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Falkowski, A., Gonzalez-Alonso, M., Kopp, J., Soreq, Y., & Tabrizi, Z. (2021). EFT at FASER nu. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 086–46pp.
Abstract: We investigate the sensitivity of the FASER nu detector to new physics in the form of non-standard neutrino interactions. FASER nu, which will be installed 480 m downstream of the ATLAS interaction point, will for the first time study interactions of multi-TeV neutrinos from a controlled source. Our formalism – which is applicable to any current and future neutrino experiment – is based on the Standard Model Effective Theory (SMEFT) and its counterpart, Weak Effective Field Theory (WEFT), below the electroweak scale. Starting from the WEFT Lagrangian, we compute the coefficients that modify neutrino production in meson decays and detection via deep-inelastic scattering, and we express the new physics effects in terms of modified flavor transition probabilities. For some coupling structures, we find that FASER nu will be able to constrain interactions that are two to three orders of magnitude weaker than Standard Model weak interactions, implying that the experiment will be indirectly probing new physics at the multi-TeV scale. In some cases, FASER nu constraints will become comparable to existing limits – some of them derived for the first time in this paper – already with 150 fb(-1) of data.
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Arguelles, C. A., Kelly, K. J., & Muñoz, V. M. (2021). Millicharged particles from the heavens: single- and multiple-scattering signatures. J. High Energy Phys., 11(11), 099–34pp.
Abstract: For nearly a century, studying cosmic-ray air showers has driven progress in our understanding of elementary particle physics. In this work, we revisit the production of millicharged particles in these atmospheric showers and provide new constraints for XENON1T and Super-Kamiokande and new sensitivity estimates of current and future detectors, such as JUNO. We discuss distinct search strategies, specifically studies of single-energy-deposition events, where one electron in the detector receives a relatively large energy transfer, as well as multiple-scattering events consisting of (at least) two relatively small energy depositions. We demonstrate that these atmospheric search strategies especially the multiple-scattering signature – provide significant room for improvement beyond existing searches, in a way that is complementary to anthropogenic, beam-based searches for MeV-GeV millicharged particles. Finally, we also discuss the implementation of a Monte Carlo simulation for millicharged particle detection in large-volume neutrino detectors, such as IceCube.
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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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Feruglio, F., Gherardi, V., Romanino, A., & Titov, A. (2021). Modular invariant dynamics and fermion mass hierarchies around tau = i. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 242–26pp.
Abstract: We discuss fermion mass hierarchies within modular invariant flavour models. We analyse the neighbourhood of the self-dual point tau = i, where modular invariant theories possess a residual Z(4) invariance. In this region the breaking of Z(4) can be fully described by the spurion epsilon approximate to tau – i, that flips its sign under Z(4). Degeneracies or vanishing eigenvalues of fermion mass matrices, forced by the Z(4) symmetry at tau = i, are removed by slightly deviating from the self-dual point. Relevant mass ratios are controlled by powers of vertical bar epsilon vertical bar. We present examples where this mechanism is a key ingredient to successfully implement an hierarchical spectrum in the lepton sector, even in the presence of a non-minimal Kahler potential.
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de Gouvea, A., De Romeri, V., & Ternes, C. A. (2021). Combined analysis of neutrino decoherence at reactor experiments. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 042–12pp.
Abstract: Reactor experiments are well suited to probe the possible loss of coherence of neutrino oscillations due to wave-packets separation. We combine data from the short-baseline experiments Daya Bay and the Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillation (RENO) and from the long baseline reactor experiment KamLAND to obtain the best current limit on the reactor antineutrino wave-packet width, sigma > 2.1 x 10(-4) nm at 90% CL. We also find that the determination of standard oscillation parameters is robust, i.e., it is mostly insensitive to the presence of hypothetical decoherence effects once one combines the results of the different reactor neutrino experiments.
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