of the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge. Detectors employed in the DEMONSTRATOR are subject to cosmogenic spallation during production and processing, resulting in activation of certain long-lived radioisotopes. Activation of these cosmogenic isotopes is mitigated by shielded storage of detectors and through underground operation of the DEMONSTRATOR at the 4850 ft level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility. In this work, we explore the appearance and reduction of cosmogenic contributions to the DEMONSTRATOR background spectrum. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, the Particle Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Programs of the National Science Foundation, and the Sanford Underground Research Facility.

The production rate of cosmogenic deuterium at the Moon's surface

Science.gov (United States)

Füri, Evelyn; Deloule, Etienne; Trappitsch, Reto

2017-09-01

The hydrogen (D/H) isotope ratio is a key tracer for the source of planetary water. However, secondary processes such as solar wind implantation and cosmic ray induced spallation reactions have modified the primordial D/H signature of 'water' in all rocks and soils recovered on the Moon. Here, we re-evaluate the production rate of cosmogenic deuterium (D) at the Moon's surface through ion microprobe analyses of hydrogen isotopes in olivines from eight Apollo 12 and 15 mare basalts. These in situ measurements are complemented by CO2 laser extraction-static mass spectrometry analyses of cosmogenic noble gas nuclides (3He, 21Ne, 38Ar). Cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of the mare basalts, derived from their cosmogenic 21Ne content, range from 60 to 422 Ma. These CRE ages are 35% higher, on average, than the published values for the same samples. The amount of D detected in the olivines increases linearly with increasing CRE ages, consistent with a production rate of (2.17 ± 0.11) ×10-12 mol(g rock)-1 Ma-1. This value is more than twice as high as previous estimates for the production of D by galactic cosmic rays, indicating that for water-poor lunar samples, i.e., samples with water concentrations ≤50 ppm, corrected D/H ratios have been severely overestimated.

Detection of supernova neutrinos in the liquid-scintillator experiment LENA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, Jurgen Michael Albrecht

2014-01-01

The LENA project (Low-Energy Neutrino Astronomy) is a planned large-volume liquid-scintillator detector. The good energy resolution, low-energy threshold, and its large mass allow to perform real-time spectroscopy of low-energy neutrinos with high statistics. This is especially beneficial for the observation of rare events such as a galactic core-collapse supernova. In a liquid scintillator, interactions by different particle types cause different scintillation light pulse shapes. They can be used to identify proton recoils induced by neutrino-proton scattering from supernova neutrinos or by cosmogenic knock-out neutrons. In order to evaluate the performance of the detector, a precise characterization of the liquid scintillator is necessary. In the course of this work, an experiment has been set up at the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium in Garching in order to determine the pulse shape of proton and electron recoils in different liquid-scintillator mixtures. Neutrons produced via 11 B(p,n) 11 C or an americiumberyllium source were used to induce proton recoils. Compton scattering of simultaneously emitted γs provided information on the electron recoils. A time-of-flight measurement allows for an easy identification of neutron and γ induced events and thus effective background reduction. The tail-to-total and the Gatti method are used in order to determine the energy-dependent discrimination power of proton and electron recoils in liquid scintillator. Combining both methods, a proton recoil identification efficiency of (99.70±0.05)% can be achieved between 1-1.5 MeV, while suppressing 99% of the γ induced recoils for the probable liquid scintillator mixture for LENA, linear alkylbenzene (LAB) as solvent and 3 g/l 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and 20mg/l 1,4-bis-(o-methylstyryl)-benzole (bisMSB) as fluors. Moreover, the decay constants τ i and the respective amplitudes n i are determined for various liquid scintillator mixtures. It can be observed that the decay times

ON THE NEUTRINO NON-DETECTION OF GRB 130427A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao Shan; Kashiyama, Kazumi; Meszaros, Peter, E-mail: sxg324@psu.edu, E-mail: kzk15@psu.edu, E-mail: pmeszaros@astro.psu.edu [Department of Physics, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Center for Particle Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2013-07-20

The recent gamma-ray burst GRB 130427A has an isotropic electromagnetic energy E{sup iso} {approx} 10{sup 54} erg, suggesting an ample supply of target photons for photo-hadronic interactions, which at its low redshift of z {approx} 0.34 would appear to make it a promising candidate for neutrino detection. However, the IceCube collaboration has reported a null result based on a search during the prompt emission phase. We show that this neutrino non-detection can provide valuable information about this gamma-ray burst's (GRB's) key physical parameters such as the emission radius R{sub d} , the bulk Lorentz factor {Gamma}, and the energy fraction converted into cosmic rays {epsilon}{sub p}. The results are discussed both in a model-independent way and in the specific scenarios of an internal shock (IS) model, a baryonic photospheric (BPH) model, and a magnetic photospheric (MPH) model. We find that the constraints are most stringent for the MPH model considered, but the constraints on the IS and the BPH models are fairly modest.

Neutrino oscillations in non-inertial frames and the violation of the equivalence principle neutrino mixing induced by the equivalence principle violation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambiase, G.

2001-01-01

Neutrino oscillations are analyzed in an accelerating and rotating reference frame, assuming that the gravitational coupling of neutrinos is flavor dependent, which implies a violation of the equivalence principle. Unlike the usual studies in which a constant gravitational field is considered, such frames could represent a more suitable framework for testing if a breakdown of the equivalence principle occurs, due to the possibility to modulate the (simulated) gravitational field. The violation of the equivalence principle implies, for the case of a maximal gravitational mixing angle, the presence of an off-diagonal term in the mass matrix. The consequences on the evolution of flavor (mass) eigenstates of such a term are analyzed for solar (oscillations in the vacuum) and atmospheric neutrinos. We calculate the flavor oscillation probability in the non-inertial frame, which does depend on its angular velocity and linear acceleration, as well as on the energy of neutrinos, the mass-squared difference between two mass eigenstates, and on the measure of the degree of violation of the equivalence principle (Δγ). In particular, we find that the energy dependence disappears for vanishing mass-squared difference, unlike the result obtained by Gasperini, Halprin, Leung, and other physical mechanisms proposed as a viable explanation of neutrino oscillations. Estimations on the upper values of Δγ are inferred for a rotating observer (with vanishing linear acceleration) comoving with the earth, hence ω∝7.10 -5 rad/sec, and all other alternative mechanisms generating the oscillation phenomena have been neglected. In this case we find that the constraints on Δγ are given by Δγ≤10 2 for solar neutrinos and Δγ≤10 6 for atmospheric neutrinos. (orig.)

Neutrino mass and the origin of galactic magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enqvist, K.; Semikoz, V.; Shukurov, A.; Sokoloff, D.

1993-01-01

We compare two constraints on the strength of the cosmological primordial magnetic field: the one following from the restrictions on the Dirac neutrino spin flip in the early Universe, and another one based on the galactic dynamo theory for the Milky Way (presuming that the seed magnetic field has a relic origin). Since the magnetic field facilitates transitions between left- and right-handed neutrino states, thereby affecting 4 He production at primordial nucleosynthesis, we can obtain a guaranteed upper limit on the strength of the relic magnetic field in the protogalaxy, B c approx-lt 4x10 -9 --3x10 -13 G, depending on the neutrino magnetic moment, if we adopt the MSW explanation of the GALLEX results. On the other hand, models of the dynamo in the Milky Way indicate that the seed magnetic field should be at least 10 -11 --10 -13 G at the protogalaxy scale L=100 kpc. These upper and lower limiting ranges are marginally consistent provided the electron neutrino mass is below 0.3 eV. The results apply to a relic magnetic field produced in the early Universe by any causal mechanism before the nucleosynthesis

Dark matter line emission constraints from NuSTAR observations of the Bullet Cluster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riemer-Sørensen, S.; Wik, D.; Madejski, G.

2015-01-01

Some dark matter candidates, e.g., sterile neutrinos, provide observable signatures in the form of mono-energetic line emission. We present the first search for dark matter line emission in the range in a pointed observation of the Bullet Cluster with NuSTAR. We do not detect any significant line...... emission and instead we derive upper limits (95% CL) on the flux, and interpret these constraints in the context of sterile neutrinos and more generic dark matter candidates. NuSTAR does not have the sensitivity to constrain the recently claimed line detection at , but improves on the constraints...... for energies of 10–25 keV....

Cosmogenic nuclide production within the atmosphere and long period comets

Science.gov (United States)

Overholt, Andrew C.

The Earth is constantly bombarded by cosmic rays. These high energy particles collide with target nuclei, producing a shower of secondary particles. These secondaries contribute significantly to the radiation background at sea level and in the atmosphere, as well as producing rare cosmogenic nuclides. This contribution is variable over long time scales as astrophysical events change the cosmic ray flux incident on the Earth. Our work re-examines a previously proposed climate effect of increased cosmic ray flux due to galactic location. Although our work does not support this effect, cosmic ray secondaries remain a threat to terrestrial biota. We calculate the cosmogenic neutron flux within the atmosphere as a function of primary spectrum. This work is pivotal in determining the radiation dose due to any arbitrary astrophysical event where the primary spectrum is known. Additionally, this work can be used to determine the cosmogenic nuclide production from such an event. These neutrons are the fundamental source of cosmogenic nuclides within our atmosphere and extraterrestrial matter. We explore the idea that excursions in 14C and 10Be abundances in the atmosphere may arise from direct deposition by long-period comet impacts, and those in 26Al from any bolide. We find that the amount of nuclide mass on large long-period comets entering the Earth's atmosphere may be sufficient for creating anomalies in the records of 14C and 10Be from past impacts. In particular, the estimated mass of the proposed Younger Dryas comet is consistent with its having deposited sufficient isotopes to account for recorded nuclide increases at that time. The 26Al/10Be ratio is much larger in extraterrestrial objects than in the atmosphere, and so, we note that measuring this ratio in ice cores is a suitable further test for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis. This portion of our work may be used to find possible impact events in the geologic record as well as determination of a large

Strong Bayesian evidence for the normal neutrino hierarchy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, Fergus; Jimenez, Raul; Verde, Licia [ICCUB, University of Barcelona (UB-IEEC), Marti i Franques 1, Barcelona, 08028 (Spain); Pena-Garay, Carlos, E-mail: fergus2@gmail.com, E-mail: raul.jimenez@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: penagaray@gmail.com, E-mail: liciaverde@icc.ub.edu [I2SysBio, CSIC-UVEG, P.O. 22085, Valencia, 46071 (Spain)

2017-06-01

The configuration of the three neutrino masses can take two forms, known as the normal and inverted hierarchies. We compute the Bayesian evidence associated with these two hierarchies. Previous studies found a mild preference for the normal hierarchy, and this was driven by the asymmetric manner in which cosmological data has confined the available parameter space. Here we identify the presence of a second asymmetry, which is imposed by data from neutrino oscillations. By combining constraints on the squared-mass splittings [1] with the limit on the sum of neutrino masses of Σ m {sub ν} < 0.13 eV [2], and using a minimally informative prior on the masses, we infer odds of 42:1 in favour of the normal hierarchy, which is classified as 'strong' in the Jeffreys' scale. We explore how these odds may evolve in light of higher precision cosmological data, and discuss the implications of this finding with regards to the nature of neutrinos. Finally the individual masses are inferred to be m {sub 1}=3.80{sup +26.2}{sub -3.73}meV; m {sub 2}=8.8{sup +18}{sub -1.2}meV; m {sub 3}=50.4{sup +5.8}{sub -1.2}meV (95% credible intervals).

A combined treatment of neutrino decay and neutrino oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindner, Manfred; Ohlsson, Tommy; Winter, Walter

2001-01-01

Neutrino decay in vacuum has often been considered as an alternative to neutrino oscillations. Because nonzero neutrino masses imply the possibility of both neutrino decay and neutrino oscillations, we present a model-independent formal treatment of these combined scenarios. For that, we show for the example of Majoron decay that in many cases decay products are observable and may even oscillate. Furthermore, we construct a minimal scenario in which we study the physical implications of neutrino oscillations with intermediate decays

Experimental neutrino physics

CERN Document Server

Link, Jonathan M

2018-01-01

Neutrinos have a smaller mass than any other known particle and are the subject of intense recent studies, as well as this book. The author provides a coherent introduction to the necessary theoretical background and experimental methods used by modern neutrino physicists. It’s designed as a one-stop reference addressing what is currently known about the neutrino hypothesis, discovery of the neutrino, theory of weak interactions, solar neutrino puzzle, and neutrino oscillation. It then gives a detailed account of practical approaches for study of precision oscillations, neutrino mass and other neutrino properties, sterile neutrinos, and neutrino messengers from space and Earth’s interior.

Increasing effective number of neutrinos by decaying particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ichikawa, K.; Kawasaki, M.; Nakayama, K.; Senami, M. [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Inst. for Cosmic Ray Research; Takahashi, F. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2007-03-15

We present models of decaying particles to increase the effective number of neutrinos N{sub {nu}} after big bang nucleosynthesis but before the structure formation begins. We point out that our scenario not only solves the discrepancy between the constraints on N{sub {nu}} from these two epochs, but also provides a possible answer to deeper inconsistency in the estimation of the matter power spectrum amplitude at small scales, represented by {sigma}{sub 8}, between the WMAP and some small scale matter power measurements such as the Lyman-{alpha} forest and weak lensing. We consider (a) saxion decay into two axions; (b) gravitino decay into axino and axion; (c) Dirac right-handed sneutrino decay into gravitino and right-handed neutrino. (orig.)

Unveiling secret interactions among sterile neutrinos with big-bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Saviano, Ninetta; Pisanti, Ofelia; Mangano, Gianpiero; Mirizzi, Alessandro

2014-12-01

Short-baseline neutrino anomalies suggest the existence of low-mass [m ˜O (1 ) eV ] sterile neutrinos νs. These would be efficiently produced in the early universe by oscillations with active neutrino species, leading to a thermal population of the sterile states seemingly incompatible with cosmological observations. In order to relieve this tension it has been recently speculated that new "secret" interactions among sterile neutrinos, mediated by a massive gauge boson X (with MX≪MW), can inhibit or suppress the sterile neutrino thermalization, due to the production of a large matter potential term. We note however, that they also generate strong collisional terms in the sterile neutrino sector that induce an efficient sterile neutrino production after a resonance in matter is encountered, increasing their contribution to the number of relativistic particle species Neff. Moreover, for values of the parameters of the νs-νs interaction for which the resonance takes place at temperature T ≲few MeV , significant distortions are produced in the electron (anti)neutrino spectra, altering the abundance of light element in big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Using the present determination of 4He and deuterium primordial abundances we determine the BBN constraints on the model parameters. We find that 2H/H density ratio exclude much of the parameter space if one assumes a baryon density at the best fit value of Planck experiment, ΩBh2=0.02207 , while bounds become weaker for a higher ΩBh2=0.02261 , the 95% C.L. upper bound of Planck. Due to the large error on its experimental determination, the helium mass fraction Yp gives no significant bounds.

Neutrino magnetic moment in a theory with lepton flavor symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephanov, M.A.

1987-01-01

A model for generating the neutrino magnetic moment of the order of 10 -10 μ B is proposed, which is based on the SU(3) lepton flavor symmetry. In such a way one can avoid the flavor changing processes. The experimental constraints on the constants of the model are considered

Conservative constraints on early cosmology with MONTE PYTHON

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audren, Benjamin; Lesgourgues, Julien; Benabed, Karim; Prunet, Simon

2013-01-01

Models for the latest stages of the cosmological evolution rely on a less solid theoretical and observational ground than the description of earlier stages like BBN and recombination. As suggested in a previous work by Vonlanthen et al., it is possible to tweak the analysis of CMB data in such way to avoid making assumptions on the late evolution, and obtain robust constraints on ''early cosmology parameters''. We extend this method in order to marginalise the results over CMB lensing contamination, and present updated results based on recent CMB data. Our constraints on the minimal early cosmology model are weaker than in a standard ΛCDM analysis, but do not conflict with this model. Besides, we obtain conservative bounds on the effective neutrino number and neutrino mass, showing no hints for extra relativistic degrees of freedom, and proving in a robust way that neutrinos experienced their non-relativistic transition after the time of photon decoupling. This analysis is also an occasion to describe the main features of the new parameter inference code MONTE PYTHON, that we release together with this paper. MONTE PYTHON is a user-friendly alternative to other public codes like COSMOMC, interfaced with the Boltzmann code CLASS

The Majorana experiment. A straightforward neutrino mass experiment using the double-beta decay of 76Ge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, H.S.

