DUNE Collaboration(Abud, A. A. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2022). Low exposure long-baseline neutrino oscillation sensitivity of the DUNE experiment. Phys. Rev. D, 105(7), 072006–32pp.
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will produce world-leading neutrino oscillation measurements over the lifetime of the experiment. In this work, we explore DUNE's sensitivity to observe charge-parity violation (CPV) in the neutrino sector, and to resolve the mass ordering, for exposures of up to 100 kiloton-megawatt-calendar years (kt-MW-CY), where calendar years include an assumption of 57% accelerator uptime based on past accelerator performance at Fermilab. The analysis includes detailed uncertainties on the flux prediction, the neutrino interaction model, and detector effects. We demonstrate that DUNE will be able to unambiguously resolve the neutrino mass ordering at a 4 sigma (5 sigma) level with a 66 (100) kt-MW-CY far detector exposure, and has the ability to make strong statements at significantly shorter exposures depending on the true value of other oscillation parameters, with a median sensitivity of 3 sigma for almost all true delta(CP) values after only 24 kt-MW-CY. We also show that DUNE has the potential to make a robust measurement of CPV at a 3 sigma level with a 100 kt-MW-CY exposure for the maximally CP-violating values delta(CP) = +/-pi/2. Additionally, the dependence of DUNE's sensitivity on the exposure taken in neutrino-enhanced and antineutrino-enhanced running is discussed. An equal fraction of exposure taken in each beam mode is found to be close to optimal when considered over the entire space of interest.
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Mandal, S., Miranda, O. G., Sanchez Garcia, G., Valle, J. W. F., & Xu, X. J. (2022). Toward deconstructing the simplest seesaw mechanism. Phys. Rev. D, 105(9), 095020–32pp.
Abstract: The triplet or type-II seesaw mechanism is the simplest way to endow neutrinos with mass in the Standard Model (SM). Here we review its associated theory and phenomenology, including restrictions from S, T, U parameters, neutrino experiments, charged lepton flavor violation as well as collider searches. We also examine restrictions coming from requiring consistency of electroweak symmetry breaking, i.e., perturbative unitarity and stability of the vacuum. Finally, we discuss novel effects associated to the scalar mediator of neutrino mass generation namely, (i) rare processes, e.g., l(alpha)-> l(beta)gamma decays, at the intensity frontier, and also (ii) four-lepton signatures in colliders at the high-energy frontier. These can be used to probe neutrino properties in an important way, providing a test of the absolute neutrino mass and mass ordering, as well as of the atmospheric octant. They may also provide the first evidence for charged lepton flavor violation in nature. In contrast, neutrino nonstandard interaction strengths are found to lie below current detectability.
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de Anda, F. J., Medina, O., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2022). Scotogenic Majorana neutrino masses in a predictive orbifold theory of flavor. Phys. Rev. D, 105(5), 055030–12pp.
Abstract: The use of extra space-time dimensions provides a promising approach to the flavor problem. The chosen compactification of a 6-dimensional orbifold implies a remnant family symmetry A4. This makes interesting predictions for quark and lepton masses, for neutrino oscillations and neutrinoless double beta decay, providing also a very good global description of all flavor observables. Due to an auxiliary Z4 symmetry, we implement a scotogenic Majorana neutrino mass generation mechanism with a viable WIMP dark matter candidate.
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Carcamo Hernandez, A. E., Hati, C., Kovalenko, S., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2022). Scotogenic neutrino masses with gauged matter parity and gauge coupling unification. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 034–25pp.
Abstract: Building up on previous work we propose a Dark Matter (DM) model with gauged matter parity and dynamical gauge coupling unification, driven by the same physics responsible for scotogenic neutrino mass generation. Our construction is based on the extended gauge group SU(3)(c) circle times SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(X) circle times U(1)(N), whose spontaneous breaking leaves a residual conserved matter parity, M-P, stabilizing the DM particle candidates of the model. The key role is played by Majorana SU(3) (L)-octet leptons, allowing the successful gauge coupling unification and a one-loop scotogenic neutrino mass generation. Theoretical consistency allows for a plethora of new particles at the less than or similar to O(10) TeV scale, hence accessible to future collider and low-energy experiments.
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DUNE Collaboration(Abi, B. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2021). Searching for solar KDAR with DUNE. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 10(10), 065–28pp.
