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Peter B. Denton

Publications and source records attributed to Peter B. Denton.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2024

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) Collaboration -- Contributions to the 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2023)

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) is an envisioned observatory of ultra-high-energy particles of cosmic origin, with energies in excess of 100 PeV. GRAND uses large surface arrays of autonomous radio-detection units to look for the radio emission from extensive air showers that are triggered by the interaction of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos in the atmosphere or underground. In particular, for ultra-high-energy neutrinos, the future final phase of GRAND aims to be sensitive enough to discover them in spite of their plausibly tiny flux. Presently, three prototype GRAND radio arrays are in operation: GRANDProto300, in China, GRAND@Auger, in Argentina, and GRAND@Nancay, in France. Their goals are to field-test the design of the radio-detection units, understand the radio background to which they are exposed, and develop tools for diagnostic, data gathering, and data analysis. This list of contributions to the 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2023) presents an overview of GRAND, in its present and future incarnations, and a look at the first data collected by GRANDProto13, the first phase of GRANDProto300.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2024

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) Collaboration -- Contributions to the 10th International Workshop on Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino Detection Activities (ARENA 2024)

This is an index of the contributions by the Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) Collaboration to the 10th International Workshop on Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino Detection Activities (ARENA 2024, University of Chicago, June 11-14, 2024). The contributions include an overview of GRAND in its present and future incarnations, methods of radio-detection that are being developed for them, and ongoing joint work between the GRAND and BEACON experiments.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2024

CP-Violation with Neutrino Disappearance Alone

The best way to probe CP violation in the lepton sector is with long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiments in the appearance mode: the appearance of $ν_e$ in predominantly $ν_μ$ beams. Here we show that it is possible to discover CP violation with disappearance experiments only, by combining JUNO for electron neutrinos and DUNE or Hyper-Kamiokande for muon neutrinos. While the maximum sensitivity to discover CP is quite modest ($1.6σ$ with 6 years of JUNO and 13 years of DUNE), some values of $δ$ may be disfavored by $>3σ$ depending on the true value of $δ$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2024

Techniques for Solving Static Klein-Gordon Equation with Self-Interaction $λϕ^4$ and Arbitrary Spherical Source Terms

The Klein-Gordon equation for a scalar field sourced by a static spherically symmetric background is an interesting second-order differential equation with applications in particle physics, astrophysics, and elsewhere. Here we present static solutions for generic source density profiles in the case where the scalar field has no interactions or a mass term. For a $λϕ^4$ self-interaction term, we develop the techniques that are necessary numerical computation. We also provide code to perform the numerical calculations that can be adapted for arbitrary density profiles.

physics.comp-ph↗
arXiv2024

Fast and Accurate Algorithm for Calculating Long-Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Probabilities with Matter Effects: NuFast

Neutrino oscillation experiments will be entering the precision era in the next decade with the advent of high statistics experiments like DUNE, HK, and JUNO. Correctly estimating the confidence intervals from data for the oscillation parameters requires very large Monte Carlo data sets involving calculating the oscillation probabilities in matter many, many times. In this paper, we leverage past work to present a new, fast, precise technique for calculating neutrino oscillation probabilities in matter optimized for long-baseline neutrino oscillations in the Earth's crust including both accelerator and reactor experiments. For ease of use by theorists and experimentalists, we provide fast c++ and fortran codes.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2024

A Survey of Neutrino Flavor Models and the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Funnel

The neutrinoless double beta decay experimental effort continues to make tremendous progress with hopes of covering the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy in coming years and pushing from the quasi-degenerate hierarchy into the normal hierarchy. As neutrino oscillation data is starting to suggest that the mass ordering may be normal, we may well be faced with staring down the funnel of death: a region of parameter space in the normal ordering where -- for a particular cancellation among the absolute neutrino mass scale, the Majorana phases, and the oscillation parameters -- the neutrinoless double beta decay rate may be vanishingly small. To answer the question of whether this region of parameter space is theoretically preferred, we survey five broad categories of flavor model structures which make various different predictions for parameters relevant for neutrinoless double beta decay to determine how likely it is that the rate may be in this funnel region. We find that a non-negligible fraction of predictions surveyed are at least partially in the funnel region. Our results can guide model builders and experimentalists alike in focusing their efforts on theoretically motivated regions of parameter space.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2024

