arXiv subjects

Ivan Esteban

Publications and source records attributed to Ivan Esteban.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Probing Secret Interactions of Astrophysical Neutrinos in the High-Statistics Era

Do neutrinos have sizable self-interactions? They might. Laboratory constraints are weak, so strong effects are possible in astrophysical environments and the early universe. Observations with neutrino telescopes can provide an independent probe of neutrino self ("secret") interactions, as the sources are distant and the cosmic neutrino background intervenes. We define a roadmap for making decisive progress on testing secret neutrino interactions governed by a light mediator. This progress will be enabled by IceCube-Gen2 observations of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. Critical to this is our comprehensive treatment of the theory, taking into account previously neglected or overly approximated effects, as well as including realistic detection physics. We show that IceCube-Gen2 can realize the full potential of neutrino astronomy for testing neutrino self-interactions, being sensitive to cosmologically relevant interaction models. To facilitate forthcoming studies, we release nuSIProp, a code that can also be used to study neutrino self-interactions from a variety of sources.

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arXiv2021

Long Range Interactions in Cosmology: Implications for Neutrinos

Cosmology is well suited to study the effects of long range interactions due to the large densities in the early Universe. In this article, we explore how the energy density and equation of state of a fermion system diverge from the commonly assumed ideal gas form under the presence of scalar long range interactions with a range much smaller than cosmological scales. In this scenario, "small"-scale physics can impact our largest-scale observations. As a benchmark, we apply the formalism to self-interacting neutrinos, performing an analysis to present and future cosmological data. Our results show that the current cosmological neutrino mass bound is fully avoided in the presence of a long range interaction, opening the possibility for a laboratory neutrino mass detection in the near future. We also demonstrate an interesting complementarity between neutrino laboratory experiments and the future EUCLID survey.

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arXiv2021

European Spallation Source: a future for Coherent Neutrino Nucleus Scattering

The European Spallation Source (ESS), currently finishing its construction, will soon provide the most intense neutron beams for multi-disciplinary science. At the same time, it will also produce a high-intensity neutrino flux with an energy suitable for precision measurements of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering. We describe some physics prospects, within and beyond the Standard Model, of employing innovative detector technologies to take the most out of this large flux. We show that, compared to current measurements, the ESS will provide a much more precise understanding of neutrino and nuclear properties.

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arXiv2020

Improved global fit to Non-Standard neutrino Interactions using COHERENT energy and timing data

We perform a global fit to neutrino oscillation and coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering data, using both timing and energy information from the COHERENT experiment. The results are used to set model-independent bounds on four-fermion effective operators inducing non-standard neutral-current neutrino interactions. We quantify the allowed ranges for their Wilson coefficients, as well as the status of the LMA-D solution, for a wide class of new physics models with arbitrary ratios between the strength of the operators involving up and down quarks. Our results are presented for the COHERENT experiment alone, as well as in combination with the global data from oscillation experiments. We also quantify the dependence of our results for COHERENT with respect to the choice of quenching factor, nuclear form factor, and the treatment of the backgrounds.

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arXiv2020

Updated Constraints on Non-Standard Interactions from Global Analysis of Oscillation Data

We quantify our present knowledge of the size and flavor structure of non-standard neutrino interactions which affect the matter background in the evolution of solar, atmospheric, reactor and long-baseline accelerator neutrinos as determined by a global analysis of oscillation data - both alone and in combination with the results on coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering from the COHERENT experiment. We consider general neutral current neutrino interactions with quarks whose lepton-flavor structure is independent of the quark type. We study the dependence of the allowed ranges of non-standard interaction coefficients, the status of the LMA-D solution, and the determination of the oscillation parameters on the relative strength of the non-standard couplings to up and down quarks. Generically we find that the conclusions are robust for a broad spectrum of up-to-down strengths, and we identify and quantify the exceptional cases related to couplings whose effect in neutrino propagation in the Earth or in the Sun is severely suppressed. As a result of the study we provide explicit constraints on the effective couplings which parametrize the non-standard Earth matter potential relevant for long-baseline experiments.

