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Chu, X. Y., Garani, R., Garcia-Cely, C., & Hambye, T. (2024). Dark matter bound-state formation in the Sun. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 045–32pp.
Abstract: The Sun may capture asymmetric dark matter (DM), which can subsequently form bound-states through the radiative emission of a sub-GeV scalar. This process enables generation of scalars without requiring DM annihilation. In addition to DM capture on nucleons, the DM-scalar coupling responsible for bound-state formation also induces capture from self-scatterings of ambient DM particles with DM particles already captured, as well as with DM bound-states formed in-situ within the Sun. This scenario is studied in detail by solving Boltzmann equations numerically and analytically. In particular, we take into consideration that the DM self-capture rates require a treatment beyond the conventional Born approximation. We show that, thanks to DM scatterings on bound-states, the number of DM particles captured increases exponentially, leading to enhanced emission of relativistic scalars through bound-state formation, whose final decay products could be observable. We explore phenomenological signatures with the example that the scalar mediator decays to neutrinos. We find that the neutrino flux emitted can be comparable to atmospheric neutrino fluxes within the range of energies below one hundred MeV. Future facilities like Hyper-K, and direct DM detection experiments can further test such scenario.
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Escrihuela, F. J., Flores, L. J., Miranda, O. G., Rendon, J., & Sanchez-Velez, R. (2024). Examining the sensitivity of FASERν to generalized neutrino interactions. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 102–25pp.
Abstract: We investigate the sensitivity of the FASER nu detector, a novel experimental setup at the LHC, to probe and constrain generalized neutrino interactions (GNI). Employing a comprehensive theoretical framework, we model the effects of generalized neutrino interactions on neutrino-nucleon deep inelastic scattering processes within the FASER nu detector. By considering all the neutrino channels produced at the LHC, we perform a statistical analysis to determine the sensitivity of FASER nu to constrain these interactions. Our results demonstrate that FASER nu can place stringent constraints on the GNI effective couplings. Additionally, we study the relation between GNI and a minimal Leptoquark model where the SM is augmented by a singlet Leptoquark with hypercharge 1/3. We have found that the sensitivities for various combinations of the Leptoquark Yukawa couplings are approximately O(1), particularly when considering a Leptoquark mass in the TeV range.
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Karan, A., Sadhukhan, S., & Valle, J. W. F. (2023). Phenomenological profile of scotogenic fermionic dark matter. J. High Energy Phys., 12(12), 185–34pp.
Abstract: We consider the possibility that neutrino masses arise from the exchange of dark matter states. We examine in detail the phenomenology of fermionic dark matter in the singlet-triplet scotogenic model. We explore the case of singlet-like fermionic dark matter, taking into account all coannihilation effects relevant for determining its relic abundance, such as fermion-fermion and scalar-fermion coannihilation. Although this in principle allows for dark matter below 60 GeV, the latter is in conflict with charged lepton flavour violation (cLFV) and/or collider physics constraints. We examine the prospects for direct dark matter detection in upcoming experiments up to 10 TeV. Fermion-scalar coannihilation is needed to obtain viable fermionic dark matter in the 60-100 GeV mass range. Fermion-fermion and fermion-scalar coannihilation play complementary roles in different parameter regions above 100 GeV.
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Alonso-Gonzalez, D., Amaral, D. W. P., Bariego-Quintana, A., Cerdeño, D., & de los Rios, M. (2023). Measuring the sterile neutrino mass in spallation source and direct detection experiments. J. High Energy Phys., 12(12), 096–27pp.