2004-01-01

The Majorana Experiment proposes to measure the effective mass of the electron neutrino to as low as 0.02 eV using well-tested technology. A half-life of about 4E27 y, corresponding to a mass range of [0.02 - 0.07] eV can be reached by operating 500 kg of germanium enriched to 86% in 76 Ge deep underground. Radiological backgrounds of cosmogenic or primordial origin will be greatly reduced by ultra-low-background screening of detector, structural, and shielding materials, by chemical processing of materials, and by electronic rejection of multi-site events in the detector. Electronic background reduction is achieved with pulse-shape analysis, detector segmentation, and detector-to-detector coincidence rejection. Sensitivity calculations assuming worst-case germanium cosmogenic activation predict rapid growth in mass sensitivity (T1/2 at 90%CL) after the beginning of detector production: [0.08-0.28] eV at ∼1 year, [0.04-0.14] eV at ∼2.5 years, [0.03-0.10] eV at ∼5 years, and [0.02-0.07] eV at ∼10 years. The impact of primordial backgrounds in structural and electronic components is being studied at the 1 μBq/kg level, and appears to be controllable to below levels needed to attain these results. (author)

Cosmological constraints on interacting light particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brust, Christopher [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street N, Waterloo, ON, N2L 2Y5 Canada (Canada); Cui, Yanou [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA, 92521 (United States); Sigurdson, Kris, E-mail: cbrust@perimeterinstitute.ca, E-mail: yanou.cui@ucr.edu, E-mail: krs@phas.ubc.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 Canada (Canada)

2017-08-01

Cosmological observations are becoming increasingly sensitive to the effects of light particles in the form of dark radiation (DR) at the time of recombination. The conventional observable of effective neutrino number, N {sub eff}, is insufficient for probing generic, interacting models of DR. In this work, we perform likelihood analyses which allow both free-streaming effective neutrinos (parametrized by N {sub eff}) and interacting effective neutrinos (parametrized by N {sub fld}). We motivate an alternative parametrization of DR in terms of N {sub tot} (total effective number of neutrinos) and f {sub fs} (the fraction of effective neutrinos which are free-streaming), which is less degenerate than using N {sub eff} and N {sub fld}. Using the Planck 2015 likelihoods in conjunction with measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), we find constraints on the total amount of beyond the Standard Model effective neutrinos (both free-streaming and interacting) of Δ N {sub tot} < 0.39 at 2σ. In addition, we consider the possibility that this scenario alleviates the tensions between early-time and late-time cosmological observations, in particular the measurements of σ{sub 8} (the amplitude of matter power fluctuations at 8 h {sup −1} Mpc), finding a mild preference for interactions among light species. We further forecast the sensitivities of a variety of future experiments, including Advanced ACTPol (a representative CMB Stage-III experiment), CMB Stage-IV, and the Euclid satellite. This study is relevant for probing non-standard neutrino physics as well as a wide variety of new particle physics models beyond the Standard Model that involve dark radiation.

In situ dating on Mars: A new approach to the K-Ar method utilizing cosmogenic argon

Science.gov (United States)

Cassata, William S.

2014-01-01

Cosmogenic argon isotopes are produced in feldspars via nuclear reactions between cosmic rays and Ca and K atoms within the lattice. These cosmogenic isotopes can be used as proxies for K and Ca, much like nuclear reactor-derived 39Ar and 37Ar are used as proxies for K and Ca, respectively, in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. If Ca and K are uniformly distributed, then the ratio of radiogenic 40Ar (40Ar*) to cosmogenic 38Ar or 36Ar (38Arcos or 36Arcos) is proportional to the difference between the radioisotopic and exposure ages, as well as the K/Ca ratio of the degassing phase. Thus cosmogenic, radiogenic, and trapped Ar isotopes, all of which can be measured remotely and are stable over geologic time, are sufficient to generate an isochron-like diagram from which the isotopic composition of the trapped component may be inferred. Such data also provide a means to assess the extent to which the system has remained closed with respect to 40Ar*, thereby mitigating otherwise unquantifiable uncertainties that complicate the conventional K-Ar dating method.

Dark radiation sterile neutrino candidates after Planck data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valentino, Eleonora Di; Melchiorri, Alessandro [Physics Department and INFN, Università di Roma ' ' La Sapienza' ' , Ple Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome (Italy); Mena, Olga, E-mail: eleonora.divalentino@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: alessandro.melchiorri@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es [IFIC, Universidad de Valencia-CSIC, 46071, Valencia (Spain)

2013-11-01

Recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) results from the Planck satellite, combined with previous CMB data and Hubble constant measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope, provide a constraint on the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom 3.62{sup +0.50}{sub −0.48} at 95% CL. New Planck data provide a unique opportunity to place limits on models containing relativistic species at the decoupling epoch. We present here the bounds on sterile neutrino models combining Planck data with galaxy clustering information. Assuming N{sub eff} active plus sterile massive neutrino species, in the case of a Planck+WP+HighL+HST analysis we find m{sub ν,} {sub sterile}{sup eff} < 0.36 eV and 3.14 < N{sub eff} < 4.15 at 95% CL, while using Planck+WP+HighL data in combination with the full shape of the galaxy power spectrum from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey BOSS Data Relase 9 measurements, we find that 3.30 < N{sub eff} < 4.43 and m{sub ν,} {sub sterile}{sup eff} < 0.33 eV both at 95% CL with the three active neutrinos having the minimum mass allowed in the normal hierarchy scheme, i.e. ∑m{sub ν} ∼ 0.06 eV. These values compromise the viability of the (3+2) massive sterile neutrino models for the parameter region indicated by global fits of neutrino oscillation data. Within the (3+1) massive sterile neutrino scenario, we find m{sub ν,} {sub sterile}{sup eff} < 0.34 eV at 95% CL. While the existence of one extra sterile massive neutrino state is compatible with current oscillation data, the values for the sterile neutrino mass preferred by oscillation analyses are significantly higher than the current cosmological bound. We review as well the bounds on extended dark sectors with additional light species based on the latest Planck CMB observations.

The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitz, Kai

2012-07-01

We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

The B-L phase transition. Implications for cosmology and neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmitz, Kai

2012-07-15

We investigate the possibility that the hot thermal phase of the early universe is ignited in consequence of the B-L phase transition, which represents the cosmological realization of the spontaneous breaking of the Abelian gauge symmetry associated with B-L, the difference between baryon number B and lepton number L. Prior to the B-L phase transition, the universe experiences a stage of hybrid inflation. Towards the end of inflation, the false vacuum of unbroken B-L symmetry decays, which entails tachyonic preheating as well as the production of cosmic strings. Observational constraints on this scenario require the B-L phase transition to take place at the scale of grand unification. The dynamics of the B-L breaking Higgs field and the B-L gauge degrees of freedom, in combination with thermal processes, generate an abundance of heavy (s)neutrinos. These (s)neutrinos decay into radiation, thereby reheating the universe, generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe and setting the stage for the thermal production of gravitinos. The B-L phase transition along with the (s)neutrino-driven reheating process hence represents an intriguing and testable mechanism to generate the initial conditions of the hot early universe. We study the B-L phase transition in the full supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model, for which we derive and discuss the Lagrangian in arbitrary and unitary gauge. As for the subsequent reheating process, we formulate the complete set of Boltzmann equations, the solutions of which enable us to give a detailed and time-resolved description of the evolution of all particle abundances during reheating. Assuming the gravitino to be the lightest superparticle (LSP), the requirement of consistency between hybrid inflation, leptogenesis and gravitino dark matter implies relations between neutrino parameters and superparticle masses, in particular a lower bound on the gravitino mass of 10GeV. As an alternative to gravitino dark matter, we consider the case of

Study of very low energy neutrinos from the Sun and from the Earth with the Borexino detector.

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva

2011-01-01

Borexino is a liquid scintillator unsegmented detector, running at the Gran Sasso underground Laboratories (LNGS). Thanks to its unprecedented low level of radioactive contamination, Borexino currently is the only experiment able to perform a real time measurement of solar neutrino interactions below few MeV. In solar neutrinos Borexino measured the neutrino flux from 7Be (862 keV) with total uncertainty smaller than 5%, the flux from 8B with a lower threshold down to 3 MeV, the day/night asymmetry of the 7Be neutrino flux with a total experimental uncertainty of 1%. These measurements introduce strong constraints also on the solar neutrino flux from the pp and CNO reactions. The impact of these Borexino results are extremely relevant both in solar physics, in connection with the understanding of Sun-like stars, and in neutrino physics. In particular, the precision measurement of the 7Be solar neutrino flux allows a real time investigation of neutrino oscillations below few MeV and provides a unique opportuni...

Neutrino physics

CERN Document Server

Hernandez, P.

2016-01-01

This is the writeup of the lectures on neutrino physics delivered at various schools: TASI and Trieste in 2013 and the CERN-Latin American School in 2015. The topics discussed in this lecture include: general properties of neutrinos in the SM, the theory of neutrino masses and mixings (Dirac and Majorana), neutrino oscillations both in vacuum and in matter, as well as an overview of the experimental evidence for neutrino masses and of the prospects in neutrino oscillation physics. We also briefly review the relevance of neutri- nos in leptogenesis and in beyond-the-Standard-Model physics.

Neutrino astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roulet, E.

2001-01-01

A general overview of neutrino physics and astrophysics is given, starting with a historical account of the development of our understanding of neutrinos and how they helped to unravel the structure of the Standard Model. We discuss why it is so important to establish if neutrinos are massive and introduce the main scenarios to provide them a mass. The present bounds and the positive indications in favor of non-zero neutrino masses are discussed, including the recent results on atmospheric and solar neutrinos. The major role that neutrinos play in astrophysics and cosmology is illustrated. (author)

Search for sterile neutrino mixing using ICAL detector at INO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behera, S.P.; Mohanty, A.K.; Mishra, D.K.; Datar, V.M.; Ghosh, Anushree; Uma Sankar, S.

2014-01-01

The phenomena of neutrino (ν) oscillation among three active neutrino flavors (ν e , ν μ , ν τ ) has been established by several neutrino experiments e.g., solar, atmospheric, reactor and accelerator experiments beyond any doubt. However, the results, obtained from the short-baseline experiments, namely LSND, MiniBooNE indicate the possible existence of new kind of ν, different from the three active flavors. Their results cannot be explained within the standard three active ν oscillation formalism and require additional νs with masses at the eV scale. Such νs cannot participate in the weak interaction due to the constraint on invisible width of the Z boson and are therefore called sterile νs. There have been several attempts to interpret the results of LSND and MiniBooNE in terms of 3+N ν oscillation models involving three active νs and N additional sterile νs

Neutrino oscillation study in the muon neutrino → electron neutrino channel at the Brookhaven accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Astier, P.

1987-09-01

The E816 experiment described in this thesis is devoted to a neutrino oscillation search at the Brookhaven AGS. The method used here is to look with a fine grained calorimeter for the appearence of electron neutrino in a muon neutrino beam. After recalling the theoretical treatment of the neutrino mass problem, the experimental phenomenology of massive neutrinos and more specifically neutrino oscillations is reviewed. The experiment itself is then extensively described, both on the technical side (detector, beam, simulation) and on the analysis side. In particular the statistical separation of the electromagnetic showers from electrons - our signal - and from photons - our background - treated in detail. The present analysis is based on 2/3 of the final statistics and it leads to the - preliminary - observation of an electron excess in the neutrino interactions yielding 19 ± 15.6 (stat) ± 7 (syst) [fr

Signatures of the neutrino mass hierarchy in supernova neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, S.H.; Huang, Chu-Ching; Lai, Kwang-Chang

2015-01-01

The undetermined neutrino mass hierarchy may leave an observable imprint on the neutrino fluxes from a core-collapse supernova (SN). The interpretation of the observables, however, is subject to the uncertain SN models and the flavor conversion mechanism of neutrinos in a SN. We attempt to propose a qualitative interpretation of the expected neutrino events at terrestrial detectors, focusing on the accretion phase of the neutrino burst. The flavor conversions due to neutrino self-interaction, the MSW effect, and the Earth regeneration effect are incorporated in the calculation. It leads to several distinct scenarios that are identified by the neutrino mass hierarchies and the collective flavor transitions. Consequences resulting from the variation of incident angles and SN models are also discussed

The (μ-, e+) conversion in nuclei mediated by light Majorana neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simkovic, F.; Domin, P.; Kovalenko, S.G.; Faessler, A.

2001-01-01

The lepton number violating (μ - ,e + ) conversion in nuclei mediated by the exchange of virtual light Majorana neutrinos is studied. We found that a previously overlooked imaginary part of this amplitude plays an important role. The numerical calculation has been made for the experimentally interesting (μ - ,e + ) conversion in 48 Ti using realistic renormalized proton-neutron QRPA wave functions. We also discuss the very similar case of the neutrinoless double beta decay of 48 Ca. The ratio of (μ - ,e + ) conversion over the total μ - absorption has been computed taking into account the current constraints from neutrino oscillation phenomenology. We compare our results with the experimental limits as well as with previous theoretical predictions. We have found that the Majorana neutrino mode of (μ - ,e + ) conversion in 48 Ti is too small to be measurable in the foreseeable future

Using Multiple Cosmogenic Nuclides to Investigate Ice Elevation Changes in the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Marrero, Shasta; Hein, Andy; Sugden, David; Woodward, John; Dunning, Stuart; Freeman, Stewart; Shanks, Richard

2015-04-01

Well-dated geologic data points provide important indicators that can be used for the reconstruction of ice sheet dynamics and as constraints in ice sheet models predicting future change. Cosmogenic nuclides, which accumulate in rocks exposed at the earth's surface, can be used to directly date the exposure age of the rock surfaces that have been created through glacial erosion or deposition. The technique requires a detailed understanding of the local geomorphology as well as awareness of the post-depositional processes that may affect the interpretation of exposure ages. Surface exposure ages (10Be, 26Al, 21Ne, and 36Cl) from local limestone bedrock and other glacially deposited exotic lithologies provide a history spanning from 0 to more than 1 million years in the Patriot, Independence, and Marble Hills in the southern Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. Using the new surface exposure ages combined with geomorphological mapping, we will discuss the implications for the glacial history of the southern Ellsworth Mountains.

Neutrino astronomy with supernova neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Brdar, Vedran; Lindner, Manfred; Xu, Xun-Jie

2018-04-01

Modern neutrino facilities will be able to detect a large number of neutrinos from the next Galactic supernova. We investigate the viability of the triangulation method to locate a core-collapse supernova by employing the neutrino arrival time differences at various detectors. We perform detailed numerical fits in order to determine the uncertainties of these time differences for the cases when the core collapses into a neutron star or a black hole. We provide a global picture by combining all the relevant current and future neutrino detectors. Our findings indicate that in the scenario of a neutron star formation, supernova can be located with precision of 1.5 and 3.5 degrees in declination and right ascension, respectively. For the black hole scenario, sub-degree precision can be reached.

Addendum to 'Update on neutrino mixing in the early universe'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Bari, P.

