arXiv subjects

M. C. Gonzalez-Garcia

Publications and source records attributed to M. C. Gonzalez-Garcia.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

Phenomenology of Maximal and Near-Maximal Lepton Mixing

We study the phenomenological consequences of maximal and near-maximal mixing of the electron neutrino with other ($x$=tau and/or muon) neutrinos. We describe the deviations from maximal mixing in terms of a parameter $ε\equiv1-2\sin^2θ_{ex}$ and quantify the present experimental status for $|ε|<0.3$. We find that the global analysis of solar neutrino data allows maximal mixing with confidence level better than 99% for $10^{-8}$ eV$^2\lsimΔm^2\lsim2\times10^{-7}$ eV$^2$. In the mass ranges $Δm^2\gsim 1.5\times10^{-5}$ eV$^2$ and $4\times10^{-10}$ eV$^2\lsimΔm^2\lsim2\times10^{-7}$ eV$^2$ the full interval $|ε|<0.3$ is allowed within 4$σ$(99.995 % CL). We suggest ways to measure $ε$ in future experiments. The observable that is most sensitive to $ε$ is the rate [NC]/[CC] in combination with the Day-Night asymmetry in the SNO detector. With theoretical and statistical uncertainties, the expected accuracy after 5 years is $Δε\sim 0.07$. We also discuss the effects of maximal and near-maximal $ν_e$-mixing in atmospheric neutrinos, supernova neutrinos, and neutrinoless double beta decay.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Global and Unified Analysis of Solar Neutrino Data

We discuss the status of the solutions of the solar neutrino problem in terms of oscillations of $ν_e$ into active or sterile neutrinos. We present the results of a global fit to the full data set corresponding to the latest data presented at the $ν$-2000 conference. We show the possible solutions in the full parameter space including both MSW and vacuum, as well as quasi-vacuum oscillations (QVO) and matter effects for mixing angles in the second octant (the so called dark side). Our conclusion is that from the statistical point of view, all solutions for oscillations into active neutrinos: LMA, LOW, SMA and the QVO solutions are acceptable since they all provide a reasonable GOF to the full data set. The same holds for the SMA solution for oscillations into sterile neutrinos. LMA and LOW-QVO solutions for oscillations into active neutrinos seem slightly favoured over SMA solutions for oscillations into active or sterile neutrinos. We also analyze the dependence of these conclusions on the uncertainty of the SSM $^8$B flux and on the removal of the data from one of the experimental rates. We also present the results in the framework of four neutrino oscillations which allows for oscillations into a state which is a combination of active and sterile neutrino.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Four-neutrino oscillations and the solar neutrino problem

We perform a fit of solar neutrino data in the framework of the two four-neutrino schemes that are compatible with the results of all neutrino oscillation experiments. These schemes allow simultaneous transitions of solar nu_e's into active nu_mu's, nu_tau's and sterile nu_s. The data imply that the SMA solution is valid for any combination of nu_e->active and nu_e->sterile transitions, whereas the LMA, LOW and VO solutions disappear when nu_e->nu_s transitions are dominant.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

MSW Solutions to the Solar Neutrino Problem in Presence of Noisy Matter Density Fluctuations

We study the effect of random matter density fluctuations in the sun on resonant neutrino conversion in matter by solving numerically the evolution equation for the neutrino system including the full effect of the random matter density fluctuations of given amplitude and correlation length. In order to establish the possible effect on the MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem we perform a global analysis of all the existing observables including the measured total rates as well as the Super-Kamiokande measurement on the time dependence of the event rates during the day and night and the recoil electron energy spectrum. We find the effects of random noise to be larger for small mixing angles and they are mostly important for correlation lengths in the range few 100 km $\lesssim L_0\lesssim$ few 1000 km. They can be understood as due to a parametric resonance occuring when the phase acquired by the oscillating neutrino state on one fluctuation length L_0 is a multiple of 2$π$. We find that this resonant parametric condition is mainly achieved for low energy neutrinos such as the pp-neutrinos and therefore its effect is mostly seen on the total event rates while the other Super-Kamiokande observables are very marginally sensitive to the presence of noise due to the higher energy threshold.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