Abstract: We explore the complementarity of direct detection (DD) and spallation source (SS) experiments for the study of sterile neutrino physics. We focus on the sterile baryonic neutrino model: an extension of the Standard Model that introduces a massive sterile neutrino with couplings to the quark sector via a new gauge boson. In this scenario, the inelastic scattering of an active neutrino with the target material in both DD and SS experiments gives rise to a characteristic nuclear recoil energy spectrum that can allow for the reconstruction of the neutrino mass in the event of a positive detection. We first derive new bounds on this model based on the data from the COHERENT collaboration on CsI and LAr targets, which we find do not yet probe new areas of the parameter space. We then assess how well future SS experiments will be able to measure the sterile neutrino mass and mixings, showing that masses in the range similar to 15 – 50 MeV can be reconstructed. We show that there is a degeneracy in the measurement of the sterile neutrino mixing that substantially affects the reconstruction of parameters for masses of the order of 40 MeV. Thanks to their lower energy threshold and sensitivity to the solar tau neutrino flux, DD experiments allow us to partially lift the degeneracy in the sterile neutrino mixings and considerably improve its mass reconstruction down to 9 MeV. Our results demonstrate the excellent complementarity between DD and SS experiments in measuring the sterile neutrino mass and highlight the power of DD experiments in searching for new physics in the neutrino sector.
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Coloma, P., Gonzalez-Garcia, M. C., Maltoni, M., Pinheiro, J. P., & Urrea, S. (2023). Global constraints on non-standard neutrino interactions with quarks and electrons. J. High Energy Phys., 08(8), 032–42pp.
Abstract: We derive new constraints on effective four-fermion neutrino non-standard interactions with both quarks and electrons. This is done through the global analysis of neutrino oscillation data and measurements of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE & nu;NS) obtained with different nuclei. In doing so, we include not only the effects of new physics on neutrino propagation but also on the detection cross section in neutrino experiments which are sensitive to the new physics. We consider both vector and axial-vector neutral-current neutrino interactions and, for each case, we include simultaneously all allowed effective operators in flavour space. To this end, we use the most general parametrization for their Wilson coefficients under the assumption that their neutrino flavour structure is independent of the charged fermion participating in the interaction. The status of the LMA-D solution is assessed for the first time in the case of new interactions taking place simultaneously with up quarks, down quarks, and electrons. One of the main results of our work are the presently allowed regions for the effective combinations of non-standard neutrino couplings, relevant for long-baseline and atmospheric neutrino oscillation experiments.
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Fernandez-Martinez, E., Gonzalez-Lopez, M., Hernandez-Garcia, J., Hostert, M., & Lopez-Pavon, J. (2023). Effective portals to heavy neutral leptons. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 001–45pp.
Abstract: The existence of right-handed neutrinos, or heavy neutral leptons (HNLs), is strongly motivated by the observation of neutrino masses and mixing. The mass of these new particles could lie below the electroweak scale, making them accessible to lowenergy laboratory experiments. Additional new physics at high energies can mediate new interactions between the Standard Model particles and HNLs, and is most conveniently parametrized by the neutrino Standard Model Effective Field Theory, or nu SMEFT for short. In this work, we consider the dimension six nu SMEFT operators involving one HNL field in the mass range of O(1) MeV < MN < O(100) GeV. By recasting existing experimental limits on the production and decay of new light particles, we constrain the Wilson coefficients and new physics scale of each operator as a function of the HNL mass.
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Pompa, F., Schwetz, T., & Zhu, J. Y. (2023). Impact of nuclear matrix element calculations for current and future neutrinoless double beta decay searches. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 104–29pp.
Abstract: Nuclear matrix elements (NME) are a crucial input for the interpretation of neutrinoless double beta decay data. We consider a representative set of recent NME calculations from different methods and investigate the impact on the present bound on the effective Majorana mass m(& beta;& beta;) by performing a combined analysis of the available data as well as on the sensitivity reach of future projects. A crucial role is played by the recently discovered short-range contribution to the NME, induced by light Majorana neutrino masses. Depending on the NME model and the relative sign of the long- and short-range contributions, the current 3 & sigma; bound can change between m(& beta;& beta;)< 40 meV and 600 meV. The sign-uncertainty may either boost the sensitivity of next-generation experiments beyond the region for m(& beta;& beta;) predicted for inverted mass ordering or prevent even advanced setups to reach this region. Furthermore, we study the possibility to distinguish between different NME calculations by assuming a positive signal and by combining measurements from different isotopes. Such a discrimination will be impossible if the relative sign of the long- and short-range contribution remains unknown, but can become feasible if m(& beta;& beta;) & GSIM; 40 meV and if the relative sign is known to be positive. Sensitivities will be dominated by the advanced Ge-76 and Xe-136 setups assumed here, but NME model-discrimination improves if data from a third isotope is added, e.g., from Te-130 or Mo-100.