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arXiv2020

Leptonic CP Violation and its Origin

This PhD thesis deals with the current experimental hint for large CP violation in the leptonic sector. We first quantify its global statistical significance, by combining the results from relevant neutrino oscillation experiments. As the hint is indirect, other new physics apart from three massive neutrinos could be present, masking the results as direct leptonic CP violation has not yet been conclusively observed. Thus, we move on to checking the robustness of the hint against the framework in which the experimental data is interpreted; in other words, its physical origin. To that purpose, we confront with data the scenario that is less bounded by other experiments: neutral current Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) among neutrinos and matter. In the end, CP violation induced by neutrino masses and leptonic mixing is found to be quite robust, due to the large amount of neutrino flavour transition data collected along three decades. Nevertheless, the next generation LBL accelerator experiments are aimed at precision measurements that could be more severely affected. Luckily, in the last years the COHERENT experiment has provided independent constraints on NSI. In the final chapter of the thesis, the data from the COHERENT experiment is analysed and integrated into the global analyses from previous chapters. These first results could be greatly improved by increasing the statistics of the signal and/or by performing measurements with different nuclei sensitive to different NSI models. For that, the European Spallation Source is an ideal future facility, whose prospects for bounding NSI are also explored. In summary, this thesis takes a global approach to rigorously assess whether cutting-edge leptonic flavour measurements are pointing towards a new strong violation of a symmetry of Nature.

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arXiv2020

The fate of hints: updated global analysis of three-flavor neutrino oscillations

Our herein described combined analysis of the latest neutrino oscillation data presented at the Neutrino2020 conference shows that previous hints for the neutrino mass ordering have significantly decreased, and normal ordering (NO) is favored only at the $1.6σ$ level. Combined with the $χ^2$ map provided by Super-Kamiokande for their atmospheric neutrino data analysis the hint for NO is at $2.7σ$. The CP conserving value $δ_\text{CP} = 180^\circ$ is within $0.6σ$ of the global best fit point. Only if we restrict to inverted mass ordering, CP violation is favored at the $\sim 3σ$ level. We discuss the origin of these results - which are driven by the new data from the T2K and NOvA long-baseline experiments -, and the relevance of the LBL-reactor oscillation frequency complementarity. The previous $2.2σ$ tension in $Δm^2_{21}$ preferred by KamLAND and solar experiments is also reduced to the $1.1σ$ level after the inclusion of the latest Super-Kamiokande solar neutrino results. Finally we present updated allowed ranges for the oscillation parameters and for the leptonic Jarlskog determinant from the global analysis.

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arXiv2020

Determining the nuclear neutron distribution from Coherent Elastic neutrino-Nucleus Scattering: current results and future prospects

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS), a process recently measured for the first time at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source, is directly sensitive to the weak form factor of the nucleus. The European Spallation Source (ESS), presently under construction, will generate the most intense pulsed neutrino flux suitable for the detection of CE$ν$NS. In this paper we quantify its potential to determine the root mean square radius of the point-neutron distribution, for a variety of target nuclei and a suite of detectors. To put our results in context we also derive, for the first time, a constraint on this parameter from the analysis of the energy and timing data of the CsI detector at the COHERENT experiment.

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arXiv2020

Decaying Sterile Neutrinos and the Short Baseline Oscillation Anomalies

The MiniBooNE experiment has observed a significant excess of electron neutrinos in a muon neutrino beam at source-detector distances too short to be compatible with standard neutrino oscillations. The most straightforward explanation for this signal in terms of oscillations between Standard Model neutrinos and a new, sterile, neutrino, is disfavored by null results from experiments looking for muon neutrino disappearance. Here, we discuss the possibility that MiniBooNE data are instead explained by a sterile neutrino that decays quickly back into active neutrinos plus a light boson. The flavor composition of the secondary neutrinos is determined by the sterile neutrino mixing angles, and we show that the data is best explained if the sterile neutrino mixes mostly with electron neutrinos. The preferred range for the mass of the sterile neutrino is between 100 eV and 1 keV. We argue that the model can easily satisfy cosmological constraints because it has the "secret interactions" mechanism built-in. Accommodating in addition to the MiniBooNE anomaly also the LSND, reactor, and gallium anomalies is possible, but in this case the model needs to be extended to avoid cosmological limits.

