White paper on light sterile neutrino searches and related phenomenology

M. A. Acero; C. A. Arguelles; M. Hostert; D. Kalra; G. Karagiorgi; K. J. Kelly; B. R. Littlejohn; P. Machado; W. Pettus; M. Toups; M. Ross-Lonergan; A. Sousa; P. T. Surukuchi; Y. Y. Y. Wong; W. Abdallah; A. M. Abdullahi; R. Akutsu; L Alvarez-Ruso; D. S. M. Alves; A. Aurisano; A. B. Balantekin; J. M. Berryman; T. Bertolez-Martinez; J. Brunner; M. Blennow; S Bolognesi; M. Borusinski; T. Y. Chen; D. Cianci; G. Collin; J. M. Conrad; B. Crow; P. B. Denton; M. Duvall; E. Fernandez-Martinez; C. S. Fong; N. Foppiani; D. V. Forero; C. Giganti; M. Friend; C. Giunti; A. Garcia-Soto; R. Gandhi; M. Ghosh; J. Hardin; K. M. Heeger; M. Ishitsuka; A. Izmaylov; B. J. P. Jones; J. R. Jordan; N. W. Kamp; T. Katori; S. B. Kim; L. W. Koerner; M. Lamoureux; T. Lasserre; K. G. Leach; J. Learned; Y. F. Li; J. M. Link; W. C. Louis; K Mahn; P. D. Meyers; J. Maricic; D. Markoff; T. Maruyama; S. Mertens; H. Minakata; I Mocioiu; M. Mooney; M. H. Moulai; H. Nunokawa; J. P. Ochoa-Ricoux; Y. M. Oh; T. Ohlsson; H. Pas; D. Pershey; R. G. H. Robertson; S. Rosauro-Alcaraz; C. Rott; S. Roy; J. Salvado; M. Scott; S. H. Seo; M. H. Shaevitz; M. Smiley; J. Spitz; J. Stachurska; M. Tammaro; T. Thakore; C. A. Ternes; A. Thompson; S. Tseng; B. Vogelaar; T. Weiss; R. A. Wendell; R. J. Wilson; T. Wright; Z. Xin; B. S. Yang

doi:10.1088/1361-6471/ad307f

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White paper on light sterile neutrino searches and related phenomenology

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White paper on light sterile neutrino searches and related phenomenology

M. A. Acero, C. A. Arguelles, M. Hostert, D. Kalra, G. Karagiorgi, K. J. Kelly, B. R. Littlejohn, P. Machado, W. Pettus, M. Toups, …

Journal of physics. G, Nuclear and particle physics, Vol.51(12), 120501

12/01/2024

DOI: 10.1088/1361-6471/ad307f

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Abstract

Executive summary Several decades of a rich and diverse program of experimental neutrino measurements have provided an increasingly clearer picture of the elusive neutrino sector, and uncovered physics not predicted by the Standard Model (SM), such as the existence of nonzero neutrino masses implied by the surprising discovery of neutrino flavor mixing. This foundational discovery represented a welcome resolution to decades-long experimental anomalies associated with solar and atmospheric neutrino measurements. Alongside this foundational discovery, experimental neutrino anomalies have been observed that still remain unresolved, and have served as primary drivers in the development of a vibrant short-baseline neutrino program, and in the launch of a multitude of complementary probes within a large variety of other experiments. Two of these anomalies arise from the apparent oscillatory appearance of electron (anti)neutrinos in relatively pure muon-(anti)neutrino beams originating from charged-pion decay-at-rest, specifically the LSND Anomaly, and from charged-pion decay-in-flight, the MiniBooNE Low-Energy Excess. Two other anomalies are associated with an overall normalization discrepancy of electron (anti)neutrinos expected both from conventional fission reactors, the Reactor Neutrino Anomaly, and in the radioactive decay of Gallium-71, the Gallium Anomaly. In these two latter cases, no oscillatory signature is observed, but the overall normalization deficit can be ascribed to rapid oscillations that are averaged out and appear as an overall deficit. Historically, these anomalies were first interpreted as oscillations due to the existence of light sterile neutrinos that mix with the three SM neutrinos. This interpretation requires an oscillation frequency Δm2 ≳ 1 eV2, implying the addition of at least one neutrino to the three-flavor mixing paradigm. This new neutrino would have to be a SM gauge singlet, thus it is referred to as sterile, as LEP measurements of the invisible decay width of the Z boson show only three neutrinos couple to the Z boson. However, this purely oscillatory interpretation is disfavored by several other direct and indirect experimental tests. Consequently, recent years have seen accelerating theoretical interest in more complex Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) flavor transformation and hidden-sector particle production as explanations for the anomalies. Experimental interest in testing a more diverse set of interpretations has also been growing, as well as motivation to probe deeper into potential conventional explanations. The discovery of new physics associated with these anomalies would be groundbreaking, and would have profound implications not only for particle physics but also for astrophysics and cosmology. This white paper provides a comprehensive review of our present understanding of the experimental neutrino anomalies, charting the progress achieved over the last decade at the experimental and phenomenological level, and sets the stage for future programmatic prospects in addressing the anomalies. In a similar spirit to the ‘Light Sterile Neutrinos: A White Paper’ document from a decade ago [1], this new white paper is purposed to serve as a guiding and motivational ‘encyclopedic’ reference, with emphasis on needs and options for future exploration that may lead to the ultimate resolution of the anomalies.