2003-01-01

In the light of the recent WMAP results we update the constraints on a class of nonstandard big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) models with a simultaneous combination of nonstandard neutrino distributions and an extra effective number of neutrinos in the expansion rate. These models can be described in terms of the two parameters ΔN ν tot , constrained by the primordial helium abundance Y p measurement, and ΔN ν ρ , constrained by a combination of cosmic microwave background and primordial deuterium data. Small deviations from standard big bang nucleosynthesis are suggested. Different nonstandard scenarios can be distinguished by a measurement of the difference ΔN ν f ν =ΔN ν tot -ΔN ν ρ . From the current data we estimate ΔN ν f ν ≅-1.4 -1.4 +0.9 , mildly disfavoring solutions with a low expansion rate, characterized by ΔN ν f ν =0 and negative ΔN ν ρ . Active-sterile neutrino mixing could be a viable explanation only for high values of Y p > or approx. 0.24. The existence of large positive neutrino chemical potentials ξ i ∼0.05, implying ΔN ν ρ ≅0, would be a possible explanation of the data within the analyzed class of nonstandard BBN models. Interestingly, it would also provide a way to evade the cosmological bounds for ''class A 3+1'' four neutrino mixing models. A scenario with a decaying sterile neutrino is also considered

Non-standard interactions with high-energy atmospheric neutrinos at IceCube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salvado, Jordi; Mena, Olga; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio; Rius, Nuria [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València,Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain)

2017-01-31

Non-standard interactions in the propagation of neutrinos in matter can lead to significant deviations from expectations within the standard neutrino oscillation framework and atmospheric neutrino detectors have been considered to set constraints. However, most previous works have focused on relatively low-energy atmospheric neutrino data. Here, we consider the one-year high-energy through-going muon data in IceCube, which has been already used to search for light sterile neutrinos, to constrain new interactions in the μτ-sector. In our analysis we include several systematic uncertainties on both, the atmospheric neutrino flux and on the detector properties, which are accounted for via nuisance parameters. After considering different primary cosmic-ray spectra and hadronic interaction models, we improve over previous analysis by using the latest data and showing that systematics currently affect very little the bound on the off-diagonal ε{sub μτ}, with the 90% credible interval given by −6.0×10{sup −3}<ε{sub μτ}<5.4×10{sup −3}, comparable to previous results. In addition, we also estimate the expected sensitivity after 10 years of collected data in IceCube and study the precision at which non-standard parameters could be determined for the case of ε{sub μτ} near its current bound.

The solar neutrinos epopee; L'epopee des neutrinos solaires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lasserre, Th. [CEA Saclay, Dept. d' Astrophysique, de Physique des Particules, de Physique Nucleaire et de l' Instrumentation Associee, Service de Physique des Particules, 91- Gif sur Yvette (France)

2003-06-01

The 2002 year has been fruitful for the neutrino physics. First, the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment has shown that the electron neutrinos {nu}{sub e} emitted by the sun are converted into muon neutrinos ({nu}{sub {mu}}) and tau neutrinos ({nu}{sub {tau}}), thus closing the 30 years old problem of solar neutrinos deficit. This discovery validates the model of nuclear energy production inside the sun but it shakes the theory describing the weak interactions between the fundamental constituents of matter. This theory considers the neutrinos (and the photons) as massless particles, while the taste conversion phenomenon necessarily implies that neutrinos have a mass. In October 2000, the Universe exploration by the cosmic neutrinos is jointly recognized by R. Davis (USA) and M. Koshiba (Japan) who received the Nobel price of physics. Finally, in December 2000, the KamLAND experiment quantitatively demonstrated the neutrinos metamorphosis by detecting a deficit in the flux of electron antineutrinos coming from the surrounding Japanese nuclear reactors. This digest article describes step by step the epopee of solar neutrinos and shows how several generations of physicists have resolved one of the mystery of modern physics. (J.S.)

Supernova Neutrino-Process and Implication in Neutrino Oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Kajino, T.; Aoki, W.; Fujiya, W.; Mathews, G. J.; Yoshida, T.; Shaku, K.; Nakamura, K.; Hayakawa, T.

2012-08-01

We studied the supernova nucleosynthesis induced by neutrino interactions and found that several isotopes of rare elements like 7Li, 11B, 138La, 180Ta and many others are predominantly produced by the neutrino-process in core-collapse supernovae. These isotopes are strongly affected by the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect. We here propose a new novel method to determine the unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, θ13 and mass hierarchy simultaneously from the supernova neutrino-process, combined with the r-process for heavy-element synthsis and the Galactic chemical evolution on light nuclei.

NEW NEUTRINO MASS BOUNDS FROM SDSS-III DATA RELEASE 8 PHOTOMETRIC LUMINOUS GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Putter, Roland [ICC, University of Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Marti i Franques 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Mena, Olga; Giusarma, Elena [Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular, University of Valencia-CSIC (Spain); Ho, Shirley; Seo, Hee-Jong; White, Martin; Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Cuesta, Antonio [Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); Ross, Ashley J.; Percival, Will J. [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, Dennis Sciama Building, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 3FX (United Kingdom); Bizyaev, Dmitry; Brewington, Howard; Malanushenko, Elena; Malanushenko, Viktor; Oravetz, Daniel; Pan, Kaike; Shelden, Alaina; Simmons, Audrey [Apache Point Observatory, P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM 88349-0059 (United States); Kirkby, David [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); and others

2012-12-10

We present neutrino mass bounds using 900,000 luminous galaxies with photometric redshifts measured from Sloan Digital Sky Survey III Data Release 8. The galaxies have photometric redshifts between z = 0.45 and z = 0.65 and cover 10,000 deg{sup 2}, thus probing a volume of 3 h {sup -3} Gpc{sup 3} and enabling tight constraints to be derived on the amount of dark matter in the form of massive neutrinos. A new bound on the sum of neutrino masses {Sigma}m{sub {nu}} < 0.27 eV, at the 95% confidence level (CL), is obtained after combining our sample of galaxies, which we call ''CMASS'', with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) seven-year cosmic microwave background data and the most recent measurement of the Hubble parameter from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This constraint is obtained with a conservative multipole range of 30 < l < 200 in order to minimize nonlinearities, and a free bias parameter in each of the four redshift bins. We study the impact of assuming this linear galaxy bias model using mock catalogs and find that this model causes a small ({approx}1{sigma}-1.5{sigma}) bias in {Omega}{sub DM} h {sup 2}. For this reason, we also quote neutrino bounds based on a conservative galaxy bias model containing additional, shot-noise-like free parameters. In this conservative case, the bounds are significantly weakened, e.g., {Sigma}m{sub {nu}} < 0.38 eV (95% CL) for WMAP+HST+CMASS (l{sub max} = 200). We also study the dependence of the neutrino bound on the multipole range (l{sub max} = 150 versus l{sub max} = 200) and on which combination of data sets is included as a prior. The addition of supernova and/or baryon acoustic oscillation data does not significantly improve the neutrino mass bound once the HST prior is included. A companion paper describes the construction of the angular power spectra in detail and derives constraints on a general cosmological model, including the dark energy equation of state w and the spatial

Neutrino observations from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad, Q.R.; Allen, R.C.; Andersen, T.C.; Anglin, J.D.; Barton,J.C.; Beier, E.W.; Bercovitch, M.; Bigu, J.; Biller, S.D.; Black, R.A.; Blevis, I.; Boardman, R.J.; Boger, J.; Bonvin, E.; Boulay, M.G.; Bowler,M.G.; Bowles, T.J.; Brice, S.J.; Browne, M.C.; Bullard, T.V.; Buhler, G.; Cameron, J.; Chan, Y.D.; Chen, H.H.; Chen, M.; Chen, X.; Cleveland, B.T.; Clifford, E.T.H.; Cowan, J.H.M.; Cowen, D.F.; Cox, G.A.; Dai, X.; Dalnoki-Veress, F.; Davidson, W.F.; Doe, P.J.; Doucas, G.; Dragowsky,M.R.; Duba, C.A.; Duncan, F.A.; Dunford, M.; Dunmore, J.A.; Earle, E.D.; Elliott, S.R.; Evans, H.C.; Ewan, G.T.; Farine, J.; Fergani, H.; Ferraris, A.P.; Ford, R.J.; Formaggio, J.A.; Fowler, M.M.; Frame, K.; Frank, E.D.; Frati, W.; Gagnon, N.; Germani, J.V.; Gil, S.; Graham, K.; Grant, D.R.; Hahn, R.L.; Hallin, A.L.; Hallman, E.D.; Hamer, A.S.; Hamian, A.A.; Handler, W.B.; Haq, R.U.; Hargrove, C.K.; Harvey, P.J.; Hazama, R.; Heeger, K.M.; Heintzelman, W.J.; Heise, J.; Helmer, R.L.; Hepburn, J.D.; Heron, H.; Hewett, J.; Hime, A.; Hykawy, J.G.; Isaac,M.C.P.; Jagam, P.; Jelley, N.A.; Jillings, C.; Jonkmans, G.; Kazkaz, K.; Keener, P.T.; Klein, J.R.; Knox, A.B.; Komar, R.J.; Kouzes, R.; Kutter,T.; Kyba, C.C.M.; Law, J.; Lawson, I.T.; Lay, M.; Lee, H.W.; Lesko, K.T.; Leslie, J.R.; Levine, I.; Locke, W.; Luoma, S.; Lyon, J.; Majerus, S.; Mak, H.B.; Maneira, J.; Manor, J.; Marino, A.D.; McCauley, N.; McDonald,D.S.; McDonald, A.B.; McFarlane, K.; McGregor, G.; Meijer, R.; Mifflin,C.; Miller, G.G.; Milton, G.; Moffat, B.A.; Moorhead, M.; Nally, C.W.; Neubauer, M.S.; Newcomer, F.M.; Ng, H.S.; Noble, A.J.; Norman, E.B.; Novikov, V.M.; O' Neill, M.; Okada, C.E.; Ollerhead, R.W.; Omori, M.; Orrell, J.L.; Oser, S.M.; Poon, A.W.P.; Radcliffe, T.J.; Roberge, A.; Robertson, B.C.; Robertson, R.G.H.; Rosendahl, S.S.E.; Rowley, J.K.; Rusu, V.L.; Saettler, E.; Schaffer, K.K.; Schwendener,M.H.; Schulke, A.; Seifert, H.; Shatkay, M.; Simpson, J.J.; Sims, C.J.; et al.

2001-09-24

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a water imaging Cherenkov detector. Its usage of 1000 metric tons of D{sub 2}O as target allows the SNO detector to make a solar-model independent test of the neutrino oscillation hypothesis by simultaneously measuring the solar {nu}{sub e} flux and the total flux of all active neutrino species. Solar neutrinos from the decay of {sup 8}B have been detected at SNO by the charged-current (CC) interaction on the deuteron and by the elastic scattering (ES) of electrons. While the CC reaction is sensitive exclusively to {nu}{sub e}, the ES reaction also has a small sensitivity to {nu}{sub {mu}} and {nu}{sub {tau}}. In this paper, recent solar neutrino results from the SNO experiment are presented. It is demonstrated that the solar flux from {sup 8}B decay as measured from the ES reaction rate under the no-oscillation assumption is consistent with the high precision ES measurement by the Super-Kamiokande experiment. The {nu}{sub e} flux deduced from the CC reaction rate in SNO differs from the Super-Kamiokande ES results by 3.3{sigma}. This is evidence for an active neutrino component, in additional to {nu}{sub e}, in the solar neutrino flux. These results also allow the first experimental determination of the total active {sup 8}B neutrino flux from the Sun, and is found to be in good agreement with solar model predictions.

Neutrino Observations from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Q. R. Ahmad, R. C. Allen, T. C. Andersen, J. D. Anglin, G. B?hler, J. C. Barton, E. W. Beier, M. Bercovitch, J. Bigu, S. Biller, R. A. Black, I. Blevis, R. J. Boardman, J. Boger, E. Bonvin, M. G. Boulay, M. G. Bowler, T. J. Bowles, S. J. Brice, M. C. Browne, T. V. Bullard, T. H. Burritt, K. Cameron, J. Cameron, Y. D. Chan, M. Chen, H. H. Chen, X. Chen, M. C. Chon, B. T. Cleveland, E. T. H. Clifford, J. H. M. Cowan, D. F. Cowen, G. A. Cox, Y. Dai, X. Dai, F. Dalnoki-Veress, W. F. Davidson, P. J. Doe, G. Doucas, M. R. Dragowsky, C. A. Duba, F. A. Duncan, J. Dunmore, E. D. Earle, S. R. Elliott, H. C. Evans, G. T. Ewan, J. Farine, H. Fergani, A. P. Ferraris, R. J. Ford, M. M. Fowler, K. Frame, E. D. Frank, W. Frati, J. V. Germani, S. Gil, A. Goldschmidt, D. R. Grant, R. L. Hahn, A. L. Hallin, E. D. Hallman, A. Hamer, A. A. Hamian, R. U. Haq, C. K. Hargrove, P. J. Harvey, R. Hazama, R. Heaton, K. M. Heeger, W. J. Heintzelman, J. Heise, R. L. Helmer, J. D. Hepburn, H. Heron, J. Hewett, A. Hime, M. Howe, J. G. Hykawy, M. C. P. Isaac, P. Jagam, N. A. Jelley, C. Jillings, G. Jonkmans, J. Karn, P. T. Keener, K. Kirch, J. R. Klein, A. B. Knox, R. J. Komar, R. Kouzes, T. Kutter, C. C. M. Kyba, J. Law, I. T. Lawson, M. Lay, H. W. Lee, K. T. Lesko, J. R. Leslie, I. Levine, W. Locke, M. M. Lowry, S. Luoma, J. Lyon, S. Majerus, H. B. Mak, A. D. Marino, N. McCauley, A. B. McDonald, D. S. McDonald, K. McFarlane, G. McGregor, W. McLatchie, R. Meijer Drees, H. Mes, C. Mifflin, G. G. Miller, G. Milton, B. A. Moffat, M. Moorhead, C. W. Nally, M. S. Neubauer, F. M. Newcomer, H. S. Ng, A. J. Noble, E. B. Norman, V. M. Novikov, M. O'Neill, C. E. Okada, R. W. Ollerhead, M. Omori, J. L. Orrell, S. M. Oser, A. W. P. Poon, T. J. Radcliffe, A. Roberge, B. C. Robertson, R. G. H. Robertson, J. K. Rowley, V. L. Rusu, E. Saettler, K. K. Schaffer, A. Schuelke, M. H. Schwendener, H. Seifert, M. Shatkay, J. J. Simpson, D. Sinclair, P. Skensved, A. R. Smith, M. W. E. Smith, N. Starinsky, T. D. Steiger, R. G. Stokstad, R. S. Storey, B. Sur, R. Tafirout, N. Tagg, N. W. Tanner, R. K. Taplin, M. Thorman, P. Thornewell, P. T. Trent, Y. I. Tserkovnyak, R. Van Berg, R. G. Van de Water, C. J. Virtue, C. E. Waltham, J.-X. Wang, D. L. Wark, N. West, J. B. Wilhelmy, J. F. Wilkerson, J. Wilson, P. Wittich, J. M. Wouters, and M. Yeh

2001-09-24

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a water imaging Cherenkov detector. Its usage of 1000 metric tons of D{sub 2}O as target allows the SNO detector to make a solar-model independent test of the neutrino oscillation hypothesis by simultaneously measuring the solar {nu}{sub e} flux and the total flux of all active neutrino species. Solar neutrinos from the decay of {sup 8}B have been detected at SNO by the charged-current (CC) interaction on the deuteron and by the elastic scattering (ES) of electrons. While the CC reaction is sensitive exclusively to {nu}{sub e}, the ES reaction also has a small sensitivity to {nu}{sub {mu}} and {nu}{sub {tau}}. In this paper, recent solar neutrino results from the SNO experiment are presented. It is demonstrated that the solar flux from {sup 8}B decay as measured from the ES reaction rate under the no-oscillation assumption is consistent with the high precision ES measurement by the Super-Kamiokande experiment. The {nu}{sub e} flux deduced from the CC reaction rate in SNO differs from the Super-Kamiokande ES results by 3.3{sigma}. This is evidence for an active neutrino component, in additional to {nu}{sub e}, in the solar neutrino flux. These results also allow the first experimental determination of the total active {sup 8}B neutrino flux from the Sun, and is found to be in good agreement with solar model predictions.

