arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F. Tramontano.
The relation between neutrino oscillation parameters and neutrinoless double beta decay is studied, assuming normal and inverse hierarchies for Majorana neutrino masses. For normal hierarchy the crucial dependence on U_{e3} is explored. The link with tritium beta decay is also briefly discussed.
In the baryogenesis via leptogenesis framework the baryonic asymmetry depends on lepton mass matrices. In a previous paper we used SO(10)-inspired mass matrices and we found few possibilities to obtain a sufficient level of asymmetry. In the present paper we use SU(5)-inspired mass matrices, which also allow to check the dependence of the baryonic asymmetry on Dirac neutrino masses. In particular, we find that the large mixing matter solution to the solar neutrino problem, which within SO(10) gives too small asymmetry, can now be favoured.
We calculate the baryonic asymmetry of the universe in the baryogenesis-via-leptogenesis framework, assuming first a quark-lepton symmetry and then a charged-neutral lepton symmetry. We match the results with the experimentally favoured range. In the first case all the oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino problem, except the large mixing matter solution, can lead to the allowed range, but with fine tuning of the parameters. In the second case the general result is quite similar. Some related theoretical hints are discussed.
Assuming a Zee-like matrix for the right-handed neutrino Majorana masses in the see-saw mechanism, one gets maximal mixing for vacuum solar oscillations, a very small value for $U_{e3}$ and an approximate degeneracy for the two lower neutrino masses. The scale of right-handed neutrino Majorana masses is in good agreement with the value expected in a SO(10) model with Pati-Salam $SU(4)\ts SU(2)\ts SU(2)$ intermediate symmetry.
In the standard model, several forms of quark mass matrices which correspond to the choice of weak bases lead to the same left-handed mixings $V_L=V_{CKM}$, while the right-handed mixings $V_R$ are not observable quantities. Instead, in a left-right extension of the standard model, such forms are ansatze and give different right-handed mixings which are now observable quantities. We partially select the reliable forms of quark mass matrices by means of constraints on right-handed mixings in some left-right models, in particular on $V^R_{cb}$. Hermitian matrices are easily excluded.
The form factors for the weak currents between B and light mesons are studied by relating them to the corresponding D form factors at q^2_{max} according to HQET, by evaluating them at q^2=0 by QCD sum rules, and by assuming a polar q^2 dependence. The results found are consistent with the information obtained from exclusive non-leptonic two-body decays and, with the only exception of A_1, with lattice calculations.
Simple transformation formulas between fermion matrices and observables, and numerical values of quark matrices, are obtained on a particular weak basis with one quark matrix diagonal and the other with vanishing elements 1-1, 1-3 and 3-1, and with only the element 2-2 complex. When we choose $M_u$ diagonal, then $M_d$ shows intriguing numerical properties which suggest a four parameter description of it, which implies $V_{us}\simeq \sqrt{m_d/m_s}$, $V_{cb}\simeq (3/\sqrt{5})(m_s/m_b)$ and $V_{ub}\simeq (1/\sqrt{5})(\sqrt{m_d m_s}/m_b)$. Few comments on mass-mixing relations are added.