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Title: Subtitle: White paper on light sterile neutrino searches and related phenomenology
Creators: M. A. Acero - University of Atlántico
C. A. Arguelles - Harvard University
M. Hostert - University of Minnesota
D. Kalra - Columbia University
G. Karagiorgi - Columbia University
K. J. Kelly - European Organization for Nuclear Research
B. R. Littlejohn - Illinois Institute of Technology
P. Machado - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
W. Pettus - Indiana University Bloomington
M. Toups - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
M. Ross-Lonergan - Columbia University
A. Sousa - University of Cincinnati
P. T. Surukuchi - Yale University
Y. Y. Y. Wong - UNSW Sydney
W. Abdallah - Cairo University
A. M. Abdullahi - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
R. Akutsu - TRIUMF
L Alvarez-Ruso - Instituto de Física Corpuscular
D. S. M. Alves - Los Alamos National Laboratory
A. Aurisano - University of Cincinnati
A. B. Balantekin - University of Wisconsin–Madison
J. M. Berryman - University of California, Berkeley
T. Bertolez-Martinez - Universitat de Barcelona
J. Brunner - Centre de physique des particules de Marseille
M. Blennow - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
S Bolognesi - Université Paris-Saclay
M. Borusinski - University of Hawaii System
T. Y. Chen - Columbia University
D. Cianci - Columbia University
G. Collin - University of California, Irvine
J. M. Conrad - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Crow - University of Hawaii System
P. B. Denton - Brookhaven National Laboratory
M. Duvall - University of Hawaii System
E. Fernandez-Martinez - Autonomous University of Madrid
C. S. Fong - Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género, Corporación Humanas
N. Foppiani - Harvard University
D. V. Forero - Universidad de Medellín
C. Giganti - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
M. Friend - High Energy Accelerator Research Organization
C. Giunti - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
A. Garcia-Soto - Harvard University
R. Gandhi - Harish-Chandra Research Institute
M. Ghosh - University of Hyderabad
J. Hardin - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
K. M. Heeger - Yale University
M. Ishitsuka - Tokyo University of Science
A. Izmaylov - Imperial College London
B. J. P. Jones - The University of Texas at Arlington
J. R. Jordan - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
N. W. Kamp - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
T. Katori - King's College London
S. B. Kim - Sungkyunkwan University
L. W. Koerner - University of Houston
M. Lamoureux - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
T. Lasserre - Université Paris-Saclay
K. G. Leach - Colorado School of Mines
J. Learned - University of Hawaii System
Y. F. Li - Institute of High Energy Physics
J. M. Link - Virginia Tech
W. C. Louis - Los Alamos National Laboratory
K Mahn - Michigan State University
P. D. Meyers - Princeton University
J. Maricic - University of Hawaii System
D. Markoff - North Carolina Central University
T. Maruyama - High Energy Accelerator Research Organization
S. Mertens - Max Planck Institute for Physics
H. Minakata - Virginia Tech
I Mocioiu - Pennsylvania State University
M. Mooney - Colorado State University
M. H. Moulai - University of Wisconsin–Madison
H. Nunokawa - Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
J. P. Ochoa-Ricoux - University of California, Irvine
Y. M. Oh - Ibs
T. Ohlsson - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
H. Pas - TU Dortmund University
D. Pershey - Duke University
R. G. H. Robertson - University of Washington
S. Rosauro-Alcaraz - Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie
C. Rott - Sungkyunkwan University
S. Roy - Inst Phys, Sainik Sch Post, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751005, India
J. Salvado - Universitat de Barcelona
M. Scott - Imperial College London
S. H. Seo - Ibs
M. H. Shaevitz - Columbia University
M. Smiley - University of California, Berkeley
J. Spitz - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
J. Stachurska - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M. Tammaro - Jožef Stefan Institute
T. Thakore - University of Cincinnati
C. A. Ternes - INFN Sezione di Torino
A. Thompson - Texas A&M University
S. Tseng - The University of Tokyo
B. Vogelaar - Virginia Tech
T. Weiss - Yale University
R. A. Wendell - Kyoto University
R. J. Wilson - Colorado State University
T. Wright - Virginia Tech
Z. Xin - Chinese Academy of Sciences
B. S. Yang - University of Seoul
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of physics. G, Nuclear and particle physics, Vol.51(12), 120501
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6471/ad307f
ISSN: 0954-3899
eISSN: 1361-6471
Publisher: IOP Publishing Ltd
Number of pages: 214
Grant note: Alfred P Sloan Foundation; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion; Spanish Government; Instituto de Salud Carlos III UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) European Union; European Union (EU) Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan; Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan Korea Institute for Advanced Study Marie Sklodowska-Curie Foundation U.S. National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science; United States Department of Energy (DOE) Swedish Research Council
Language: English
Date published: 12/01/2024
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984946627202771

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