Supernova neutrino detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvi, M.

2005-01-01

Neutrinos emitted during a supernova core collapse represent a unique feature to study both stellar and neutrino properties. After discussing the details of the neutrino emission in the star and the effect of neutrino oscillations on the expected neutrino fluxes at Earth, a review of the detection techniques is presented in this paper, with particular attention to the problem of electron neutrino detection

Non-unitary neutrino propagation from neutrino decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berryman, Jeffrey M., E-mail: jeffreyberryman2012@u.northwestern.edu [Northwestern University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Gouvêa, André de; Hernández, Daniel [Northwestern University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Oliveira, Roberto L.N. [Northwestern University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil)

2015-03-06

Neutrino propagation in space-time is not constrained to be unitary if very light states – lighter than the active neutrinos – exist into which neutrinos may decay. If this is the case, neutrino flavor-change is governed by a handful of extra mixing and “oscillation” parameters, including new sources of CP-invariance violation. We compute the transition probabilities in the two- and three-flavor scenarios and discuss the different phenomenological consequences of the new physics. These are qualitatively different from other sources of unitarity violation discussed in the literature.

Non-unitary neutrino propagation from neutrino decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berryman, Jeffrey M.; Gouvêa, André de; Hernández, Daniel; Oliveira, Roberto L.N.

2015-01-01

Neutrino propagation in space-time is not constrained to be unitary if very light states – lighter than the active neutrinos – exist into which neutrinos may decay. If this is the case, neutrino flavor-change is governed by a handful of extra mixing and “oscillation” parameters, including new sources of CP-invariance violation. We compute the transition probabilities in the two- and three-flavor scenarios and discuss the different phenomenological consequences of the new physics. These are qualitatively different from other sources of unitarity violation discussed in the literature

New constraints on all flavor Galactic diffuse neutrino emission with the ANTARES telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Albert, A.; André, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.-J.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Martí, J.; Basa, S.; Belhorma, B.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bourret, S.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Celli, S.; Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coelho, J.A.B.; Coleiro, A.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Díaz, A.F.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Di Palma, I.; Domi, A.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; El Bojaddaini, I.; El Khayati, N.; Elsässer, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Ettahiri, A.; Fassi, F.; Felis, I.; Fusco, L.A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Giordano, V.; Glotin, H.; Grégoire, T.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A.J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J.J.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; Illuminati, G.; James, C.W.; de Jong, M.; Jongen, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmann, R.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Lotze, M.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martínez-Mora, J.A.; Mele, R.; Melis, K.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Navas, S.; Nezri, E.; Organokov, M.; Pavalas, G.E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Quinn, L.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Sánchez-Losa, A.; Saldaña, M.; Salvadori, I.; Samtleben, D.F.E.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schüssler, F.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Stolarczyk, T.; Taiuti, M.; Tayalati, Y.; Trovato, A.; Turpin, D.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Van Elewyck, V.; Versari, F.; Vivolo, D.; Vizzoca, A.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zúñiga, J.; Gaggero, D.; Grasso, D.

2017-01-01

The flux of very high-energy neutrinos produced in our Galaxy by the interaction of accelerated cosmic rays with the interstellar medium is not yet determined. The characterization of this flux will shed light on Galactic accelerator features, gas distribution morphology and Galactic cosmic ray

GENIUS Project, Neutrino Oscillations and Cosmology: Neutrinos Reveal Their Nature ?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czakon, M.; Studnik, J.; Zralek, M.; Gluza, J.

2000-01-01

The neutrinoless double beta decay as well as any other laboratory experiment has not been able to answer the question of the neutrino's nature. Hints on the answer are available when neutrino oscillations and (ββ) 0ν are considered simultaneously. In this case phenomenologically interesting neutrino mass schemes can lead to non-vanishing and large values of (m ν ). As a consequence, some schemes with Majorana neutrinos can be ruled out even now. If we assume that in addition neutrinos contribute to Hot Dark Matter then the window for Majorana neutrinos is even more restricted, e.g. GENIUS experiment will be sensitive to scenarios with three Majorana neutrinos. (author)

Prompt Neutrinos from Atmospheric cc-bar and bb-bar Production and the Gluon at Very Small x

CERN Document Server

Martin, A D; Stasto, A M

2003-01-01

We improve the accuracy of the extrapolation of the gluon distribution of the proton to very small x, and show that the charm production cross section, needed to calculate the cosmic ray-induced 'atmospheric' flux of ultrahigh energy prompt nu submu and nu subtau neutrinos, may be predicted within perturbative QCD to within about a factor of three. We follow the sequence of interactions and decays in order to calculate the neutrino fluxes as a function of energy up to 10 sup 9 GeV. We also compute the prompt nu subtau flux from bb-bar production, hadronization and decay. New cosmic sources of neutrinos will be indicated if more prompt neutrinos are observed than predicted. If fewer neutrinos are observed than predicted, then constraints will be imposed on the nuclear composition of cosmic rays. The advantages of studying nu subtau neutrinos are emphasized. We provide a simple parametrization of the prediction for the inclusive cross section for c quark production in high energy proton-air collisions.

Testing the big bang: Light elements, neutrinos, dark matter and large-scale structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schramm, D.N. (Chicago Univ., IL (United States) Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (United States))

1991-06-01

In this series of lectures, several experimental and observational tests of the standard cosmological model are examined. In particular, detailed discussion is presented regarding nucleosynthesis, the light element abundances and neutrino counting; the dark matter problems; and the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Comments will also be made on the possible implications of the recent solar neutrino experimental results for cosmology. An appendix briefly discusses the 17 keV thing'' and the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on it. 126 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Gauge Anomalies and Neutrino Seesaw Models

CERN Document Server

Neves Cebola, Luis Manuel

Despite the success of the Standard Model concerning theoretical predictions, there are several experimental results that cannot be explained and there are reasons to believe that there exists new physics beyond it. Neutrino oscillations, and hence their masses, are examples of this. Experimentally it is known that neutrinos masses are quite small, when compared to all Standard Model particle masses. Among the theoretical possibilities to explain these tiny masses, the seesaw mechanism is a simple and well-motivated framework. In its minimal version, heavy particles are introduced that decouple from the theory in the early universe. To build consistent theories, classical symmetries need to be preserved at quantum level, so that there are no anomalies. The cancellation of these anomalies leads to constraints in the parameters of the theory. One attractive solution is to realize the anomaly cancellation through the modication of the gauge symmetry. In this thesis we present a short review of some features of t...

Evidence for sterile neutrinos which could be part of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldwell, David O.

2007-01-01

Limitations on neutrino contribution to dark matter do not apply to the type of sterile neutrino needed to understand solar neutrino flux modulation. These neutrinos couple to active neutrinos via a transition magnetic moment, and if there is any mixing, it is extremely small, avoiding all constraints. The sterile neutrinos result from a Resonant-Spin-Flavor Precession in the convection zone of the Sun, subdominant to the LMA MSW effect, which is at a smaller solar radius. Solar neutrino fluxes measured by the Cl, Ga and Super-Kamiokande (SK) experiments reveal modulations at frequencies related to solar rotation rates. Since the solar magnetic field in the convection zone changes with solar cycle, a rotation frequency seen in GALLEX data would not appear in GNO data. An analysis lumping these data together shows the same frequency not significantly, whereas GALLEX data shows it at the 99.9% CL, using more of the experimental information. Use of insufficient information is a problem in the SK analysis, which sees at low significance the same 3 frequencies (one of rotation and two of related r-modes) we find even at the 99.9% CL when more experimental information is used. SNO looked unsuccessfully for one of these r-mode peaks, but SK data shows this very episodic process had died out before SNO turned on. The statistically significant flux modulation frequencies we observe are all associated with known solar frequencies, attesting to the existence of a sterile neutrino which could aid in understanding small-scale structure, and which might have heavier siblings playing an even larger role in dark matter

Sterile neutrino

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2007-01-01

Paper deals with the information on the occurrence of the fields of the sterile neutrinos (the righthanded ones) mixed with the normal neutrinos (the lefthanded ones). Both the Max Plank Radioastronomy Institute and the Los Angeles University assumes that the occurrence of the keV mass sterile neutrinos may explain the dark matter nature, the fast rotation of the observed pulsars and the reionization processes. The issues associated with the possibility to record the sterile neutrinos were analyzed in the course of the Sterile Neutrinos in Astrophysics and Cosmology Workshop (Crans Montana, March 2006 [ru

Neutrinos and Einstein

CERN Document Server

Suzuki, Yoichiro

2005-01-01

A tiny neutrino mass is a clue to the physics beyond the standard model of elementary particle physics. The primary cosmic rays, mostly protons, are created and accelerated to the relativistic energy in supernova remnants. They traverse the universe and reach the earth. The incoming primary cosmic rays interact with the earth's atmosphere to produce secondary particles, which subsequently decay into neutrinos, called atmospheric neutrinos. The atmospheric neutrinos have shown the evidence of the finite neutrino masses through the phenomena called neutrino oscillations. Neutrinos are detected by large detectors underground like, for example, Super-Kamiokande, SNO and KamLAND. Those detectors use large photomultiplier tubes, which make use of the photo-electric effect to convert photons created by the interaction of neutrinos to electrons to form electric pulses. Neutrinos are therefore created and detected by "Einstein" and have step forward beyond the current physics. Neutrinos may also carry a hit to the ori...

Neutrino mass and physics beyond the Standard Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosteins, P.

2007-09-01

The purpose of this thesis is to study, in the neutrino sector, the flavour structures at high energy. The work is divided into two main parts. The first part is dedicated to the well known mechanism to produce small neutrino masses: the seesaw mechanism, which implies the existence of massive particles whose decays violate lepton number. Therefore this mechanism can also be used to generate a net baryon number in the early universe and explain the cosmological observation of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. However, it is often non-trivial to fulfill the constraints coming at the same time from neutrino oscillations and cosmological experiments, at least in frameworks where the couplings can be somehow constrained, like some Grand Unification models. Therefore we devoted the first part to the study of a certain class of seesaw mechanism which can be found in the context of SO(10) theories for example. We introduce a method to extract the mass matrix of the heavy right-handed neutrinos and explore the phenomenological consequences of this quantity, mainly concerning the production of a sufficient baryon asymmetry. When trying to identify the underlying symmetry governing the mixings between the different generations, we see that there is a puzzling difference between the quark and the lepton sectors. However, the quark and lepton parameters have to be compared at the scale of the flavour symmetry breaking, therefore we have to make them run to the appropriate scale. Thus, it is worthwhile investigating models where quantum corrections allow an approximate unification of quark and lepton mixings. This is why the other part of the thesis investigates the running of the effective neutrino mass operator in models with an extra compact dimension, where quantum corrections to the neutrino masses and mixings can be potentially large due to the multiplicity of states

An origin for small neutrino masses in the NMSSM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abada, Asmaa; Moreau, Gregory

2006-01-01

We consider the Next to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) which provides a natural solution to the so-called μ problem by introducing a new gauge-singlet superfield S. We realize that a mechanism of neutrino mass suppression arises, based on the R-parity violating bilinear terms μ i L i H u mixing neutrinos and higgsinos, offering thus an original approach to the neutrino mass problem (connected to the solution for the μ problem). We generate realistic (Majorana) neutrino mass values without requiring any strong hierarchy amongst the fundamental parameters, in contrast with the alternative models. In particular, the ratio μ i /μ can reach ∼ 10 -1 , unlike in the MSSM where it has to be much smaller than unity. We check that the obtained parameters also satisfy the collider constraints and internal consistencies of the NMSSM. The price to pay for this new cancellation-type mechanism of neutrino mass reduction is a certain fine tuning, which get significantly improved in some regions of parameter space. Besides, we discuss the feasibility of our scenario when the R-parity violating bilinear terms have a common origin with the μ term, namely when those are generated via a VEV of the S scalar component from the couplings λ i SL i H u . Finally, we make comments on some specific phenomenology of the NMSSM in the presence of R-parity violating bilinear terms

Cosmological nucleosynthesis and active-sterile neutrino oscillations with small mass differences: the nonresonant case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirilova, D.P.; Chizhov, M.V.

1998-05-01

We study the nonresonant oscillations between left-handed electron neutrinos ν s and nonthermalized sterile neutrinos ν s in the early Universe plasma. The case when ν s do not thermalize till 2 MeV and the oscillations become effective after ν e decoupling is discussed. As far as for this model the rates of expansion of the Universe, neutrino oscillations and neutrino interactions with the medium may be comparable, we have analyzed the kinetic equations for neutrino density matrix, accounting simultaneously for these processes. The evolution of neutrino ensembles was described numerically by integrating the kinetic equations for the neutrino density matrix in momentum space for small mass differences δm 2 ≤10 -7 eV 2 . This approach allowed us to study precisely the evolution of the neutrino number densities, energy spectrum distortion and the asymmetry between neutrinos and antineutrinos due to oscillations for each momentum mode. We have performed a complete numerical analysis for the full range of the oscillations parameters of the model of the influence of the nonequilibrium ν e ↔ν s oscillations on the primordial production of 4 He. The exact kinetic approach enabled us to calculate the effects of neutrino population depletion, the distortion of the neutrino spectrum and the generation of neutrino-antineutrino asymmetry on the kinetics of neutron-to-proton transitions during the primordial nucleosynthesis epoch and correspondingly on the cosmological 4 He production. It was shown that the neutrino population depletion and spectrum distortion play an important role. The asymmetry effect, in case the lepton asymmetry is accepted initially equal to the baryon one, is proved to be negligible for the discussed range of δm 2 . Constant helium contours in δm 2 -θ plane were calculated. Thanks to the exact kinetic approach more precise cosmological constraints on the mixing parameters were obtained. (author)

Neutrino Factory

CERN Document Server

Bogomilov, M; Tsenov, R; Dracos, M; Bonesini, M; Palladino, V; Tortora, L; Mori, Y; Planche, T; Lagrange, J  B; Kuno, Y; Benedetto, E; Efthymiopoulos, I; Garoby, R; Gilardoini, S; Martini, M; Wildner, E; Prior, G; Blondel, A; Karadzhow, Y; Ellis, M; Kyberd, P; Bayes, R; Laing, A; Soler, F  J  P; Alekou, A; Apollonio, M; Aslaninejad, M; Bontoiu, C; Jenner, L  J; Kurup, A; Long, K; Pasternak, J; Zarrebini, A; Poslimski, J; Blackmore, V; Cobb, J; Tunnell, C; Andreopoulos, C; Bennett, J  R  J; Brooks, S; Caretta, O; Davenne, T; Densham, C; Edgecock, T  R; Fitton, M; Kelliher, D; Loveridge, P; McFarland, A; Machida, S; Prior, C; Rees, G; Rogers, C; Rooney, M; Thomason, J; Wilcox, D; Booth, C; Skoro, G; Back, J  J; Harrison, P; Berg, J  S; Fernow, R; Gallardo, J  C; Gupta, R; Kirk, H; Simos, N; Stratakis, D; Souchlas, N; Witte, H; Bross, A; Geer, S; Johnstone, C; Mokhov, N; Neuffer, D; Popovic, M; Strait, J; Striganov, S; Morfín, J  G; Wands, R; Snopok, P; Bogacz, S  A; Morozov, V; Roblin, Y; Cline, D; Ding, X; Bromberg, C; Hart, T; Abrams, R  J; Ankenbrandt, C  M; Beard, K  B; Cummings, M  A  C; Flanagan, G; Johnson, R  P; Roberts, T  J; Yoshikawa, C  Y; Graves, V  B; McDonald, K  T; Coney, L; Hanson, G

2014-01-01

The properties of the neutrino provide a unique window on physics beyond that described by the standard model. The study of subleading effects in neutrino oscillations, and the race to discover CP-invariance violation in the lepton sector, has begun with the recent discovery that $\\theta_{13} > 0$. The measured value of $\\theta_{13}$ is large, emphasizing the need for a facility at which the systematic uncertainties can be reduced to the percent level. The neutrino factory, in which intense neutrino beams are produced from the decay of muons, has been shown to outperform all realistic alternatives and to be capable of making measurements of the requisite precision. Its unique discovery potential arises from the fact that only at the neutrino factory is it practical to produce high-energy electron (anti)neutrino beams of the required intensity. This paper presents the conceptual design of the neutrino factory accelerator facility developed by the European Commission Framework Programme 7 EURO$\

Terrestrial cosmogenic 3He: where are we 30 years after its discovery?