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arXiv2020

On the effect of NSI in the present determination of the mass ordering

In a recent work by Capozzi et al (arXiv:1908.06992), it is observed that the introduction of non-standard neutrino-matter interactions considerably relaxes the preference of T2K and NO$ν$A for normal over inverted mass ordering observed in the standard three-neutrino scenario. Motivated by this, in this note we update our previous global fit to investigate whether such result still holds once the information of solar, atmospheric and reactor experiments is taken into account. We find that the non-standard parameters responsible for the improvement of the inverted ordering fit to T2K and NO$ν$A data are not compatible with the other oscillation experiments, and that the preference for NO is restored.

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arXiv2020

Looking at the axionic dark sector with ANITA

The ANITA experiment has recently observed two anomalous events emerging from well below the horizon. Even though they are consistent with tau cascades, a high energy Standard Model or Beyond the Standard Model explanation is challenging and in tension with other experiments. We study under which conditions the reflection of generic radio pulses can reproduce these signals. We propose that these pulses can be resonantly produced in the ionosphere via axion-photon conversion. This naturally explains the direction and polarization of the events and avoids other experimental bounds.

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arXiv2019

On the Determination of Leptonic CP Violation and Neutrino Mass Ordering in Presence of Non-Standard Interactions: Present Status

We perform a global analysis of neutrino data in the framework of three massive neutrinos with non-standard neutrino interactions which affect their evolution in the matter background. We focus on the effect of NSI in the present observables sensitive to leptonic CP violation and to the mass ordering. We consider complex neutral current neutrino interactions with quarks whose lepton-flavor structure is independent of the quark type. We quantify the status of the "hints" for CP violation, the mass-ordering and non-maximality of $θ_{23}$ in these scenarios. We also present a parametrization-invariant formalism for leptonic CP violation in presence of a generalized matter potential induced by NSI.

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arXiv2018

Global analysis of three-flavour neutrino oscillations: synergies and tensions in the determination of theta_23, delta_CP, and the mass ordering

We present the results of a global analysis of the neutrino oscillation data available as of fall 2018 in the framework of three massive mixed neutrinos with the goal at determining the ranges of allowed values for the six relevant parameters. We describe the complementarity and quantify the tensions among the results of the different data samples contributing to the determination of each parameter. We also show how those vary when combining our global likelihood with the chi^2 map provided by Super-Kamiokande for their atmospheric neutrino data analysis in the same framework. The best fit of the analysis is for the normal mass ordering with inverted ordering being disfavoured with a Delta_chi^2 = 4.7 (9.3) without (with) SK-atm. We find a preference for the second octant of theta_23, disfavouring the first octant with Delta_chi^2 = 4.4 (6.0) without (with) SK-atm. The best fit for the complex phase is Delta_CP = 215_deg with CP conservation being allowed at Delta_chi^2 = 1.5 (1.8). As a byproduct we quantify the correlated ranges for the laboratory observables sensitive to the absolute neutrino mass scale in beta decay, m_nu_e, and neutrino-less double beta decay, m_ee, and the total mass of the neutrinos, Sigma, which is most relevant in Cosmology.

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arXiv2017

Updated fit to three neutrino mixing: exploring the accelerator-reactor complementarity

We perform a combined fit to global neutrino oscillation data available as of fall 2016 in the scenario of three-neutrino oscillations and present updated allowed ranges of the six oscillation parameters. We discuss the differences arising between the consistent combination of the data samples from accelerator and reactor experiments compared to partial combinations. We quantify the confidence in the determination of the less precisely known parameters $θ_{23}$, $δ_\text{CP}$, and the neutrino mass ordering by performing a Monte Carlo study of the long baseline accelerator and reactor data. We find that the sensitivity to the mass ordering and the $θ_{23}$ octant is below $1σ$. Maximal $θ_{23}$ mixing is allowed at slightly more than 90% CL. The best fit for the CP violating phase is around $270^\circ$, CP conservation is allowed at slightly above $1σ$, and values of $δ_\text{CP} \simeq 90^\circ$ are disfavored at around 99% CL for normal ordering and higher CL for inverted ordering.

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