Abstract: According to the “Black Box” theorem the experimental confirmation of neutrinoless double beta decay (0 nu 2 beta) would imply that at least one of the neutrinos is a Majorana particle. However, a null 0 nu 2 beta signal cannot decide the nature of neutrinos, as it can be suppressed even for Majorana neutrinos. In this letter we argue that if the null 0 nu 2 beta decay signal is accompanied by a 0 nu 2 beta quadruple beta decay signal, then at least one neutrino should be a Dirac particle. This argument holds irrespective of the underlying processes leading to such decays.

Abstract: The lightest supersymmetric particle may decay with branching ratios that correlate with neutrino oscillation parameters. In this case the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has the potential to probe the atmospheric neutrino mixing angle with sensitivity competitive to its low-energy determination by underground experiments. Under realistic detection assumptions, we identify the necessary conditions for the experiments at CERN's LHC to probe the simplest scenario for neutrino masses induced by minimal supergravity with bilinear R parity violation.

Abstract: The search for new interactions of neutrinos beyond those of the standard model may help to elucidate the mechanism responsible for neutrino masses. Here, we combine existing accelerator neutrino data with restrictions coming from a recent atmospheric neutrino data analysis in order to lift parameter degeneracies and improve limits on new interactions of muon neutrinos with quarks. In particular, we reconsider the results of the E-815 experiment at Fermilab (NuTeV) in view of a new evaluation of its systematic uncertainties. We find that, although constraints for muon neutrinos are better than those applicable to tau or electron neutrinos, they lie at the few X 10(-2) level, not as strong as previously believed. We briefly discuss prospects for further improvement.

Abstract: We consider the effect of nonstandard neutrino interactions (NSI, for short) on the propagation of neutrinos through the supernova (SN) envelope within a three-neutrino framework and taking into account the presence of a neutrino background. We find that for given NSI parameters, with strength generically denoted by epsilon(ij), neutrino evolution exhibits a significant time dependence. For vertical bar epsilon(tau tau)vertical bar greater than or similar to 10(-3) the neutrino survival probability may become sensitive to the V-23 octant and the sign of epsilon(tau tau). In particular, if epsilon(tau tau) greater than or similar to 10(-2) an internal I-resonance may arise independently of the matter density. For typical values found in SN simulations this takes place in the same dense-neutrino region above the neutrinosphere where collective effects occur, in particular, during the synchronization regime. This resonance may lead to an exchange of the neutrino fluxes entering the bipolar regime. The main consequences are (i) bipolar conversion taking place for normal neutrino mass hierarchy and (ii) a transformation of the flux of low-energy v(e), instead of the usual spectral swap.

Abstract: In combination with supersymmetry, flavor symmetry may relate quarks with leptons, even in the absence of a grand-unification group. We propose an SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) model where both supersymmetry and the assumed A(4) flavor symmetries are softly broken, reproducing well the observed fermion mass hierarchies and predicting: (i) a relation between down-type quarks and charged lepton masses, and (ii) a correlation between the Cabibbo angle in the quark sector and the reactor angle theta(13) characterizing CP violation in neutrino oscillations.