Abstract: The observation of 236 MeV muon neutrinos from kaon-decay-at-rest (KDAR) originating in the core of the Sun would provide a unique signature of dark matter annihilation. Since excellent angle and energy reconstruction are necessary to detect this monoenergetic, directional neutrino flux, DUNE with its vast volume and reconstruction capabilities, is a promising candidate for a KDAR neutrino search. In this work, we evaluate the proposed KDAR neutrino search strategies by realistically modeling both neutrino-nucleus interactions and the response of DUNE. We find that, although reconstruction of the neutrino energy and direction is difficult with current techniques in the relevant energy range, the superb energy resolution, angular resolution, and particle identification offered by DUNE can still permit great signal/background discrimination. Moreover, there are non-standard scenarios in which searches at DUNE for KDAR in the Sun can probe dark matter interactions.
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DUNE Collaboration(Abud, A. A. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2022). Design, construction and operation of the ProtoDUNE-SP Liquid Argon TPC. J. Instrum., 17(1), P01005–111pp.
Abstract: The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) that was constructed and operated in the CERN North Area at the end of the H4 beamline. This detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be constructed at the Sandford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, U.S.A. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector incorporates full-size components as designed for DUNE and has an active volume of 7 x 6 x 7.2 m3. The H4 beam delivers incident particles with well-measured momenta and high-purity particle identification. ProtoDUNE-SP's successful operation between 2018 and 2020 demonstrates the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design. This paper describes the design, construction, assembly and operation of the detector components.
Keywords: Noble liquid detectors (scintillation, ionization, double-phase); Photon detectors for UV; visible and IR photons (solid-state) (PIN diodes, APDs, Si-PMTs, G-APDs, CCDs, EBCCDs, EMCCDs, CMOS imagers, etc); Scintillators; scintillation and light emission processes (solid, gas and liquid scintillators); Time projection Chambers (TPC)
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Miranda, O. G., Papoulias, D. K., Sanders, O., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2021). Low-energy probes of sterile neutrino transition magnetic moments. J. High Energy Phys., 12(12), 191–24pp.
Abstract: Sterile neutrinos with keV-MeV masses and non-zero transition magnetic moments can be probed through low-energy nuclear or electron recoil measurements. Here we determine the sensitivities of current and future searches, showing how they can probe a previously unexplored parameter region. Future coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) or elastic neutrino-electron scattering (EvES) experiments using a monochromatic 'Cr source can fully probe the region indicated by the recent XENONIT excess.
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Mandal, S., Rojas, N., Srivastava, R., & Valle, J. W. F. (2021). Dark matter as the origin of neutrino mass in the inverse seesaw mechanism. Phys. Lett. B, 821, 136609–15pp.
Abstract: We propose that neutrino masses are “seeded” by a dark sector within the inverse seesaw mechanism. This way we have a new, “hidden”, variant of the scotogenic scenario for radiative neutrino masses. We discuss both explicit and dynamical lepton number violation. In addition to invisible Higgs decays with majoron emission, we discuss in detail the pheneomenolgy of dark matter, as well as the novel features associated to charged lepton flavour violation, and neutrino physics.
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Mandal, S., Srivastava, R., & Valle, J. W. F. (2021). The simplest scoto-seesaw model: WIMP dark matter phenomenology and Higgs vacuum stability. Phys. Lett. B, 819, 136458–14pp.
Abstract: We analyze the consistency of electroweak breaking, neutrino and dark matter phenomenology within the simplest scoto-seesaw model. By adding the minimal dark sector to the simplest “missing partner” type-I seesaw one has a physical picture for the neutrino oscillation lengths: the “atmospheric” mass scale arises from the tree-level seesaw, while the “solar” scale is induced radiatively, mediated by the dark sector. We identify parameter regions consistent with theoretical constraints, as well as dark matter relic abundance and direct detection searches. Using two-loop renormalization group equations we explore the stability of the vacuum and the consistency of the underlying dark parity symmetry. One also has a lower bound for the neutrinoless double beta decay amplitude.
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Mandal, S., Romao, J. C., Srivastava, R., & Valle, J. W. F. (2021). Dynamical inverse seesaw mechanism as a simple benchmark for electroweak breaking and Higgs boson studies. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 029–38pp.
Abstract: The Standard Model (SM) vacuum is unstable for the measured values of the top Yukawa coupling and Higgs mass. Here we study the issue of vacuum stability when neutrino masses are generated through spontaneous low-scale lepton number violation. In the simplest dynamical inverse seesaw, the SM Higgs has two siblings: a massive CP-even scalar plus a massless Nambu-Goldstone boson, called majoron. For TeV scale breaking of lepton number, Higgs bosons can have a sizeable decay into the invisible majorons. We examine the interplay and complementarity of vacuum stability and perturbativity restrictions, with collider constraints on visible and invisible Higgs boson decay channels. This simple framework may help guiding further studies, for example, at the proposed FCC facility.
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