Given the elusive nature of neutrinos, their self-interaction is particularly difficult to probe. Nevertheless, upper limits on the strength of such an interaction can be set by using data from terrestrial experiments. In this work we focus on additional contributions to the invisible decay width of $Z$ boson as well as the leptonic $τ$ decay width in the presence of a neutrino coupling to a relatively light scalar. For invisible $Z$ decays we derive a complete set of constraints by considering both three-body bremsstrahlung as well as the loop correction to two-body decays. While the latter is usually regarded to give rather weak limits we find that through the interference with the Standard Model diagram it actually yields a competitive constraint. As far as leptonic decays of $τ$ are concerned, we derive a first limit on neutrino self-interactions that is valid across the whole mass range of a light scalar mediator. Our bounds on the neutrino self-interaction are leading for $m_ϕ\gtrsim 300$ MeV and interactions that prefer $ν_τ$. Bounds on such $ν$-philic scalar are particularly relevant in light of the recently proposed alleviation of the Hubble tension in the presence of such couplings.
We examine how a parametrization of neutrino mixing matrix reflecting quark-lepton complementarity can be probed by considering phase-averaged oscillation probabilities, flavor composition of neutrino fluxes coming from atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos and lepton flavor violating radiative decays. We discuss about some distinct features of the parametrization by comparing with the triminimal parametrization of perturbations to tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing matrix.
We reexamine sterile neutrino dark matter in gauged $U(1)_{B-L}$ model. Improvements have been made by tracing and careful evaluation of the evolution of the number densities of sterile neutrinos $N$ and extra neutral gauge bosons $Z'$. As a result, the cosmologically-interesting gauge coupling of $U(1)_{B-L}$ for freeze-in sterile neutrinos turns out to be smaller than the values reported in the literature. This avoids the overproduction of $Z'$ so that it is consistent with the big bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background constraints on the effective number of neutrino specie…
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 Hu…
In the light of refined and large reactor mixing angle $θ_{13}$, we have revisited the texture three and two zero neutrino mass matrices in the flavor basis. For Majorana neutrinos, it has been explicitly shown that all the texture three zero mass matrices remain ruled out. Further, for both normal and inverted mass ordering, for the texture two zero neutrino mass matrices one finds interesting constraints on the Dirac-like CP violating phase $δ$ and Majorana phases $ρ$ and $σ$.
We revisit the current experimental bounds on fourth-generation Majorana neutrino masses, including the effects of right handed neutrinos. Current bounds from LEPII are significantly altered by a global analysis. We show that the current bounds on fourth generation neutrinos decaying to eW and mu W can be reduced to about 80 GeV (from the current bound of 90 GeV), while a neutrino decaying to tau W can be as light as 62.1 GeV. The weakened bound opens up a neutrino decay channel for intermediate mass Higgs, and interesting multi-particle final states for Higgs and fourth generation lepton deca…
We reinvestigate the scenario that the amount of the baryons and the gravitino dark matter is naturally explained by the decay of the Q balls in the gauge-mediated SUSY breaking. Equipped by the more correct decay rates into gravitinos and baryons recently derived, we find that the scenario with the direct production of the gravitino dark matter from the Q-ball decay works naturally.
Current experimental sensitivity on neutrino magnetic moments is many orders of magnitude above the Standard Model prediction. A potential measurement of next-generation experiments would therefore strongly request new physics beyond the Standard Model. However, large neutrino magnetic moments generically tend to induce large corrections to the neutrino masses and lead to fine-tuning. We show that in a model where neutrino masses are proportional to neutrino magnetic moments. We revisit, discuss and propose mechanisms that still provide theoretical consistent explanations for a potential measu…
We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the sterile neutrino signal at the fixed target experiment PS191 operated on a proton beam of 19.2\,GeV at CERN in the eighties. We find that the strongest bounds the PS191 could obtain are significantly lower than what they published, and now are obsolete being surpassed by recent T2K, NA62, E949, TRIUMF and PIENU experiments.