On the Size of the Dark Side of the Solar Neutrino Parameter Space

We present an analysis of the MSW neutrino oscillation solutions of the solar neutrino problem in the framework of two-neutrino mixing in the enlarged parameter space $(Δm^2, \tan^2θ)$ with $θ\in (0,\fracπ{2})$. Recently, it was pointed out that the allowed region of parameters from a fit to the measured total rates can extend to values $θ\geq \fracπ{4}$ (the so called ``dark side'') when higher confidence levels are allowed. The purpose of this letter is to reanalize the problem including all the solar neutrino data available, to discuss the dependence on the statistical criteria in the determination of the CL of the ``dark side'' and to extract the corresponding limits on the largest mixing allowed by the data. Our results show that when the Super-Kamiokande data on the zenith angle distribution of events and the spectrum information is included, the regions extend more into the dark side.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Four--Neutrino Oscillation Solutions of the Solar Neutrino Problem

We present an analysis of the neutrino oscillation solutions of the solar neutrino problem in the framework of four-neutrino mixing where a sterile neutrino is added to the three standard ones. We perform a fit to the full data set corresponding to the 825-day Super-Kamiokande data sample as well as to Chlorine, GALLEX and SAGE and Kamiokande experiments. In our analysis we use all measured total event rates as well as all Super-Kamiokande data on the zenith angle dependence and the recoil electron energy spectrum. We consider both transitions via the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) mechanism as well as oscillations in vacuum (just-so) and find the allowed solutions for different values of the additional mixing angles. This framework permits transitions into active or sterile neutrinos controlled by the additional parameter $\cos^2(\vartheta_{23}) \cos^2(\vartheta_{24})$ . We discuss the maximum allowed values of this additional mixing parameter for the different solutions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Updated Global Analysis of the Atmospheric Neutrino Data in terms of neutrino oscillations

A global analysis of all the available atmospheric neutrino data is presented in terms of neutrino oscillations in the nu_mu -> nu_tau and nu_mu -> nu_s channels, where nu_s denotes a sterile neutrino. We perform our analysis of the contained events data as well as the upward-going neutrino-induced muon fluxes. In addition to the previous data samples of Frejus, Nusex, IMB and Kamioka experiments, we include the full data set of the 52 kton-yr of Super-Kamiokande, the recent 4.6 kton-yr contained events of Soudan2 and the results on upgoing muons from the MACRO and Baksan detectors. From the statistical analysis it emerges that the nu_mu -> nu_tau channel provides the best agreement with the combined data, with a best fit point of sin^2(2 theta) = 0.99 and Delta m^2 = 3.0 * 10^{-3} eV^2. Although somehow disfavoured, the nu_mu -> nu_s channels cannot be ruled out on the basis of the global fit to the full set of observables.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Neutrino Masses and Mixing one Decade from Now

We review the status of neutrino masses and mixings in the light of the solar and atmospheric neutrino data. The result from the LSND experiment is also considered. We discuss the present knowledge and the expected sensitivity to the neutrino mixing parameters in the simplest schemes proposed to reconcile these data some of which include a light sterile neutrino in addition to the three standard ones.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Probing Intermediate Mass Higgs Interactions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

We analyze the potentiality of the CERN Large Hadron Collider to probe the Higgs boson couplings to the electroweak gauge bosons. We parametrize the possible deviations of these couplings due to new physics in a model independent way, using the most general dimension--six effective lagrangian where the SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y is realized linearly. For intermediate Higgs masses, the decay channel into two photons is the most important one for Higgs searches at the LHC. We study the effects of these new interactions on the Higgs production mechanism and its subsequent decay into two photons. We show that the LHC will be sensitive to new physics scales beyond the present limits extracted from the LEP and Tevatron physics.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Status of the MSW Solutions to the Solar Neutrino Problem

In this talk we present the results of an updated global analysis of two-flavor MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem in terms of conversions of $ν_e$ into active or sterile neutrinos including the the full data set corresponding to the 825-day Super-Kamiokande data sample as well as to Chlorine, GALLEX and SAGE experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

On the Interpretation of the Atmospheric Neutrino Data in Terms of Flavor Changing Neutrino Interactions

Flavour changing (FC) neutrino-matter interactions have been proposed as a solution to the atmospheric neutrino anomaly. Here we perform the analysis of the full set of the recent 52 kTy Super-Kamiokande atmospheric neutrino data, including the zenith angle distribution of the contained events as well as the higher energy upward-going stopping and through-going muon events. Our results show that the FC mechanism can describe the full data sample with a chi^2_{min}=44/(33 d.o.f) which is acceptable at the 90% confidence level. The combined analysis confines the amount of FC to be either close to maximal or to the level of about (10-50)%.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Solutions to the Atmospheric Neutrino Problem

