Chatterjee, S. S., Miranda, O. G., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2022). Nonunitarity of the lepton mixing matrix at the European Spallation Source. Phys. Rev. D, 106(7), 075016–16pp.
Abstract: If neutrinos get mass through the exchange of lepton mediators, as in seesaw schemes, the neutrino appearance probabilities in oscillation experiments are modified due to effective nonunitarity of the lepton mixing matrix. This also leads to new CP phases and an ambiguity in underpinning the “conventional” phase of the three-neutrino paradigm. We study the CP sensitivities of various setups based at the European Spallation Source neutrino super-beam (ESSnuSB) experiment in the presence of nonunitarity. We also examine its potential in constraining the associated new physics parameters. Moreover, we show how the combination of DUNE and ESSnuSB can help further improve the sensitivities on the nonunitarity parameters.
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Forero, D. V., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2012). Global status of neutrino oscillation parameters after Neutrino-2012. Phys. Rev. D, 86(7), 073012–8pp.
Abstract: Here we update the global fit of neutrino oscillations in Refs. [T. Schwetz, M. Tortola, and J. W. F. Valle, New J. Phys. 13, 063004 (2011); T. Schwetz, M. Tortola, and J. W. F. Valle, New J. Phys. 13, 109401 (2011)] including the recent measurements of reactor antineutrino disappearance reported by the Double Chooz, Daya Bay, and RENO experiments, together with latest MINOS and T2K appearance and disappearance results, as presented at the Neutrino-2012 conference. We find that the preferred global fit value of theta(13) is quite large: sin(2)theta(13) similar or equal to 0.025 for normal and inverted neutrino mass ordering, with theta(13) = 0 now excluded at more than 10 sigma. The impact of the new theta(13) measurements over the other neutrino oscillation parameters is discussed as well as the role of the new long-baseline neutrino data and the atmospheric neutrino analysis in the determination of a non-maximal atmospheric angle theta(23).
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Esteves, J. N., Joaquim, F. R., Joshipura, A. S., Romao, J. C., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2010). A(4)-based neutrino masses with Majoron decaying dark matter. Phys. Rev. D, 82(7), 073008–8pp.
Abstract: We propose an A(4) flavor-symmetric SU(3) circle times SU(2) circle times U(1) seesaw model where lepton number is broken spontaneously. A consistent two-zero texture pattern of neutrino masses and mixing emerges from the interplay of type-I and type-II seesaw contributions, with important phenomenological predictions. We show that, if the Majoron becomes massive, such seesaw scenario provides a viable candidate for decaying dark matter, consistent with cosmic microwave background lifetime constraints that follow from current WMAP observations. We also calculate the subleading one-loop-induced decay into photons which leads to a monoenergetic emission line that may be observed in future x-ray missions such as Xenia.
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Garces, E. A., Miranda, O. G., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2012). Low-energy neutrino-electron scattering as a standard model probe: The potential of LENA as case study. Phys. Rev. D, 85(7), 073006–6pp.
Abstract: Several proposals for studying neutrinos with large detectors are currently under discussion. We suggest that they could provide a precise measurement of the electroweak mixing angle as well as a probe for new physics, such as nonstandard neutrino interactions, and the electroweak gauge structure. We illustrate this explicitly for the case of the LENA proposal, either with an artificial radioactive source or by using the solar neutrino flux.
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Miranda, O. G., Papoulias, D. K., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2020). Probing new neutral gauge bosons with CE nu NS and neutrino-electron scattering. Phys. Rev. D, 101(7), 073005–13pp.
Abstract: The potential for probing extra neutral gauge boson mediators (Z') from low-energy measurements is comprehensively explored. Our study mainly focuses on Z' mediators present in string-inspired E-6 models and left-right symmetry. We estimate the sensitivities of coherent-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE nu NS) and neutrino-electron scattering experiments. Our results indicate that such low-energy high-intensity measurements can provide a valuable probe, complementary to high-energy collider searches and electroweak precision measurements.
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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). 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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Lattanzi, M., Riemer-Sorensen, S., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2013). Updated CMB and x- and gamma-ray constraints on Majoron dark matter. Phys. Rev. D, 88(6), 063528–8pp.
Abstract: The Majoron provides an attractive dark matter candidate, directly associated with the mechanism responsible for spontaneous neutrino mass generation within the standard model SU(3)(c) circle times SU(2)(L) circle times U(1)(Y) framework. Here we update the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on Majoron dark matter coming from the cosmic microwave background and a variety of x- and gamma-ray observations.
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Kosmas, T. S., Papoulias, D. K., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2017). Probing light sterile neutrino signatures at reactor and Spallation Neutron Source neutrino experiments. Phys. Rev. D, 96(6), 063013–12pp.
Abstract: We investigate the impact of a fourth sterile neutrino at reactor and Spallation Neutron Source neutrino detectors. Specifically, we explore the discovery potential of the TEXONO and COHERENT experiments to subleading sterile neutrino effects through the measurement of the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering event rate. Our dedicated chi(2)-sensitivity analysis employs realistic nuclear structure calculations adequate for high purity sub-keV threshold Germanium detectors.
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Schwetz, T., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2011). Global neutrino data and recent reactor fluxes: the status of three-flavour oscillation parameters. New J. Phys., 13, 063004–15pp.
Abstract: We present the results of a global neutrino oscillation data analysis within the three-flavour framework. We include the latest results from the MINOS long-baseline experiment (including electron neutrino appearance and anti-neutrino data), updating all relevant solar (Super-Kamiokande (SK) II + III), atmospheric (SK I + II + III) and reactor (KamLAND) data. Furthermore, we include a recent re-calculation of the anti-neutrino fluxes emitted from nuclear reactors. These results have important consequences for the analysis of reactor experiments and in particular for the status of the mixing angle theta(13). In our recommended default analysis, we find from the global fit that the hint for nonzero theta(13) remains weak, at 1.8 sigma for both neutrino mass hierarchy schemes. However, we discuss in detail the dependence of these results on assumptions regarding the reactor neutrino analysis.
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Miranda, O. G., Tortola, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2016). New Ambiguity in Probing CP Violation in Neutrino Oscillations. Phys. Rev. Lett., 117(6), 061804–5pp.
Abstract: If neutrinos get mass via the seesaw mechanism the mixing matrix describing neutrino oscillations can be effectively nonunitary. We show that in this case the neutrino appearance probabilities involve a new CP phase phi associated with nonunitarity. This leads to an ambiguity in extracting the “standard” three-neutrino phase delta(CP), which can survive even after neutrino and antineutrino channels are combined. Its existence should be taken into account in the planning of any oscillation experiment aiming at a robust measurement of delta(CP).
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