We study the possibility of texture zeros in Majorana light neutrino mass matrix in the light of dark large mixing angle (DLMA) solution to solar neutrino problem where solar mixing angle ($\sin^2{θ_{12}}\simeq 0.7 $) lies in the second octant instead of first octant in standard large mixing angle (LMA) scenario ($\sin^2{θ_{12}}\simeq 0.3 $). In three neutrino scenario, we find that LMA and DLMA solutions lead to different set of allowed and disallowed textures with one and two zeros. While being consistent with existing bounds from neutrino oscillation data, neutrinoless double beta decay and…
The origin of the astrophysical neutrino flux reported by the IceCube Collaboration remains an open question. In this study, we use three years of publicly available IceCube data to search for evidence of neutrino emission from the blazars and non-blazar Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) contained the Fermi 4LAC catalog. We find no evidence that these sources produce high-energy neutrinos, and conclude that blazars can produce no more than 15% of IceCube's observed flux. The constraint we derive on the contribution from non-blazar AGN, which are less luminous and more numerous than blazars, is sign…
We re-examine the matter neutrino oscillation probabilities considering the decoherence phenomenon as a sub-leading effect. In this paper we point out the relevance of having the correct interpretation of the decoherence matrix in the different quantum bases, within the framework of neutrino oscillation probabilities in matter. Based on this treatment we develop an analytical formula for matter neutrino oscillation probabilities for three generations, with a range of application up to the decoherence parameter $Γ\sim 10^{-23}$ GeV. We observe that, due to decoherence, the amplitudes of the neu…
We study natural supersymmetric scenarios with light right-handed neutrino superfields, and consider the possibility of having either a neutrino or a sneutrino as a dark matter candidate. For the former, we evaluate the possibility of having SUSY corrections on the $ν_4\toν_\ellγ$ decay rate, such that the NuStar bounds are relaxed. We find that corrections are too small. For sneutrino dark matter, we consider thermal and non-thermal production, taking into account freeze-out, freeze-in and super-WIMP mechanisms. For the non-thermal case, we find that the $\tildeν_R$ can reproduce the observed…
We revisit the minimal supersymmetric SU(5) grand unified theory with three right-handed neutrinos in which universality conditions for soft-supersymmetry breaking parameters are imposed at an input scale above the unification scale. If the Majorana masses for the neutrinos are around $10^{15}$ GeV, large mixing angles and phases in the neutrino sector lead to flavor-violation and CP-violation in the right-handed down squark and left-handed slepton sectors. Since the observed Higgs boson mass and the proton decay constraints indicate sfermions have masses larger than a few TeV, flavor and CP c…
We present a three-flavour fit to the recent νμ--> νe and νμ--> νμT2K oscillation data with different models for the neutrino-nucleus cross section. We show that, even for a limited statistics, the allowed regions and best fit points in the (θ_{13},δ_{CP}) and (θ_{23},Δm^2_{atm}) planes are affected if, instead of using the Fermi Gas model to describe the quasielastic cross section, we employ a model including the multinucleon emission channel.
In view of the fact that the data on neutrino mixing are still compatible with a situation where Bimaximal mixing is valid in first approximation and it is then corrected by terms of order of the Cabibbo angle, arising from the diagonalization of the charged lepton masses, we construct a model based on the discrete group S4 where those properties are naturally realized. The model is supersymmetric in 4-dimensions and the complete flavour group is S4 x Z4 x U(1)_FN, which also allows to reproduce the hierarchy of the charged lepton spectrum. The only fine tuning needed in the model is to reprod…
Recent IceCube search results for sterile neutrino increased tension between the combined appearance and disappearance experiments. On the other hand, MiniBooNE latest data confirms at $4.9σ$ CL the short-baseline oscillation anomaly. We analyze published IceCube data based on two different active-sterile mixing schemes using one additional sterile neutrino flavor. We present exclusion regions in the parameter ranges $0.01 \le \sin^2 θ_{24} \le 0.1$ and $0.1~{\rm eV}^2 \le Δm^2_{42} \le 10~{\rm eV}^2$ for the mass-mixing and flavor-mixing schemes. Under the more conservative mass-mixing scheme…