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Candido, A., Garcia, A., Magni, G., Rabemananjara, T., Rojo, J., & Stegeman, R. (2023). Neutrino structure functions from GeV to EeV energies. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 149–78pp.
Abstract: The interpretation of present and future neutrino experiments requires accurate theoretical predictions for neutrino-nucleus scattering rates. Neutrino structure functions can be reliably evaluated in the deep-inelastic scattering regime within the perturbative QCD (pQCD) framework. At low momentum transfers (Q(2) less than or similar to few GeV2), inelastic structure functions are however affected by large uncertainties which distort event rate predictions for neutrino energies E-nu up to the TeV scale. Here we present a determination of neutrino inelastic structure functions valid for the complete range of energies relevant for phenomenology, from the GeV region entering oscillation analyses to the multi-EeV region accessible at neutrino telescopes. Our NNSF nu approach combines a machine-learning parametrisation of experimental data with pQCD calculations based on state-of-the-art analyses of proton and nuclear parton distributions (PDFs). We compare our determination to other calculations, in particular to the popular Bodek-Yang model. We provide updated predictions for inclusive cross sections for a range of energies and target nuclei, including those relevant for LHC far-forward neutrino experiments such as FASER nu, SND@LHC, and the Forward Physics Facility. The NNSF nu determination is made available as fast interpolation LHAPDF grids, and it can be accessed both through an independent driver code and directly interfaced to neutrino event generators such as GENIE.
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Breso-Pla, V., Falkowski, A., Gonzalez-Alonso, M., & Monsalvez-Pozo, K. (2023). EFT analysis of New Physics at COHERENT. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 074–53pp.
Abstract: Using an effective field theory approach, we study coherent neutrino scattering on nuclei, in the setup pertinent to the COHERENT experiment. We include non-standard effects both in neutrino production and detection, with an arbitrary flavor structure, with all leading Wilson coefficients simultaneously present, and without assuming factorization in flux times cross section. A concise description of the COHERENT event rate is obtained by introducing three generalized weak charges, which can be associated (in a certain sense) to the production and scattering of nu(e), nu(mu) and (nu) over bar (mu) on the nuclear target. Our results are presented in a convenient form that can be trivially applied to specific New Physics scenarios. In particular, we find that existing COHERENT measurements provide percent level constraints on two combinations of Wilson coefficients. These constraints have a visible impact on the global SMEFT fit, even in the constrained flavor-blind setup. The improvement, which affects certain 4-fermion LLQQ operators, is significantly more important in a flavor-general SMEFT. Our work shows that COHERENT data should be included in electroweak precision studies from now on.
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De Romeri, V., Miranda, O. G., Papoulias, D. K., Sanchez Garcia, G., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2023). Physics implications of a combined analysis of COHERENT CsI and LAr data. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 035–41pp.
Abstract: The observation of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering has opened the window to many physics opportunities. This process has been measured by the COHERENT Collaboration using two different targets, first CsI and then argon. Recently, the COHERENT Collaboration has updated the CsI data analysis with a higher statistics and an improved understanding of systematics. Here we perform a detailed statistical analysis of the full CsI data and combine it with the previous argon result. We discuss a vast array of implications, from tests of the Standard Model to new physics probes. In our analyses we take into account experimental uncertainties associated to the efficiency as well as the timing distribution of neutrino fluxes, making our results rather robust. In particular, we update previous measurements of the weak mixing angle and the neutron root mean square charge radius for CsI and argon. We also update the constraints on new physics scenarios including neutrino nonstandard interactions and the most general case of neutrino generalized interactions, as well as the possibility of light mediators. Finally, constraints on neutrino electromagnetic properties are also examined, including the conversion to sterile neutrino states. In many cases, the inclusion of the recent CsI data leads to a dramatic improvement of bounds.
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