Science.gov (United States)

Blard, Pierre-Henri; Pik, Raphaël; Farley, Kenneth A.; Lavé, Jérôme; Marrocchi, Yves

2016-04-01

It is now 30 years since cosmogenic 3He has been detected for the first time in a terrestrial sample (Kurz, 1986). 3He is now a widely used geochemical tool in many fields of Earth sciences: volcanology, tectonics, paleoclimatology. 3He has the advantage to have a high "production rate" to "detection limit" ratio, allowing surfaces as young as hundred of years to be dated. Although its nuclear stability implies several limitations, it moreover represents a useful alternative to 10Be in mafic environments. This contribution is a review of the progresses that have been accomplished since this discovery, and discuss strategies to improve both the accuracy and the precision of this geochronometer. 1) Measurement of cosmogenic 3He Correction of magmatic 3He. To estimate the non-cosmogenic magmatic 3He, Kurz (1986) invented a two steps method involving crushing of phenocrysts (to analyze the isotopic ratio of the magmatic component), followed by a subsequent melting of the sample, to extract the remaining components, including the cosmogenic 3He: 3Hec = 3Hemelt -4Hemelt x (3He/4He)magmatic (1) Several studies suggested that the preliminary crushing may induce a loss of cosmogenic 3He (Hilton et al., 1993; Yokochi et al., 2005; Blard et al., 2006), implying an underestimate of the cosmogenic 3He measurement. However, subsequent work did not replicate these observations (Blard et al., 2008; Goerhing et al., 2010), suggesting an influence of the used apparatus. An isochron method (by directly melting several phenocrysts aliquots) is an alternative to avoid the preliminary crushing step (Blard and Pik, 2008). Atmospheric contamination. Protin et al. (in press) provides robust evidences for a large and irreversible contamination of atmospheric helium on silicate surfaces. This unexpected behavior may reconcile the contrasted observations about the amplitude of crushing loss. This undesirable atmospheric contamination is negligible if grain fractions smaller than 150 mm are

Detection prospects for the Cosmic Neutrino Background using laser interferometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domcke, Valerie [AstroParticule et Cosmologie (APC)/Paris Centre for Cosmological Physics, Université Paris Diderot, Rue Alice Domon et Leonie Duquet, Paris (France); Spinrath, Martin, E-mail: valerie.domcke@apc.univ-paris7.fr, E-mail: martin.spinrath@cts.nthu.edu.tw [Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan (China)

2017-06-01

The cosmic neutrino background is a key prediction of Big Bang cosmology which has not been observed yet. The movement of the earth through this neutrino bath creates a force on a pendulum, as if it were exposed to a cosmic wind. We revise here estimates for the resulting pendulum acceleration and compare it to the theoretical sensitivity of an experimental setup where the pendulum position is measured using current laser interferometer technology as employed in gravitational wave detectors. We discuss how a significant improvement of this setup can be envisaged in a micro gravity environment. The proposed setup could also function as a dark matter detector in the sub-MeV range, which currently eludes direct detection constraints.

Majorana mass term, Dirac neutrinos and selective neutrino oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, C.N.

1987-01-01

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. (orig.)

Eclipsed neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

Full text: The total solar eclipse visible in Southern Asia on 24 October provided an opportunity for an unusual physics experiment. At face value, the levels of solar neutrinos detected on the Earth's surface are difficult to understand and suggest that perhaps the composition of solar neutrinos oscillates between different neutrino types on their journey. In this way neutrinos originating in the Sun as electrontype could convert into heavy neutrinos, which could subsequently disintegrate into an electron-neutrino and a photon. In certain neutrino scenarios, such a photon would have an energy corresponding to that of visible light, and in principle should be detectable if there are enough of them. The problem is that they would normally be swamped by the copious photons of sunlight. The 24 October solar eclipse provided a chance to check this out. A team led by François Vannucci, spokesman of the Nomad neutrino experiment at CERN, en route to the 'Rencontres du Vietnam' physics meeting in Ho Chi Minh Ville, set up a CCD-equipped telescope. To insure against cloud cover, a second telescope followed the eclipse in the desert of Rajastan, India, where the eclipse was to last only half as long, but the chance of cloud was minimal. No background solar signal was seen, or, expressed in physics terms, if solar radiation has any heavy neutrino component, then less than a millionth of it disintegrates into an electron neutrino and a visible photon before it arrives at the Earth. The negative result also has implications for candidate massive, unstable neutrinos from other sources, notably a component of the missing 'dark matter' of the Universe. The next such eclipse should be visible in North Asia in 1997, when hopefully better measurements will be made

Solar neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, R.J.N.

1987-09-01

The problem with solar neutrinos is that there seem to be too few of them, at least near the top end of the spectrum, since the 37 Cl detector finds only about 35% of the standard predicted flux. Various kinds of explanation have been offered: (a) the standard solar model is wrong, (b) neutrinos decay, (c) neutrinos have magnetic moments, (d) neutrinos oscillate. The paper surveys developments in each of these areas, especially the possible enhancement of neutrino oscillations by matter effects and adiabatic level crossing. The prospects for further independent experiments are also discussed. (author)

One Isotope, Two Tales: using plant and cosmogenic 14C to constrain Holocene glacier activity on Baffin Island.

Science.gov (United States)

Pendleton, S.; Miller, G. H.; Lifton, N. A.; Young, N. E.

2017-12-01

As the cryosphere continues to undergo rapid and accelerating change, it is more important than ever to understand past glacier activity to predict the future of the cryosphere. However, continuous Holocene glacier records are notoriously difficult to reconstruct because an advancing glacier will re-incorporate previous deposits so that moraines typically only record the farthest downvalley glacier expansion. Here we combine dates of ice margin advance from in situ dead vegetation with in situ cosmogenic 14C (in situ 14C) from preserved bedrock surfaces at the same locations to further constrain the timing of ice-free episodes during the Holocene following deglaciation on southern Baffin Island. Radiocarbon ages from recently exposed in situ plants suggest that ice last advanced over sample locations at 9.4, 9.2, 9.0, and 3.7 ka and that they remained ice covered until modern times. Associated in situ 14C inventories are variable, but well above background levels, suggesting some amount of Holocene in situ 14C production. Using plant 14C ages representing the beginning of ice coverage and in situ 14C inventories representative of exposure prior to ice coverage, a simple model of cosmogenic in situ 14C production (accounting for muon production through ice) provides constraints timing and duration of ice-free times at sample locations prior to their most recent burial. Using conservative Holocene ice thicknesses, the locations buried at 9.4, 9.2, and 9.0 ka require, at minimum, 1000 years of pre-burial exposure to match the observed in situ 14C inventory. This suggests these locations were ice free by at least 10 ka and likely earlier. The in situ 14C inventory at the location buried at 3.7 ka limits prior exposure to 2000 years, suggesting that this location experienced more complex Holocene ice cover/burial history. These pilot data show that valuable information regarding periods of exposure is contained within in situ 14C inventories. Additional paired plant and

Search for Muon neutrino → Tau neutrino oscillations motivation and feasibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zacek, V.

1988-01-01

Theoretical prejudices derived from solar-neutrino matter oscillations and assumptions of neutrino mass hierarchies suggest, that neutrino-oscillations are observable in laboratory with mass parameters of Δm 2 = 10 -3 -10 4 eV 2 . In particular Muon neutrino → Tau neutrino appearance searches at accelerators seem strongly motivated

Surface Uplift Rate Constrained by Multiple Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclides: Theory and Application from the Central Andean Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

McPhillips, D. F.; Hoke, G. D.; Niedermann, S.; Wittmann, H.

2015-12-01

proxies, cosmogenic nuclides potentially provide better constraints on surface uplift in places where assumptions about paleo-atmospheric conditions are hard to constrain and justify. F. S. Kober et al. (2007), Geomorphology, 83, 97-110. G. D. Hoke et al. (2007), Tectonics, 26, doi:10.1029/2006TC002082.

Constraints on majoron dark matter from cosmic microwave background and astrophysical observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lattanzi, Massimiliano, E-mail: lattanzi@fe.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Science della Terra, Università di Ferrara and INFN, sezione di Ferrara, Polo Scientifico e Tecnologico - Edificio C Via Saragat, 1, I-44122 Ferrara Italy (Italy); Riemer-Sørensen, Signe [School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Queensland (Australia); Tórtola, Mariam; Valle, J.W.F. [AHEP Group, Instituto de Física Corpuscular – C.S.I.C./Universitat de València Campus de Paterna, Apt 22085, E-46071 València (Spain)

2014-04-01

The origin of dark matter and the generation of neutrino masses could be related if neutrino masses arise from the spontaneous violation of ungauged lepton number. In this case the associated Nambu–Goldstone boson, the majoron, could acquire a mass from non-perturbative gravitational effects and play the role of DM. Here we report our cosmological and astrophysical constraints on majoron dark matter coming from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and a variety of X- and γ-ray observations.

Constraints on majoron dark matter from cosmic microwave background and astrophysical observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattanzi, Massimiliano; Riemer-Sørensen, Signe; Tórtola, Mariam; Valle, J.W.F.

2014-01-01

The origin of dark matter and the generation of neutrino masses could be related if neutrino masses arise from the spontaneous violation of ungauged lepton number. In this case the associated Nambu–Goldstone boson, the majoron, could acquire a mass from non-perturbative gravitational effects and play the role of DM. Here we report our cosmological and astrophysical constraints on majoron dark matter coming from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and a variety of X- and γ-ray observations

Non-unitarity, sterile neutrinos, and non-standard neutrino interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blennow, Mattias [Department of Theoretical Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Center, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Coloma, Pilar [Theoretical Physics Department, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Fernandez-Martinez, Enrique; Hernandez-Garcia, Josu [Departamento de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC, Calle Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, Cantoblanco E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Lopez-Pavon, Jacobo [INFN, Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy); CERN, Theoretical Physics Department, Geneva (Switzerland)

2017-04-27

The simplest Standard Model extension to explain neutrino masses involves the addition of right-handed neutrinos. At some level, this extension will impact neutrino oscillation searches. In this work we explore the differences and similarities between the case in which these neutrinos are kinematically accessible (sterile neutrinos) or not (mixing matrix non-unitarity). We clarify apparent inconsistencies in the present literature when using different parametrizations to describe these effects and recast both limits in the popular neutrino non-standard interaction (NSI) formalism. We find that, in the limit in which sterile oscillations are averaged out at the near detector, their effects at the far detector coincide with non-unitarity at leading order, even in presence of a matter potential. We also summarize the present bounds existing in both limits and compare them with the expected sensitivities of near-future facilities taking the DUNE proposal as a benchmark. We conclude that non-unitarity effects are too constrained to impact present or near future neutrino oscillation facilities but that sterile neutrinos can play an important role at long baseline experiments. The role of the near detector is also discussed in detail.

New neutrino physics and the altered shapes of solar neutrino spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Ilídio

2017-01-01

Neutrinos coming from the Sun's core have been measured with high precision, and fundamental neutrino oscillation parameters have been determined with good accuracy. In this work, we estimate the impact that a new neutrino physics model, the so-called generalized Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) oscillation mechanism, has on the shape of some of leading solar neutrino spectra, some of which will be partially tested by the next generation of solar neutrino experiments. In these calculations, we use a high-precision standard solar model in good agreement with helioseismology data. We found that the neutrino spectra of the different solar nuclear reactions of the pp chains and carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle have quite distinct sensitivities to the new neutrino physics. The He P and 8B neutrino spectra are the ones in which their shapes are more affected when neutrinos interact with quarks in addition to electrons. The shapes of the 15O and 17F neutrino spectra are also modified, although in these cases the impact is much smaller. Finally, the impact in the shapes of the P P and 13N neutrino spectra is practically negligible.

The NESSiE way to searches for sterile neutrinos at FNAL

Science.gov (United States)

Stanco, L.; NESSiE Collaboration

2016-04-01

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle θ13 in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small L/E, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. Its recent proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far ones. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the undergoing project of a multi-site Liquid-Argon detectors at FNAL. The experiment to be possibly setup at Booster will allow to definitively clarify the current νμ disappearance tension with νe appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale.

Solar neutrino observations and neutrino oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuo, T.K.; Pantaleone, J.

1990-01-01

The results of recent Kamiokande-II and 37 Cl solar-neutrino experiments are quantitatively analyzed assuming the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein solution to the solar-neutrino problem. It is found that the parameter region known as the ''large mass'' solution to the solar-neutrino problem is disfavored by a little more than 1 σ while the ''small mass'' and ''large angle'' solutions are in good agreement at this level. The implications on this analysis from time variations in the data are discussed

JUNO. Determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy using reactor neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wonsak, Bjoern [Hamburg University, Inst. Exp. Phys., Hamburg (Germany)

2015-07-01

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a medium-baseline reactor neutrino experiment located in China. Its aim is to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy at more than 3 sigma significance after six years of data taking by using a 20kt liquid scintillator detector. To achieve this goal, an energy resolution of less than 3%/√(E) is necessary, creating strict requirements on the detector design and the liquid scintillator. Moreover, JUNO will be the only experiment in the near future able to measure the solar mixing parameters with a precision of better than 1%. This is at the same level as our current knowledge on flavour mixing in the quark sector, marking an important milestone of neutrino physics. In addition, supernova neutrinos, geo-neutrinos, sterile neutrinos as well as solar and atmospheric neutrinos can be studied. JUNO was approved in 2013 and the construction of the underground facility started early this year. In this talk the status of the experiment and its prospects is discussed.

Neutrino GDR meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar-Saavedra, J.A.; Camilleri, L.; Mention, G.; VanElewyck, V.; Verderi, M.; Blondel, A.; Augier, C.; Bellefon, A. de; Coc, A.; Duchesneau, D.; Favier, J.; Lesgourgues, J.; Payet, J.

2006-01-01

The purpose of the neutrino GDR (research program coordination) is to federate the activities of French research teams devoted to studying the neutrino. The presentations have been organized on 2 days. A review of the present status of the theoretical and experimental knowledge on neutrinos on a worldwide basis has been made on the first day while the second day has been dedicated to reporting the activities of the 5 following working groups: 1) determination of neutrino parameters, 2) physics beyond the standard model, 3) neutrinos in the universe, 4) neutrino detection, and 5) common tools. During the first day the American neutrino research program has been presented through the description of the 2 neutrino detection systems: Nova and Minor. The following neutrino experiments involving nuclear reactors: Chooz (France), Daya-bay (China), Reno (Korea) and Angra (Brazil) have also been reviewed. This document is made up of the slides of the presentations

Probing the nature of the neutrino: The boron solar-neutrino experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raghavan, R.S.; Pakvasa, S.