We consider neutrino oscillations in vacuum in the framework of quantum field theory in which neutrino production and detection processes are part of a single Feynman diagram and the corresponding cross section is computed in the standard way, i.e. with final states represented by plane waves. We use assumptions which are realized in actual experiments and concentrate on the detection process. Moreover, we also allow for a finite time interval of length $τ$ during which the detector records neutrino events. In this context we are motivated by accelerator-neutrino oscillation experiments where …
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 mode…
We study the pseudo-Dirac mixing of left and right-handed neutrinos in the case where the Majorana masses M_L and M_R are small when compared with the Dirac mass, M_D. The light Majorana masses could be generated by a non-renormalizable operator reflecting effects of new physics at some high energy scale. In this context, we obtain a simple model independent closed bound for M_D. A phenomenologically consistent scenario is achieved with M_L,M_R ~ 10^{-7} eV and M_D ~ 10^{-5}-10^{-4} eV. This precludes the possibility of positive mass searches in the planned future experiments like GENIUS or in…
We propose an explanation for the LSND anomaly based on quantum decoherence, postulating an exponential behavior for the decoherence parameters as a function of the neutrino energy. Within this ansatz decoherence effects are suppressed for neutrino energies above 200 MeV as well as around and below few MeV, restricting deviations from standard three-flavour oscillations only to the LSND energy range of 20--50 MeV. The scenario is consistent with the global data on neutrino oscillations, alleviates the tension between LSND and KARMEN, and predicts a null-result for MiniBooNE. No sterile neutrin…
After a brief review of the minimal flavour violation hypothesis and its implementation in the MSSM, the most general parametrisation of the soft supersymmetry-breaking terms by means of the charged lepton and neutrino spurions is constructed. Thereby a type I seesaw mechanism is assumed to generate neutrino masses. This expansion introduces several new CP-violating phases, whose effects on the leptonic electric dipole moments are investigated.
Planck scale lepton number violation is an interesting and natural possibility to explain non-zero neutrino masses. We consider such operators in the context of Randall-Sundrum (RS1) scenarios. Implementation of this scenario with a single Higgs localized on the IR brane (standard RS1) is not phenomenologically viable as they lead to inconsistencies in the charged lepton mass fits. In this work we propose a set-up with two Higgs doublets. We present a detailed numerical analysis of the fits to fermion masses and mixing angles. This model solves the issues regarding the fermion mass fits but so…
In view of the advent of large-scale neutrino detectors such as IceCube, the future Hyper-Kamiokande and the ones proposed for the Laguna project in Europe, we re-examine the determination of the directional position of a Galactic supernova by means of its neutrinos using the triangulation method. We study the dependence of the pointing accuracy on the arrival time resolution of supernova neutrinos at different detectors. For a failed supernova, we expect better results due to the abrupt termination of the neutrino emission which allows one to measure the arrival time with higher precision. We…
We study effects of long-lived massive particles, which decay during the big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) epoch, on the primordial abundances of light elements. Compared to the previous studies, (i) the reaction rates of the standard BBN reactions are updated, (ii) the most recent observational data of light element abundances and cosmological parameters are used, (iii) the effects of the interconversion of energetic nucleons at the time of inelastic scatterings with background nuclei are considered, and (iv) the effects of the hadronic shower induced by energetic high energy anti-nucleons are i…
The interaction of neutrino transition magnetic dipole moments with magnetic fields can give rise to the phenomenon of neutrino spin-flavour precession (SFP). For Majorana neutrinos, the combined action of SFP of solar neutrinos and flavour oscillations would manifest itself as a small, yet potentially detectable, flux of electron antineutrinos coming from the Sun. Non-observation of such a flux constrains the product of the neutrino magnetic moment $μ$ and the strength of the solar magnetic field $B$. We derive a simple analytical expression for the expected $\barν_e$ appearance probability i…
