Journal article
Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines
Physical review. D, Vol.110(7), 075002
10/07/2024
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.110.075002
Abstract
Long-standing anomalous experimental results from short-baseline neutrino experiments have persisted for decades. These results, when interpreted with one or more light sterile neutrinos, are inconsistent with numerous null results experimentally. However, if the sterile neutrino decays en route to the detector, this can mimic nu mu -> nu e oscillation signals while avoiding many of these external constraints. We revisit this solution to the MiniBooNE and LSND puzzles in view of new data from the MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab. Using MicroBooNE's liquid-argon time-projection chamber search for an excess of nu e in the Booster beam, we derive new limits in two models' parameter spaces of interest; where the sterile neutrino decays (I) via mixing with the active neutrinos, or (II) via higher-dimensional operators. We also provide an updated, comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE neutrino- and antineutrino-beam data, including appearance (nu e) and disappearance (nu mu) channels. Despite alleviating the tension with muon neutrino disappearance experiments, we find that the latest MicroBooNE analysis rules out the decaying sterile neutrino solution in a large portion of the parameter space at more than 99% CL.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines
- Creators
- Matheus Hostert - Harvard UniversityKevin J. Kelly - Texas A&M UniversityTao Zhou - Texas A&M University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Physical review. D, Vol.110(7), 075002
- DOI
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.110.075002
- ISSN
- 2470-0010
- eISSN
- 2470-0029
- Publisher
- Amer Physical Soc
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- DE-AC02-07CHI11359 / U.S. DOE; United States Department of Energy (DOE) DE-SC0020250 / DOE; United States Department of Energy (DOE)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/07/2024
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984946627302771
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