1988-01-01

With a welter of neutrino scenarios and uncertain solar models to be unraveled, can solar-neutrino experiments really break new ground in neutrino physics? A new solar-neutrino detector BOREX, based on the nuclide /sup 11/B, promises the tools for a definitive exploration of the nature of the neutrino and the structure of the Sun. Using double-mode detection by neutrino excitation of /sup 11/B via the neutral-weak-current- and the charged-current-mediated inverse β decay in the same target, independent measurements of the total neutrino flux regardless of flavor and the survival of electron neutrinos in solar matter and a vacuum can be made. Standard models of the Sun, and almost every proposed nonstandard model of the neutrino, can be subjected to sharp and direct tests. The development of BOREX, based on B-loaded liquid-scintillation techniques, is currently in progress

WebCN: A web-based computation tool for in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma Xiuzeng [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)]. E-mail: hongju@purdue.edu; Li Yingkui [Department of Geography, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Bourgeois, Mike [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Caffee, Marc [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Elmore, David [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Granger, Darryl [Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Muzikar, Paul [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Smith, Preston [Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

2007-06-15

Cosmogenic nuclide techniques are increasingly being utilized in geoscience research. For this it is critical to establish an effective, easily accessible and well defined tool for cosmogenic nuclide computations. We have been developing a web-based tool (WebCN) to calculate surface exposure ages and erosion rates based on the nuclide concentrations measured by the accelerator mass spectrometry. WebCN for {sup 10}Be and {sup 26}Al has been finished and published at http://www.physics.purdue.edu/primelab/for{sub u}sers/rockage.html. WebCN for {sup 36}Cl is under construction. WebCN is designed as a three-tier client/server model and uses the open source PostgreSQL for the database management and PHP for the interface design and calculations. On the client side, an internet browser and Microsoft Access are used as application interfaces to access the system. Open Database Connectivity is used to link PostgreSQL and Microsoft Access. WebCN accounts for both spatial and temporal distributions of the cosmic ray flux to calculate the production rates of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides at the Earth's surface.

Neutrino Physics

CERN Document Server

Barenboim, G.

2014-12-10

The Standard Model has been incredibly successful in predicting the outcome of almost all the experiments done up so far. In it, neutrinos are mass-less. However, in recent years we have accumulated evidence pointing to tiny masses for the neutrinos (as compared to the charged leptons). These masses allow neutrinos to change their flavour and oscillate. In these lectures I review the properties of neutrinos in and beyond the Standard Model.

Neutrino masses and oscillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smirnov, A Yu

1996-11-01

New effects related to refraction of neutrinos in different media are reviewed and implication of the effects to neutrino mass and mixing are discussed. Patterns of neutrino masses and mixing implied by existing hints/bounds are described. Recent results on neutrino mass generation are presented. They include neutrino masses in SO(10) GUT`s and models with anomalous U(1), generation of neutrino mass via neutrino-neutralino mixing, models of sterile neutrino. (author). 95 refs, 9 figs.

Phenomenology of neutrino oscillations at the neutrino factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Jian

2011-01-01

We consider the prospects for a neutrino factory measuring mixing angles, the CP violating phase and mass-squared differences by detecting wrong-charge muons arising from the chain μ + → ν e → ν μ → μ - and the right-charge muons coming from the chain μ + → anti ν μ → anti ν μ → μ - (similar to μ - chains), where ν e → ν μ and anti ν μ → anti ν μ are neutrino oscillation channels through a long baseline. First, we study physics with near detectors and consider the treatment of systematic errors including cross section errors, flux errors, and background uncertainties. We illustrate for which measurements near detectors are required, discuss how many are needed, and what the role of the flux monitoring is. We demonstrate that near detectors are mandatory for the leading atmospheric parameter measurements if the neutrino factory has only one baseline, whereas systematic errors partially cancel if the neutrino factory complex includes the magic baseline. Second, we perform the baseline and energy optimization of the neutrino factory including the latest simulation results from the magnetized iron neutrino detector (MIND). We also consider the impact of τ decays, generated by appearance channels ν μ → ν τ and ν e → ν τ , on the discovery reaches of the mass orderings, the leptonic CP violation, and the non-zero θ 13 , which we find to be negligible for the considered detector. Third, we make a comparison of a high energy neutrino factory to a low energy neutrino factory and find that they are just two versions of the same experiment optimized for different regions of the parameter space. In addition, we briefly comment on whether it is useful to build the bi-magic baseline at the low energy neutrino factory. Finally, the effects of one additional massive sterile neutrino are discussed in the context of a combined short and long baseline setup. It is found that near detectors can provide the required sensitivity at the

Cosmological imprints of frozen-in light sterile neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roland, Samuel B.; Shakya, Bibhushan, E-mail: rolandsa@umich.edu, E-mail: bshakya@umich.edu [Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2017-05-01

We investigate observable cosmological aspects of sterile neutrino dark matter produced via the freeze-in mechanism. The study is performed in a framework that admits many cosmologically interesting variations: high temperature production via annihilation processes from higher dimensional operators or low temperature production from decays of a scalar, with the decaying scalar in or out of equilibrium with the thermal bath, in supersymmetric or non-supersymmetric setups, thus allowing us to both extract generic properties and highlight features unique to particular variations. We find that while such sterile neutrinos are generally compatible with all cosmological constraints, interesting scenarios can arise where dark matter is cold, warm, or hot, has nontrivial momentum distributions, or provides contributions to the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom N {sub eff} during Big Bang nucleosynthesis large enough to be probed by future measurements.

Three neutrino flavors: Oscillations, mixing, and the solar-neutrino problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantaleone, J.

1991-01-01

An analytical, quantitative description of solar-neutrino propagation is presented which includes three flavors, matter dependence, and long-wavelength effects. Using the derived expression for the electron-neutrino survival probability, it is demonstrated that mixing is possible between the two-flavor Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein and two-flavor long-wavelength solutions to the solar-neutrino problem. However, adiabatic conversion of a neutrino mass eigenstate tends to suppress all subsequent long-wavelength effects such as ''seasonal'' variations in the solar-neutrino flux

Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beier, E.W.

1992-03-01

This document is a technical progress report on work performed at the University of Pennsylvania during the current year on the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory project. The motivation for the experiment is the measurement of neutrinos emitted by the sun. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a second generation dedicated solar neutrino experiment which will extend the results of our work with the Kamiokande II detector by measuring three reactions of neutrinos rather than the single reaction measured by the Kamiokande experiment. The collaborative project includes physicists from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Full funding for the construction of this facility was obtained in January 1990, and its construction is estimated to take five years. The motivation for the SNO experiment is to study the fundamental properties of neutrinos, in particular the mass and mixing parameters, which remain undetermined after decades of experiments in neutrino physics utilizing accelerators and reactors as sources of neutrinos. To continue the study of neutrino properties it is necessary to use the sun as a neutrino source. The long distance to the sun makes the search for neutrino mass sensitive to much smaller mass than can be studied with terrestrial sources. Furthermore, the matter density in the sun is sufficiently large to enhance the effects of small mixing between electron neutrinos and mu or tau neutrinos. This experiment, when combined with the results of the radiochemical 37 Cl and 71 Ga experiments and the Kamiokande II experiment, should extend our knowledge of these fundamental particles, and as a byproduct, improve our understanding of energy generation in the sun

Resonant spin-flavor precession of neutrino and the solar neutrino problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmedov, E.Kh.; Bychuk, O.V.; AN SSSR, Moscow

1989-01-01

Resonant amplification of spin-flavor precession of neutrinos in solar matter is considered. Some possible consequences of the process are discussed. It is shown that resonant spin-flavor neutrino precession may account for the deficit of solar neutrinos in Davis' experiment and the anticorrelation between the rate of neutrino counting and solar activity. Experiments are considered which should make it possible to distinguish between spin-flavor neutrino precession and the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect. A new restriction on the usual spin precession of solar neutrinos is derived

Neutrino Physics at Drexel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lane, Charles [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Dolinski, Michelle [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Neilson, Russell [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2017-07-11

Our primary goal is to improve the understanding of the properties and interactions of neutrinos. We are pursuing this by means of the DUNE long-baseline and PROSPECT short-baseline neutrino experiments. For DUNE, a neutrino beam from Fermilab will be detected at the SURF facility in South Dakota, with the aim of determining the neutrino mass hierarchy (the mass ordering of neutrino flavors), and a measurement or limit on CP-violation via neutrinos. Our near-term experimental goal is to improve the characterization of the neutrino beam by measurements of muons produced as a byproduct of neutrino beam generation, to quantify the beam composition and flux. The short-range neutrino program has the aim of using the HFIR reactor at Oak Ridge as a neutrino source, with a detector placed nearby to find if there are short-distance oscillations to sterile neutrino flavors, and to resolve the 'reactor neutrino spectral anomaly' which has shown up as an unexplained 'bump' in the neutrino energy spectrum in recent experiments.

Massive neutrinos flavor mixing of leptons and neutrino oscillations

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

Since the discovery of neutrino oscillations neutrino physics has become an interesting field of research in physics. They imply that neutrino must have a small mass and that the neutrinos, coupled to the charged leptons, are mixtures of the mass eigenstates, analogous to the flavor mixing of the quarks. The mixing angles for the quarks are small, but for the leptons two of the mixing angles are large. The masses of the three neutrinos must be very small, less than 1 eV, but from the oscillation experiments we only know the mass differences — the absolute masses are still unknown. Also we do not know, if the masses of the neutrinos are Dirac masses, as the masses of the charged leptons and of the quarks, or whether they are Majorana masses. In this volume, an overview of the present state of research in neutrino physics is given by well-known experimentalists and theorists. The contents — originated from talks and discussions at a recent conference addressing some of the most pressing open questions in n...

Los Neutrinos Los Neutrinos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julián Félix

2012-02-01

Full Text Available From all the proposals to understand the structure of matter, and the way the natural world is conformed, the one about neutrinos is the most enigmatic, abstract, and foreign to immediate experience; however, this is the one that has delved more deeply over the nearly eighty years since it was formulated by Wolfgang Pauli –in 1930- as a radical proposition to understand nucleon decay, and the decay of other particles, without the violation of the principle of conservation of energy and momentum at subatomic level. This proposition has evolved through the years, and from Pauli’s original idea only the basic elements remain.This article contains the tale of the hypothesis of neutrinos, its early history, its evolution up to present day, and the efforts done nowadays to study them. In summary, this is the physics of neutrinos. De todas las propuestas para entender la estructura de la materia, y la conformación del mundo natural, los neutrinos es la más enigmática, abstracta, y ajena a la experiencia inmediata; sin embargo, es la que más hondo ha ido calando a lo largo de los ya casi ochenta años de haber sido formulada por Wolfgang Pauli –en el año 1930- como una medida radical para entender el decaimiento de los nucleones, y otras partículas, sin que se violara el principio de la conservación de la energía y del momento a nivel subatómico. La propuesta ha evolucionado a lo largo de los años, y de la idea original de Pauli ya sólo lo básico permanece. En este artículo está el relato de la hipótesis de los neutrinos, su historia primera, su evolución hasta el presente, los esfuerzos que en la actualidad se realizan para estudiarlos. En breve, ésta es la física de los neutrinos.

The Intermediate Neutrino Program

CERN Document Server

Adams, C.; Ankowski, A.M.; Asaadi, J.A.; Ashenfelter, J.; Axani, S.N.; Babu, K.; Backhouse, C.; Band, H.R.; Barbeau, P.S.; Barros, N.; Bernstein, A.; Betancourt, M.; Bishai, M.; Blucher, E.; Bouffard, J.; Bowden, N.; Brice, S.; Bryan, C.; Camilleri, L.; Cao, J.; Carlson, J.; Carr, R.E.; Chatterjee, A.; Chen, M.; Chen, S.; Chiu, M.; Church, E.D.; Collar, J.I.; Collin, G.; Conrad, J.M.; Convery, M.R.; Cooper, R.L.; Cowen, D.; Davoudiasl, H.; de Gouvea, A.; Dean, D.J.; Deichert, G.; Descamps, F.; DeYoung, T.; Diwan, M.V.; Djurcic, Z.; Dolinski, M.J.; Dolph, J.; Donnelly, B.; Dwyer, D.A.; Dytman, S.; Efremenko, Y.; Everett, L.L.; Fava, A.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Fleming, B.; Friedland, A.; Fujikawa, B.K.; Gaisser, T.K.; Galeazzi, M.; Galehouse, D.C.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Garvey, G.T.; Gautam, S.; Gilje, K.E.; Gonzalez-Garcia, M.; Goodman, M.C.; Gordon, H.; Gramellini, E.; Green, M.P.; Guglielmi, A.; Hackenburg, R.W.; Hackenburg, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hans, S.; Harris, D.; Heeger, K.M.; Herman, M.; Hill, R.; Holin, A.; Huber, P.; Jaffe, D.E.; Johnson, R.A.; Joshi, J.; Karagiorgi, G.; Kaufman, L.J.; Kayser, B.; Kettell, S.H.; Kirby, B.J.; Klein, J.R.; Kolomensky, Yu. G.; Kriske, R.M.; Lane, C.E.; Langford, T.J.; Lankford, A.; Lau, K.; Learned, J.G.; Ling, J.; Link, J.M.; Lissauer, D.; Littenberg, L.; Littlejohn, B.R.; Lockwitz, S.; Lokajicek, M.; Louis, W.C.; Luk, K.; Lykken, J.; Marciano, W.J.; Maricic, J.; Markoff, D.M.; Martinez Caicedo, D.A.; Mauger, C.; Mavrokoridis, K.; McCluskey, E.; McKeen, D.; McKeown, R.; Mills, G.; Mocioiu, I.; Monreal, B.; Mooney, M.R.; Morfin, J.G.; Mumm, P.; Napolitano, J.; Neilson, R.; Nelson, J.K.; Nessi, M.; Norcini, D.; Nova, F.; Nygren, D.R.; Orebi Gann, G.D.; Palamara, O.; Parsa, Z.; Patterson, R.; Paul, P.; Pocar, A.; Qian, X.; Raaf, J.L.; Rameika, R.; Ranucci, G.; Ray, H.; Reyna, D.; Rich, G.C.; Rodrigues, P.; Romero, E.Romero; Rosero, R.; Rountree, S.D.; Rybolt, B.; Sanchez, M.C.; Santucci, G.; Schmitz, D.; Scholberg, K.; Seckel, D.; Shaevitz, M.; Shrock, R.; Smy, M.B.; Soderberg, M.; Sonzogni, A.; Sousa, A.B.; Spitz, J.; St. John, J.M.; Stewart, J.; Strait, J.B.; Sullivan, G.; Svoboda, R.; Szelc, A.M.; Tayloe, R.; Thomson, M.A.; Toups, M.; Vacheret, A.; Vagins, M.; Van de Water, R.G.; Vogelaar, R.B.; Weber, M.; Weng, W.; Wetstein, M.; White, C.; White, B.R.; Whitehead, L.; Whittington, D.W.; Wilking, M.J.; Wilson, R.J.; Wilson, P.; Winklehner, D.; Winn, D.R.; Worcester, E.; Yang, L.; Yeh, M.; Yokley, Z.W.; Yoo, J.; Yu, B.; Yu, J.; Zhang, C.

2015-01-01

The US neutrino community gathered at the Workshop on the Intermediate Neutrino Program (WINP) at Brookhaven National Laboratory February 4-6, 2015 to explore opportunities in neutrino physics over the next five to ten years. Scientists from particle, astroparticle and nuclear physics participated in the workshop. The workshop examined promising opportunities for neutrino physics in the intermediate term, including possible new small to mid-scale experiments, US contributions to large experiments, upgrades to existing experiments, R&D plans and theory. The workshop was organized into two sets of parallel working group sessions, divided by physics topics and technology. Physics working groups covered topics on Sterile Neutrinos, Neutrino Mixing, Neutrino Interactions, Neutrino Properties and Astrophysical Neutrinos. Technology sessions were organized into Theory, Short-Baseline Accelerator Neutrinos, Reactor Neutrinos, Detector R&D and Source, Cyclotron and Meson Decay at Rest sessions.This report summ...