Neutrino oscillation experiments and direct bounds on absolute masses constrain neutrino mass differences to fall into the microwave energy range, for most of the allowed parameter space. As a consequence of these recent phenomenological advances, older constraints on radiative neutrino decays based on diffuse background radiations and assuming strongly hierarchical masses in the eV range are now outdated. We thus derive new bounds on the radiative neutrino lifetime using the high precision cosmic microwave background spectral data collected by the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer instr…
Radiative Breaking of Two-Zero Neutrino Mass Minors: Revisiting the $\mathrm{U}(1)_{L_μ-L_τ}$ Model
ICRR, The University of Tokyo（东京大学宇宙射线研究所）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo（东京大学国际高等研究院 Kavli宇宙物理与数学研究所）
Precision measurement of the neutrino mixing parameters and the determination of mass hierarchy are the primary goals of the present and upcoming neutrino experiments. In this work, we study the sensitivity of T2K,NO$ν$A and LBNE experiments to discover leptonic CP violation and the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy. We obtain the correlation between the CP violating phase $δ_{CP}$ and the mixing angles $θ_{13}$, $θ_{23}$ and the sensitivity to determine the octant of atmospheric mixing angle $θ_{23}$. The entire analysis is done for a total 10 years (5$ν$+ 5$\bar ν$) of running of T2K,…
We revisit the discrete dark matter model with $A_4$ flavor symmetry originally introduced by M.Hirsch {\it et.al}. We show that radiative corrections can lead to non-zero $θ_{13}$ and non-zero mass for the lightest neutrino. We find an interesting relation among neutrino mixing parameters and it indicates the sizable deviation of $s_{23}$ from the maximal angle $s_{23}^2=1/2$ and the degenerate mass spectrum for neutrinos. Also we study the possibilities that the right-handed neutrino is a dark matter candidate. Assuming the thermal freeze-out explains observed dark matter abundance, TeV-scal…
It is interesting to investigate the OZI-forbidden radiative orthoquarkonium decays $J/ψ\to γπ^0, γη$ and $γη'$ in perturbative QCD. In this work without the approximations adopted in literature we carry out a full one-loop calculation which involves integrations of 4-point and 5-point loop functions. Our numerical results are in agreement with the present data. We also briefly discuss the decays of $J/ψ\to γ+ρ^0$, as well as $Υ\to π^0γ, ηγ, η'γ$.
The theoretical calculation for pseudo--scalars hadronic decays $K \to πa$ is reviewed. %with the Axion-Like-Particle escaping the detection, While one-loop penguin contributions are usually considered, tree-level processes have most often been overlooked in literature. Following the Lepage--Brodsky approach the tree-level contribution to the charged and neutral pseudo--scalar decay in ALP is estimated. Assuming generic ALP couplings to SM fermions, the latest NA62/E949 results for the $K^+ \to π^+ a$ decay and the present/future KOTO results for the $K^0_L \to π^0 a$ decay are used to provide…
A simple and well-motivated explanation for the origin of dark matter is that it consists of thermal relic particles that get their mass entirely through electroweak symmetry breaking. The simplest models implementing this possibility predict a dark matter candidate that consists of a mixture of two Dirac neutrinos with opposite isospin, and so has suppressed coupling to the Z. These models predict dark matter masses of m_{DM}~45 GeV or m_{DM}~90-95 GeV and WIMP-neutron spin-independent cross sections σ_{WIMP-n}~10^{-6}-10^{-8} pb. Current direct dark matter searches are probing a portion of t…
Revisiting One-Zero and Two-Zero Neutrino Mass Textures in Light of Recent Oscillation and Cosmological Data
Department of Physics, Kyushu University（九州大学物理系）；Department of Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学物理系）；Quantum and Spacetime Research Institute (QuaSR), Kyushu University（九州大学量子与时空研究机构）
We investigate the generation of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe within a SUSY SU(5) x T' model of flavour, which gives rise to realistic masses and mixing patterns for quarks and leptons. The model employs the see-saw mechanism for generation of the light neutrino masses and the baryon asymmetry is produced via leptogenesis. We perform detailed calculations of both the CP violating lepton asymmetries, originating from the decays of the heavy Majorana neutrinos operative in the see-saw mechanism, and of the efficiency factors which account for the lepton asymmetry wash-out processes in th…
An exact calculation of the Higgs boson decays $H\to q_i q_j$ mediated by flavor changing neutral currents is presented in the context of the Standard Model. Using up-to-date experimental data, branching ratios of the order of $10^{-7}$, $10^{-8}$, $10^{-8}$, and $10^{-15}$ are found for the $\bar{b}s+\bar{s}b$, $\bar{b}d+\bar{d}b$, $\bar{s}d+\bar{d}s$, and $\bar{c}u+\bar{u}c$ decay modes, respectively.
