Neutrino Mass and Dark Matter

Abstract

Despite direct observations favoring a low mass density, a critical density universe with a neutrino component of dark matter provides the best existing model to explain the observed structure of the universe over more than three orders of magnitude in distance scale. In principle this hot dark matter could consist of one, two, or three species of active neutrinos. If all present indications for neutrino mass are correct, however, only the two-species (muon neutrino and tau neutrino) possibility works. This requires the existence of at least one light sterile neutrino to explain the solar electron neutrino deficit via nu(e)->nu(s), leaving nu(mu)->nu(tau) as the explanation for the anomalous nu(mu)/nu(e) ratio produced by atmospheric neutrinos, and having the LSND experiment demonstrating via anti-nu(mu)-> anti-nu(e) the mass difference between the light nu(e)-nu(s) pair and the heavier nu(mu)-nu(tau) pair required for dark matter. Other experiments do not conflict with the LSND results when all the experiments are analyzed in the same way, and when analyzed conservatively the LSND data is quite compatible with the mass difference needed for dark matter. Further support for this mass pattern is provided by the need for a sterile neutrino to rescue heavy-element nucleosynthesis in supernovae, and it could even aid the concordance in light element abundances from the early universe.