Neutrino mixing and R{sub K} anomaly in U(1){sub X} models: a bottom-up approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatia, Disha; Chakraborty, Sabyasachi; Dighe, Amol [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,Mumbai 400005 (India)

2017-03-22

We identify a class of U(1){sub X} models which can explain the R{sub K} anomaly and the neutrino mixing pattern, by using a bottom-up approach. The different X-charges of lepton generations account for the lepton universality violation required to explain R{sub K}. In addition to the three right-handed neutrinos needed for the Type-I seesaw mechanism, these minimal models only introduce an additional doublet Higgs and a singlet scalar. While the former helps in reproducing the quark mixing structure, the latter gives masses to neutrinos and the new gauge boson Z{sup ′}. Our bottom-up approach determines the X-charges of all particles using theoretical consistency and experimental constraints. We find the parameter space allowed by the constraints from neutral meson mixing, rare b→s decays and direct collider searches for Z{sup ′}. Such a Z{sup ′} may be observable at the ongoing run of the Large Hadron Collider with a few hundred fb{sup −1} of integrated luminosity.

Underground neutrino astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1983-02-01

A review is made of possible astronomical neutrino sources detectable with underground facilities. Comments are made about solar neutrinos and gravitational-collapse neutrinos, and particular emphasis is placed on ultra-high-energy astronomical neutrino sources. An appendix mentions the exotic possibility of monopolonium

Cosmogenic radioberyllium and background radiation dose to the general public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poeschl, M.; Ohera, M.

2008-01-01

To discover the causes of the presence of abnormal Be concentrations (anthropogenic or natural or cosmogenic source) in the area of the Kralicky Sneznik mountain massive (in the northeast of the Czech Republic, altitude of about 800 m), concentrations of 7 Be and 10 Be were also assayed in selected environmental components in the years of 2005 - 2007. The 10 Be concentrations in soils (80.39x10 6 - 210.45x10 6 atom g -1 ) and activity concentrations of 7 Be in soils and wet deposition were very low (1.3 - 5.3 Bq kg -1 and 0.6 - 4.5 Bq l -1 , resp.). However, activities of 7 Be in birch leaves and grass (dry matter) reached relatively high values (up to 1000 Bq kg -1 ) and, in addition, showed out their significant seasonal growth. In the work the probable contribution of the cosmogenic 7 Be activities to background radiation dose to the general public is discussed. (authors)

Neutrinos: Theory and Phenomenology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parke, Stephen

2013-10-22

The theory and phenomenology of neutrinos will be addressed, especially that relating to the observation of neutrino flavor transformations. The current status and implications for future experiments will be discussed with special emphasis on the experiments that will determine the neutrino mass ordering, the dominant flavor content of the neutrino mass eigenstate with the smallest electron neutrino content and the size of CP violation in the neutrino sector. Beyond the neutrino Standard Model, the evidence for and a possible definitive experiment to confirm or refute the existence of light sterile neutrinos will be briefly discussed.

Search for sterile neutrinos at a new short-baseline CERN neutrino beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauri, N.

2014-01-01

In the last few years the experimental results on neutrino/anti-neutrino oscillations at Short-Baseline (SBL) showed a tension with several phenomenological models. The recent and carefully recomputed anti-neutrino fluxes from nuclear reactors have further increased this tension drawing a picture not fully compatible with the 3 neutrino oscillation scenario. A sterile neutrino is a neutral lepton which does not couple with W/Z bosons. it is not an exotic particle, its existence being a natural consequence of neutrinos having a non-zero mass. Sterile neutrinos can mix with the active ones through additional mass eigenstates, with no necessary mass scale. We will present an experimental search for sterile neutrinos with a new CERN-SPS neutrino beam using muon spectrometers and large LAr detectors. To definitely clarify the physics issue, the proposed experiment will study oscillations in a muon neutrino / antineutrino beam both in appearance and disappearance modes, exploring the Δm 2 ∼ 1 eV 2 range

The Intermediate Neutrino Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, C.; et al.

2015-03-23

The US neutrino community gathered at the Workshop on the Intermediate Neutrino Program (WINP) at Brookhaven National Laboratory February 4-6, 2015 to explore opportunities in neutrino physics over the next five to ten years. Scientists from particle, astroparticle and nuclear physics participated in the workshop. The workshop examined promising opportunities for neutrino physics in the intermediate term, including possible new small to mid-scale experiments, US contributions to large experiments, upgrades to existing experiments, R&D plans and theory. The workshop was organized into two sets of parallel working group sessions, divided by physics topics and technology. Physics working groups covered topics on Sterile Neutrinos, Neutrino Mixing, Neutrino Interactions, Neutrino Properties and Astrophysical Neutrinos. Technology sessions were organized into Theory, Short-Baseline Accelerator Neutrinos, Reactor Neutrinos, Detector R&D and Source, Cyclotron and Meson Decay at Rest sessions.This report summarizes discussion and conclusions from the workshop.

The Intermediate Neutrino Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, C. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Alonso, J. R. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Ankowski, A. M. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Asaadi, J. A. [Syracuse Univ., NY (United States); Ashenfelter, J. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Axani, S. N. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Babu, K [Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (United States); Backhouse, C. [California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Band, H. R. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Barbeau, P. S. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States); Barros, N. [Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bernstein, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Betancourt, M. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Bishai, M. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Blucher, E. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Bouffard, J. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Albany, NY (United States); Bowden, N. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Brice, S. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Bryan, C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Camilleri, L. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Cao, J. [Inst. of High Energy Physics, Beijing (China); Carlson, J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Carr, R. E. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Chatterjee, A. [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Chen, M. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Chen, S. [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); Chiu, M. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Church, E. D. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Collar, J. I. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Collin, G. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Conrad, J. M. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Convery, M. R. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Cooper, R. L. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Cowen, D. [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Davoudiasl, H. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Gouvea, A. D. [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Dean, D. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Deichert, G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Descamps, F. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); DeYoung, T. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Diwan, M. V. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Djurcic, Z. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Dolinski, M. J. [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Dolph, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Donnelly, B. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Dwyer, D. A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Dytman, S. [Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Efremenko, Y. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Everett, L. L. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Fava, A. [University of Padua, Padova (Italy); Figueroa-Feliciano, E. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Fleming, B. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Friedland, A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Fujikawa, B. K. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Gaisser, T. K. [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Galeazzi, M. [Univ. of Miami, FL (United States); Galehouse, DC [Univ. of Akron, OH (United States); Galindo-Uribarri, A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Garvey, G. T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gautam, S. [Tribhuvan Univ., Kirtipur (Nepal); Gilje, K. E. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Gonzalez-Garcia, M. [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Goodman, M. C. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Gordon, H. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Gramellini, E. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Green, M. P. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Guglielmi, A. [University of Padua, Padova (Italy); Hackenburg, R. W. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Hackenburg, A. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Halzen, F. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Han, K. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Hans, S. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Harris, D. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Heeger, K. M. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Herman, M. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Hill, R. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Holin, A. [Univ. College London, Bloomsbury (United Kingdom); Huber, P. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Jaffe, D. E. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Johnson, R. A. [Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States); Joshi, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Karagiorgi, G. [Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom); Kaufman, L. J. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Kayser, B. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Kettell, S. H. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Kirby, B. J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Klein, J. R. [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Kolomensky, Y. G. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Kriske, R. M. [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States); Lane, C. E. [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Langford, T. J. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Lankford, A. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Lau, K. [Univ. of Houston, TX (United States); Learned, J. G. [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); Ling, J. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Link, J. M. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Lissauer, D. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Littenberg, L. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Littlejohn, B. R. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Lockwitz, S. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Lokajicek, M. [Inst. of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic); Louis, W. C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Luk, K. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lykken, J. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Marciano, W. J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Maricic, J. [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); Markoff, D. M. [North Carolina Central Univ., Durham, NC (United States); Caicedo, D. A. M. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Mauger, C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Mavrokoridis, K. [Univ. of Liverpool (United Kingdom); McCluskey, E. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); McKeen, D. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); McKeown, R. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Mills, G. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Mocioiu, I. [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Monreal, B. [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Mooney, M. R. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Morfin, J. G. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Mumm, P. [National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States); Napolitano, J. [Temple Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Neilson, R. [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Nelson, J. K. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States); Nessi, M. [European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Norcini, D. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Nova, F. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Nygren, D. R. [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Gann, GDO [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Palamara, O. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Parsa, Z. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Patterson, R. [California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Paul, P. [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Pocar, A. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Qian, X. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Raaf, J. L. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Rameika, R. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Ranucci, G. [National Inst. of Nuclear Physics, Milano (Italy); Ray, H. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States); Reyna, D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Rich, G. C. [Triangle Universities Nuclear Lab., Durham, NC (United States); Rodrigues, P. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States); Romero, E. R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Rosero, R. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Rountree, S. D. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Rybolt, B. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Sanchez, M. C. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States); Santucci, G. [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Schmitz, D. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Scholberg, K. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States); Seckel, D. [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Shaevitz, M. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Shrock, R. [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Smy, M. B. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Soderberg, M. [Syracuse Univ., NY (United States); Sonzogni, A. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Sousa, A. B. [Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States); Spitz, J. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); John, J. M. S. [Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States); Stewart, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Strait, J. B. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Sullivan, G. [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Svoboda, R. [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); Szelc, A. M. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Tayloe, R. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Thomson, M. A. [Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom); Toups, M. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Vacheret, A. [Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom); Vagins, M. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Water, R. G. V. D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vogelaar, R. B. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Weber, M. [Bern (Switzerland); Weng, W. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Wetstein, M. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); White, C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); White, B. R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Whitehead, L. [Univ. of Houston, TX (United States); Whittington, D. W. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Wilking, M. J. [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Wilson, R. J. [Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States); Wilson, P. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Winklehner, D. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Winn, D. R. [Fairfield Univ., CT (United States); Worcester, E. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Yang, L. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Yeh, M [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Yokley, Z. W. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Yoo, J. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Yu, B. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Yu, J. [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Zhang, C. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-04-03

The US neutrino community gathered at the Workshop on the Intermediate Neutrino Program (WINP) at Brookhaven National Laboratory February 4-6, 2015 to explore opportunities in neutrino physics over the next five to ten years. Scientists from particle, astroparticle and nuclear physics participated in the workshop. The workshop examined promising opportunities for neutrino physics in the intermediate term, including possible new small to mid-scale experiments, US contributions to large experiments, upgrades to existing experiments, R&D plans and theory. The workshop was organized into two sets of parallel working group sessions, divided by physics topics and technology. Physics working groups covered topics on Sterile Neutrinos, Neutrino Mixing, Neutrino Interactions, Neutrino Properties and Astrophysical Neutrinos. Technology sessions were organized into Theory, Short-Baseline Accelerator Neutrinos, Reactor Neutrinos, Detector R&D and Source, Cyclotron and Meson Decay at Rest sessions.This report summarizes discussion and conclusions from the workshop.

Geometric phase of neutrinos: Differences between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Capolupo, A.; Giampaolo, S. M.; Hiesmayr, B. C.; Vitiello, G.

2018-05-01

We analyze the non-cyclic geometric phase for neutrinos. We find that the geometric phase and the total phase associated to the mixing phenomenon provide a theoretical tool to distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos. Our results hold for neutrinos propagating in vacuum and through the matter. We feed the values of the experimental parameters in our formulas in order to make contact with experiments. Although it remains an open question how the geometric phase of neutrinos could be detected, our theoretical results may open new scenarios in the investigation of the neutrino nature.

The Neutrinos Saga

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

La Souchere, Marie-Christine de; Moran, John

2009-04-01

The author proposes a history of the discovery and study of neutrinos. This history starts shortly after the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 with the observation of an inhomogeneous deceleration of electrons in the radioactive source which raised an issue of shortage of energy. Pauli then introduced the idea of a ghost particle which could preserve the principle of energy conservation and also the issue of statistics related to the laws of quantum mechanics. Works by the Joliot-Curies and Chadwick resulted in the identification of a neutral particle, first called a neutron, and then neutrino. The author then reports experiments performed to highlight neutrinos, and to identify different forms of neutrinos: muon, tau, lepton. She also addresses questions raised by solar neutrinos, experiments proving the metamorphosis of electron neutrinos into muon neutrinos. She discusses the interest of neutrino as cosmic messengers as they are emitted by various cosmic events, and also as a way to study dark matter

High-energy gamma-ray and neutrino backgrounds from clusters of galaxies and radio constraints

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zandanel, F.; Tamborra, I.; Gabici, S.; Ando, S.

2015-01-01

Cosmic-ray protons accumulate for cosmological times in clusters of galaxies because their typical radiative and diffusive escape times are longer than the Hubble time. Their hadronic interactions with protons of the intra-cluster medium generate secondary electrons, gamma rays, and neutrinos. In

A model of neutrino and Higgs physics at the electroweak scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aranda, Alfredo; Blanno, Omar; Diaz-Cruz, J. Lorenzo

2008-01-01

We present and explore the Higgs physics of a model that in addition to the Standard Model fields includes a lepton number violating singlet scalar field. Based on the fact that the only experimental data we have so far for physics beyond the Standard Model is that of neutrino physics, we impose a constraint for any addition not to introduce new higher scales. As such, we introduce right-handed neutrinos with an electroweak scale mass. We study the Higgs decay H→νν and show that it leads to different signatures compared to those in the Standard Model, making it possible to detect them and to probe the nature of their couplings

Identifying the neutrino mass hierarchy with supernova neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomas, Ricard

2006-01-01

We review how a high-statistics observation of the neutrino signal from a future galactic core-collapse supernova (SN) may be used to discriminate between different neutrino mixing scenarios. We discuss two complementary methods that allow for the positive identification of the mass hierarchy without knowledge of the emitted neutrino fluxes, provided that the 13-mixing angle is large, sin 2 θ 13 -5 . These two approaches are the observation of modulations in the neutrino spectra by Earth matter effects or by the passage of shock waves through the SN envelope. If the value of the 13-mixing angle is unknown, using additionally the information encoded in the prompt neutronization ν e burst-a robust feature found in all modern SN simulations-can be sufficient to fix both the neutrino hierarchy and to decide whether θ 13 is 'small' or 'large'

Neutrinos (1/3)

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2013-01-01

The neutrino, the lightest and most weakly interacting particle of the Standard Model has revealed itself as the messenger of very exciting news in particle physics: there is Physics Beyond the Standard Model. All this thanks to the quantum-mechanical phenomenon of flavour oscillations which is intrinsically connected to the question of neutrino mass and which has been observed in neutrinos produced in natural sources, like the Sun and the Earth's atmosphere, as well as with human made neutrino beams at accelerator and reactors. The purpose of these lectures is to overview some aspects of the phenomenology of massive neutrinos. I will present the simplest extensions for adding neutrino masses to the SM, and then I will describe the phenomenology associated with neutrino oscillations in vacuum and in matter and its present signatures.