We revisit the rare decays of the Higgs boson to two different quarks in the Standard Model, which arise at the one-loop level. We perform Taylor series expansions to the complete form factors of the decay amplitudes, according to their different mass hierarchies, this allow us to take full advantage of the GIM mechanism to eliminate spurious contributions and retain those that truly contribute. We found that Br$(H\to uc)$=$5.00\times10^{-20}$, Br$(H\to ds)$=$1.19\times10^{-11}$, Br$(H\to db)$=$5.16\times10^{-9}$ and Br$(H\to sb)$=$1.15\times10^{-7}$. Our predictions for the $H\to uc,ds$ decay…
The semileptonic decays of $Λ_{b}\toΛ_{c}^{(*)}\ellν_\ell$ and $Λ_{c}\toΛ^{(*)}\ellν_\ell$ are studied in the light-front quark model in this work. Instead of the quark-diquark approximation, we use the three-body wave functions obtained by baryon spectroscopy. The ground states $(1/2^{+})$, the $λ$-mode orbital excited states $(1/2^{-})$, and the first radial excited states $(1/2^{+})$ of $Λ_{(c)}^{(*)}$ are considered. The discussions are given for the form factors, partial widths, branching fractions, leptonic forward-backward asymmetries, hadron polarizations, lepton polarizations, and the…
Triggered by experimentally driven renewed interest in hyperon properties we address the subject of weak radiative hyperon decays (WRHD). We start with the issue of Hara's theorem and briefly discuss the question of its possible evasion. Then, we give a short review of the story of vector-meson-dominance (VMD) approach to WRHD. We stress the shift from the Hara's-theorem-violating to Hara's-theorem-satisfying version of the VMD approach that did occur over time. Finally, spurred by a recent theoretical paper, we discuss the pole model description of WRHD, putting special attention to the issue…
We study the $ρπ$ and $b_1π$ decay modes of the $1^{-+}$ light hybrid state within the framework of light-cone QCD sum rules. We use both the tensor current $\barψσ_{μν}ψ$ and the derivative current $\barψ\overleftrightarrow{D}_μγ_5ψ$ as interpolating currents to calculate the partial decay width of the $b_1π$ decay mode. Comparing the sum rules obtained by using different currents, we obtain $Γ(π_1\to b_1π)$ = 8--23, 32--86 and 52--151\,MeV for $m_{1^{-+}}$ = 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0\,GeV respectively, which favour the results from the flux tube models and lattice simulations. We also use the tensor …
We recalculate the branching ratio and CP asymmetry for $\bar{B}^{0} (B^{0})\to π^{0}π^{0}$ decays in the Perturbative QCD approach. In this approach, we consider all the possible diagrams including non-factorizable contributions and annihilation contributions. We obtain $Br(\bar{B}^{0} (B^{0})\to π^{0}π^{0})=(1.17_{-0.12}^{+0.11})\times 10^{-6}$. Our result is in agreement with the latest measured branching ratio of $B^{0}\toπ^{0}π^{0}$ by the Belle and HFAG Collaborations. We also predict large direct CP asymmetry and mixing CP asymmetry in $B^{0}\toπ^{0}π^{0}$ decays, which can be tested by…
We revisit the calculation of nonfactorizable corrections induced by charm-quark loops in exclusive FCNC $B$-decays. For the sake of clarity, we make use of a field theory with scalar particles: this allows us to focus on the conceptual issues and to avoid technical complications related to particle spins in QCD. We perform a straightforward calculation of the appropriate correlation function and show that it requires the knowledge of the full generic three-particle distribution amplitude with non-aligned arguments, $\langle 0|\bar s(y)G_{μν}(x)b(0)|B(p)\rangle$. Moreover, the dependence of th…
It is very important to know the strength of annihilation contribution in B charmless nonleptonic decays. $\bar{B}_{s}\to π^{+}π^{-}$ process could serve a good probe of the strength. We have studied the process in QCD factorization framework. Using a gluon mass scale indicted by the studies of infrared behavior of gluon propagators to avoid enhancements in the soft end point regions, we find that the CP averaged branching ratio is about $1.24\times 10^{-7}$, the direct CP asymmetry $C_{ππ}$ is about -0.05, while the mixing-induced CP asymmetry quite large with the value $S_{ππ}$=0.18. The pro…