In this talk I review the present status of the atmospheric neutrino anomaly and discuss some solutions that have been presented in the literature to solve this problem. In particular I review the "standard" solution in terms of neutrino oscillations as well as alternative scenarios such as the possibility of flavour changing neutrino interactions with the Earth and neutrino decay.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Anomalous Couplings of the Third Generation in Rare B Decays

We study the potential effect of anomalous couplings of the third generation quarks to gauge bosons in rare B decays. We focus on the constraints from flavor changing neutral current processes such as $b\to sγ$ and $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$. We consider both dimension-four and dimension-five operators and show that the latter can give large deviations from the standard model in the still unobserved dilepton modes, even after the bounds from $b\to sγ$ and precision electroweak observables are taken into account.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Status of the MSW Solutions to the Solar Neutrino Problem

We present an updated global analysis of two-flavor MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem in terms of conversions of nu_e into active or sterile neutrinos. We perform a fit to the full data set corresponding to the 825-day Super-Kamiokande data sample as well as to Chlorine, GALLEX and SAGE experiments. We use all measured total event rates as well as Super-Kamiokande data on the zenith angle dependence, energy spectrum and seasonal variation of the events. For conversions into active neutrinos we find that, although the data on the total event rates favours the Small Mixing Angle (SMA) solution, once the full data set is included both SMA and Large Mixing Angle (LMA) solutions give an equivalent fit to the data. The best-fit points for the combined analysis are Delta m^2=3.6 10^{-5} eV^2 sin^2(2theta)=0.79 with chi^2_min=35.4/30 d.o.f and Delta m^2=5.1~ 10^{-6} eV^2 and sin^2(2theta)=5.5 10^{-3} with chi^2_min=37.4/30 d.o.f. In contrast with the earlier 504-day study of Bahcall-Krastev-Smirnov our results indicate that the LMA solution is not only allowed, but slightly preferred. We also show that seasonal effects, although small, may still reach 8.5 % at the best-fit LMA solution without conflict with the hints of a day-night variation (6% is due to the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit). For conversions into sterile neutrinos only the SMA solution is allowed with best-fit point Delta m^2=5.0 10^{-6} eV^2 and sin^2(2theta)=3. 10^{-3} and chi^2_min=40.2/30 d.o.f. We also consider departures of the Standard Solar Model of Bahcall and Pinsonneault 1998 by allowing arbitrary 8^B and hep fluxes. Best fit is obtained for ^8B/^8B_SSM=0.61 (1.37) and hep/hep_SSM=12 (38) for the SMA (LMA) solution.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

New Higgs Couplings at Tevatron

We investigate the potentiality of CERN LEP and Fermilab Tevatron colliders to establish bounds on new couplings involving the bosonic sector of the standard model. A combined exclusion plot for the coefficients of different dimension-6 anomalous operators is presented. We also discuss the sensitivity that can be achieved at the upgraded Tevatron.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Seasonal Dependence in the Solar Neutrino Flux

MSW solutions of the solar neutrino problem predict a seasonal dependence of the zenith angle distribution of the event rates, due to the non-zero latitude at the Super-Kamiokande site. We calculate this seasonal dependence and compare it with the expectations in the no-oscillation case as well as just-so scenario, in the light of the latest Super-Kamiokande 708-day data. The seasonal dependence can be sizeable in the large mixing angle MSW solution and would be correlated with the day-night effect. This may be used to discriminate between MSW and just-so scenarios and should be taken into account in refined fits of the data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Atmospheric neutrino observations and flavor changing interactions

Flavor changing (FC) neutrino-matter interactions can account for the zenith-angle dependent deficit of atmospheric neutrinos observed in the SuperKamiokande experiment, without directly invoking neither neutrino mass, nor mixing. We find that FC $ν_μ$-matter interactions provide a good fit to the observed zenith angle distributions, comparable in quality to the neutrino oscillation hypothesis. The required FC interactions arise naturally in many attractive extensions of the Standard Model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Anomalous Higgs Couplings

We review the effects of new effective interactions on the Higgs boson phenomenology. New physics in the electroweak bosonic sector is expected to induce additional interactions between the Higgs doublet field and the electroweak gauge bosons leading to anomalous Higgs couplings as well as to anomalous gauge-boson self-interactions. Using a linearly realized $SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y$ invariant effective Lagrangian to describe the bosonic sector of the Standard Model, we review the effects of the new effective interactions on the Higgs boson production rates and decay modes. We summarize the results from searches for the new Higgs signatures induced by the anomalous interactions in order to constrain the scale of new physics in particular at CERN LEP and Fermilab Te vatron colliders.

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