Phenomenology of neutrino oscillations at the neutrino factory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Jian

2011-12-19

We consider the prospects for a neutrino factory measuring mixing angles, the CP violating phase and mass-squared differences by detecting wrong-charge muons arising from the chain {mu}{sup +} {yields} {nu}{sub e} {yields} {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {mu}{sup -} and the right-charge muons coming from the chain {mu}{sup +} {yields} anti {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} anti {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {mu}{sup -} (similar to {mu}{sup -} chains), where {nu}{sub e} {yields} {nu}{sub {mu}} and anti {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} anti {nu}{sub {mu}} are neutrino oscillation channels through a long baseline. First, we study physics with near detectors and consider the treatment of systematic errors including cross section errors, flux errors, and background uncertainties. We illustrate for which measurements near detectors are required, discuss how many are needed, and what the role of the flux monitoring is. We demonstrate that near detectors are mandatory for the leading atmospheric parameter measurements if the neutrino factory has only one baseline, whereas systematic errors partially cancel if the neutrino factory complex includes the magic baseline. Second, we perform the baseline and energy optimization of the neutrino factory including the latest simulation results from the magnetized iron neutrino detector (MIND). We also consider the impact of {tau} decays, generated by appearance channels {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} and {nu}{sub e} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}}, on the discovery reaches of the mass orderings, the leptonic CP violation, and the non-zero {theta}{sub 13}, which we find to be negligible for the considered detector. Third, we make a comparison of a high energy neutrino factory to a low energy neutrino factory and find that they are just two versions of the same experiment optimized for different regions of the parameter space. In addition, we briefly comment on whether it is useful to build the bi-magic baseline at the low energy neutrino factory. Finally, the

Study of electroweak vacuum stability from extended Higgs portal of dark matter and neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Purusottam; Saha, Abhijit Kumar; Sil, Arunansu

2018-04-01

We investigate the electroweak vacuum stability in an extended version of the Standard Model that incorporates two additional singlet scalar fields and three right-handed neutrinos. One of these extra scalars plays the role of dark matter, while the other scalar not only helps make the electroweak vacuum stable but also opens up the low-mass window of the scalar singlet dark matter (<500 GeV ). We consider the effect of large neutrino Yukawa coupling on the running of Higgs quartic coupling. We have analyzed the constraints on the model and identified the range of parameter space that is consistent with the neutrino mass, appropriate relic density, and direct search limits from the latest XENON 1T preliminary result as well as realized the stability of the electroweak vacuum up to the Planck scale.

The neutrino mirror

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vannucci, F.

2003-09-01

The neutrino is not an elementary particle like others, it is the most stunning of all: the neutrino is undetectable by itself, we have only indirect evidences of its existence, but the neutrino is essential to explain the weak interaction, to understand why matter triumphed over anti-matter just after the Big-bang, or to solve the riddle of the hidden mass of the universe. This book is a popular work dedicated to the neutrino from its discovery in beta decays to the most recent theories such as neutrino oscillations, and via the worldwide experiments dedicated to the study of the neutrinos. (A.C.)

The solar neutrino problem after the GALLEX artificial neutrino source experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vignaud, D.

1995-01-01

Using an intense 51 Cr artificial neutrino source (more than 60 PBq), the GALLEX solar neutrino collaboration has recently checked that its radiochemical detector was fully efficient for the detection of solar neutrinos. After this crucial result, the status of the solar neutrino problem is reviewed, with emphasis on how neutrino oscillations may explain (through the MSW effect) the different deficits observed in the four existing experiments. (author). 25 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Analytical treatment of neutrino asymmetry equilibration from flavor oscillations in the early universe

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Yvonne Y.

2002-07-01

A recent numerical study by A. D. Dolgov, S. H. Hansen, S. Pastor, S. T. Petcov, G. G. Raffelt, and D. V. Semikoz (DHPPRS) [Nucl. Phys. B632, 363 (2002)] found that complete or partial equilibrium between all active neutrino flavors can be achieved before the big bang nucleosynthesis epoch via flavor oscillations, if the oscillation parameters are those inferred from the atmospheric and solar neutrino data, and, in some cases, if θ13 is also sizable. As such, cosmological constraints on the electron neutrino-antineutrino asymmetry are now applicable in all three neutrino sectors. In the present work, we provide an analytical treatment of the scenarios considered in DHPPRS, and demonstrate that their results are stable even for very large initial asymmetries. The equilibration mechanism can be understood in terms of a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein-like effect for a maximally mixed and effectively monochromatic system. We also comment on the DHPPRS's choices of mixing parameters, and their handling of collisional effects, both of which could impinge on the extent of flavor equilibrium.

Non-Unitarity, sterile neutrinos, and Non-Standard neutrino Interactions

CERN Document Server

Blennow, Mattias; Fernandez-Martinez, Enrique; Hernandez-Garcia, Josu; Lopez-Pavon, Jacobo

2017-04-27

The simplest Standard Model extension to explain neutrino masses involves the addition of right-handed neutrinos. At some level, this extension will impact neutrino oscillation searches. In this work we explore the differences and similarities between the case in which these neutrinos are kinematically accessible (sterile neutrinos) or not (mixing matrix non-unitarity). We clarify apparent inconsistencies in the present literature when using different parametrizations to describe these effects and recast both limits in the popular neutrino non-standard interaction (NSI) formal- ism. We find that, in the limit in which sterile oscillations are averaged out at the near detector, their effects at the far detector coincide with non-unitarity at leading order, even in presence of a matter potential. We also summarize the present bounds existing in both limits and compare them with the expected sensitivities of near-future facilities taking the DUNE proposal as a bench- mark. We conclude that non-unitarity effects ...

Neutrino oscillations and neutrino-electron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kayser, B.; Rosen, S.P.

1980-10-01

Neutrino flavor oscillations can significantly alter the cross section for neutrino-electron scattering. As a result, such oscillations can affect the comparison between existing reactor data and theories of neutral-current processes. They may also lead to strikingly large effects in high-energy accelerator experiments

Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray, Neutrino, and Photon Propagation and the Multi-Messenger Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Andrew; De Castro, Alexandra; Castillo-Ruiz, Edith

2009-01-01

The propagation of UHECR nuclei for A = 1(protons) to A = 56(iron) from cosmological sources through extragalactic space is discussed in the first lecture. This is followed in the second and third lectures by a consideration of the generation and propagation of secondary particles produced via the UHECR loss interactions. In the second lecture we focus on the generation of the diffuse cosmogenic UHE-neutrino flux. In the third lecture we investigate the arriving flux of UHE-photon flux at Earth. In the final lecture the results of the previous lectures are put together in order to provide new insights into UHECR sources. The first of these providing a means with which to investigate the local population of UHECR sources through the measurement of the UHECR spectrum and their photon fraction at Earth. The second of these providing contraints on the UHECR source radiation fields through the possible observation at Earth of UHECR nuclei.

A tale of two modes: neutrino free-streaming in the early universe

Science.gov (United States)

Lancaster, Lachlan; Cyr-Racine, Francis-Yan; Knox, Lloyd; Pan, Zhen

2017-07-01

We present updated constraints on the free-streaming nature of cosmological neutrinos from cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization power spectra, baryonic acoustic oscillation data, and distance ladder measurements of the Hubble constant. Specifically, we consider a Fermi-like four-fermion interaction between massless neutrinos, characterized by an effective coupling constant Geff, and resulting in a neutrino opacity dot tauνpropto Geff2 Tν5. Using a conservative flat prior on the parameter log10( Geff MeV2), we find a bimodal posterior distribution with two clearly separated regions of high probability. The first of these modes is consistent with the standard ΛCDM cosmology and corresponds to neutrinos decoupling at redshift zν,dec > 1.3×105, that is before the Fourier modes probed by the CMB damping tail enter the causal horizon. The other mode of the posterior, dubbed the "interacting neutrino mode", corresponds to neutrino decoupling occurring within a narrow redshift window centered around zν,dec~8300. This mode is characterized by a high value of the effective neutrino coupling constant, log10( Geff MeV2) = -1.72 ± 0.10 (68% C.L.), together with a lower value of the scalar spectral index and amplitude of fluctuations, and a higher value of the Hubble parameter. Using both a maximum likelihood analysis and the ratio of the two mode's Bayesian evidence, we find the interacting neutrino mode to be statistically disfavored compared to the standard ΛCDM cosmology, and determine this result to be largely driven by the low-l CMB temperature data. Interestingly, the addition of CMB polarization and direct Hubble constant measurements significantly raises the statistical significance of this secondary mode, indicating that new physics in the neutrino sector could help explain the difference between local measurements of H0, and those inferred from CMB data. A robust consequence of our results is that neutrinos must be free streaming long

ABSOLUTE NEUTRINO MASSES

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schechter, J.; Shahid, M. N.

2012-01-01

We discuss the possibility of using experiments timing the propagation of neutrino beams over large distances to help determine the absolute masses of the three neutrinos.......We discuss the possibility of using experiments timing the propagation of neutrino beams over large distances to help determine the absolute masses of the three neutrinos....

Workshop: Neutrino telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Despite being the most elusive of the known particles, neutrinos provide vital new physics insights. Most neutrino knowledge so far has come from studies using beams from reactors and accelerators, but in recent years important new contributions have resulted from investigation of natural neutrinos from cosmic rays, nearby stars (the sun), or distant sources, such as the 1987 supernova. The supernova observations marked the start of a new era in neutrino astronomy, but neutrino telescopes were anyway assured of an important ongoing role

Workshop: Neutrino telescopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1990-05-15

Despite being the most elusive of the known particles, neutrinos provide vital new physics insights. Most neutrino knowledge so far has come from studies using beams from reactors and accelerators, but in recent years important new contributions have resulted from investigation of natural neutrinos from cosmic rays, nearby stars (the sun), or distant sources, such as the 1987 supernova. The supernova observations marked the start of a new era in neutrino astronomy, but neutrino telescopes were anyway assured of an important ongoing role.

Unitarity constraints on trimaximal mixing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Sanjeev

2010-01-01

When the neutrino mass eigenstate ν 2 is trimaximally mixed, the mixing matrix is called trimaximal. The middle column of the trimaximal mixing matrix is identical to tribimaximal mixing and the other two columns are subject to unitarity constraints. This corresponds to a mixing matrix with four independent parameters in the most general case. Apart from the two Majorana phases, the mixing matrix has only one free parameter in the CP conserving limit. Trimaximality results in interesting interplay between mixing angles and CP violation. A notion of maximal CP violation naturally emerges here: CP violation is maximal for maximal 2-3 mixing. Similarly, there is a natural constraint on the deviation from maximal 2-3 mixing which takes its maximal value in the CP conserving limit.

A model for pseudo-Dirac neutrinos: leptogenesis and ultra-high energy neutrinos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Y.H. [Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, Institute for Basic Science (IBS),Daejeon, 34051 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Sin Kyu [Insitute for Convergence Fundamental Study, School of Liberal Arts, Seoul-Tech.,Seoul, 01811 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, C.S. [Dept. of Physics and IPAP, Yonsei University,Seoul, 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-18

We propose a model where sterile neutrinos are introduced to make light neutrinos to be pseudo-Dirac particles. It is shown how tiny mass splitting necessary for realizing pseudo-Dirac neutrinos can be achieved. Within the model, we show how leptogenesis can be successfully generated. Motivated by the recent observation of very high energy neutrino events at IceCube, we study a possibility to observe the effects of the pseudo-Dirac property of neutrinos by performing astronomical-scale baseline experiments to uncover the oscillation effects of very tiny mass splitting. We also discuss future prospect to observe the effects of the pseudo-Dirac property of neutrinos at high energy neutrino experiments.

Cosmogenic Radionuclides in the Atmosphere: Origin and Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel Monem, A.A.

2013-01-01

The primary cosmic radiation arriving at the top of the atmosphere comprise mainly positively charged particles: protons (∼87%), alpha -particles (∼12%) and heavier nuclei such as Li, Be, B, C, O and F. Their energy spectrum peaks are in the vicinity of 1-2 GeV, but may extend up to 1018 eV. They are believed to be of galactic origin and to have been accelerated to their present energies by inters teller magnetic fields. The low energy particles ionize the atmosphere and are stopped. All other particles undergo collision with the nuclei of the atmosphere gases and produce new particles by a fragmentation process called s pallation . During nuclear spallation reactions in the atmosphere, particles are produced which may be either fragments of the target nucleus or newly created by collision. The particles produced are nuclei of H and He particularly 2 H, 3 H and 3 He as well as neutrons. The neutrons that are involved in these processes are captured by 14 N to produce 14 C (t 1/2 =5730 y). Also, produced by interaction with atmospheric N are: 3 H, 3 He, 7 Be and 10 Be. All these nuclides can also be formed by interaction with O as well as 14 C. Interaction with 40 Ar produces 26 AI, 36 CI, 38 CI, 39 CI, 32 Si, 37 Ar, 39 Ar, 22 Na, 24 Na, 35 S, 33 P and 32 P. Interaction with Kr produces 81 Kr and 85 Kr. With the exception of 3 He, all these nuclides are unstable. They either remain in the atmosphere for substantial periods of time or are rapidly removed by precipitation. Several of the cosmogenic radionuclides have reasonable long half-lives to be useful for the study of geological processes. The cosmogenic 14 C forms 14 CO 2 which is rapidly mixed with the atmosphere. Living organisms contain constant level 14 C, but when dead, the activity due to 14 C decreases with a half-life of 5730 y. Hence, it can be used to measure ages of C- containing materials. Tritium (t 1/2 =12.33 y) in the atmosphere is removed with the meteoric precipitation, which under favorable

Cosmogenic nuclides principles, concepts and applications in the earth surface sciences

CERN Document Server

Dunai, Tibor J

2010-01-01

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive and state-of-the-art introduction to the novel and fast-evolving topic of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides. It presents an accessible introduction to the theoretical foundations, with explanations of relevant concepts starting at a basic level and building in sophistication. It incorporates, and draws on, methodological discussions and advances achieved within the international CRONUS (Cosmic-Ray Produced Nuclide Systematics) networks. Practical aspects such as sampling, analytical methods and data-interpretation are discussed in detail and an essential sampling checklist is provided. The full range of cosmogenic isotopes is covered and a wide spectrum of in-situ applications are described and illustrated with specific and generic examples of exposure dating, burial dating, erosion and uplift rates and process model verification. Graduate students and experienced practitioners will find this book a vital source of information on the background concepts and...

Searches for New Physics at MiniBooNE: Sterile Neutrinos and Mixing Freedom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karagiorgi, Georgia S. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

2010-09-01

data, with and without constraints from other oscillation experiments with similar sensitivities to those models. A general search for new physics scenarios which would lead to effective non-unitarity of the standard 3 x 3 neutrino mixing matrix, or mixing freedom, is also performed using neutrino and antineutrino data available from MiniBooNE.

The ideal neutrino beams

CERN Document Server

Lindroos, Mats

2009-01-01

The advance in neutrino oscillation physics is driven by the availability of well characterized and high flux neutrino beams. The three present options for the next generation neutrino oscillation facility are super beams, neutrino factories and beta-beams. A super-beam is a very high intensity classical neutrino beam generated by protons impinging on a target where the neutrinos are generated by the secondary particles decaying in a tunnel down streams of the target. In a neutrino factory the neutrinos are generated from muons decaying in a storage ring with long straight sections pointing towards the detectors. In a beta-beam the neutrinos are also originating from decay in a storage ring but the decaying particles are radioactive ions rather than muons. I will in this presentation review the three options and discuss the pros and cons of each. The present joint design effort for a future high intensity neutrino oscillation in Europe within a common EU supported design study, EURONU, will also be presented....

50 years of neutrinos

CERN Document Server

Goldhaber, M

1980-01-01

On December 4 1930, Wolfgang Pauli addressed an "open letter" to Lise Meitner and others attending a physics meeting, suggesting the neutrino as a way out of the difficulties confronted in beta rays research, especially by the existence of a continuous beta spectrum. He proposed a new particle later called the neutrino. The prehistory leading up to Pauli's letter will be reviewed, as well as the later discovery of the electron-neutrino followed by the muon-neutrino. There are now believed to be three different types of neutrino and their anti-particles. Neutrinos have a spin 1/2; but only one spin component has been found in nature: neutrinos go forward as "left-handed" screws and anti-neutrinos as "right-handed" ones. A question still not convincingly resolved today is wether neutrinos have a mass different from zero and, if they do, what consequences this would have for the behaviour of neutrinos and for cosmology.