The Smallness of Matter Effects in Long-Baseline Muon Neutrino Disappearance

Current long-baseline accelerator experiments, NOvA and T2K, are making excellent measurements of neutrino oscillations and the next generation of experiments, DUNE and HK, will make measurements at the $\mathcal O(1\%)$ level of precision. These measurements are a combination of the appearance channel which is more challenging experimentally but depends on many oscillation parameters, and the disappearance channel which is somewhat easier and allows for precision measurements of the atmospheric mass splitting and the atmospheric mixing angle. It is widely recognized that the matter effect plays a key role in the appearance probability, yet the effect on the disappearance probability is surprisingly small for these experiments. Here we investigate both exactly how small the effect is and show that it just begins to become relevant in the high statistics regime of DUNE.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2023

Fundamental Physics Opportunities with the Next-Generation Event Horizon Telescope

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration recently published the first images of the supermassive black holes in the cores of the Messier 87 and Milky Way galaxies. These observations have provided a new means to study supermassive black holes and probe physical processes occurring in the strong-field regime. We review the prospects of future observations and theoretical studies of supermassive black hole systems with the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT), which will greatly enhance the capabilities of the existing EHT array. These enhancements will open up several previously inaccessible avenues of investigation, thereby providing important new insights into the properties of supermassive black holes and their environments. This review describes the current state of knowledge for five key science cases, summarising the unique challenges and opportunities for fundamental physics investigations that the ngEHT will enable.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2023

Sterile Neutrino Shape-shifting Caused by Dark Matter

Light sterile neutrinos with a mass of $\sim 1$ eV continue to be interesting due to multiple hints from terrestrial experiments. This simple hypothesis suffers from strong astrophysical constraints, in particular from the early universe as well as solar neutrinos. We develop a cosmologically viable proposal consistent with the terrestrial hints, as well as solar constraints, by sourcing the sterile neutrino's mass from ordinary matter via an ultralight scalar $ϕ$ which can also be the dark matter. In this scenario, the experimentally implied $\sim 1$ eV sterile neutrino mass is a local value and changes throughout spacetime.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2023

Neutrino Constraints and the ATOMKI X17 Anomaly

Recent data from the ATOMKI group continues to confirm their claim of the existence of a new $\sim17$ MeV particle. We review and numerically analyze the data and then put into context constraints from other experiments, notably neutrino scattering experiments such as the latest reactor anti-neutrino coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering data and unitarity constraints from solar neutrino observations. We show that minimal scenarios are disfavored and discuss the model requirements to evade these constraints.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2023

Here Comes the Sun: Solar Parameters in Long-Baseline Accelerator Neutrino Oscillations

Long-baseline (LBL) accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments, such as NOvA and T2K in the current generation, and DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL in the coming years, will measure the remaining unknown oscillation parameters with excellent precision. These analyses assume external input on the so-called ``solar parameters,'' $θ_{12}$ and $Δm^2_{21}$, from solar experiments such as SNO, SK, and Borexino, as well as reactor experiments like KamLAND. Here we investigate their role in long-baseline experiments. We show that, without external input on $Δm^2_{21}$ and $θ_{12}$, the sensitivity to detecting and quantifying CP violation is significantly, but not entirely, reduced. Thus long-baseline accelerator experiments can actually determine $Δm^2_{21}$ and $θ_{12}$, and thus all six oscillation parameters, without input from \emph{any} other oscillation experiment. In particular, $Δm^2_{21}$ can be determined; thus DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL can measure both the solar and atmospheric mass splittings in their long-baseline analyses alone. While their sensitivities are not competitive with existing constraints, they are very orthogonal probes of solar parameters and provide a key consistency check of a less probed sector of the three-flavor oscillation picture. Furthermore, we also show that the true values of $Δm^2_{21}$ and $θ_{12}$ play an important role in the sensitivity of other oscillation parameters such as the CP violating phase $δ$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2023

How to Identify Different New Neutrino Oscillation Physics Scenarios at DUNE

Next generation neutrino oscillation experiments are expected to measure the remaining oscillation parameters with very good precision. They will have unprecedented capabilities to search for new physics that modify oscillations. DUNE, with its broad band beam, good particle identification, and relatively high energies will provide an excellent environment to search for new physics. If deviations from the standard three-flavor oscillation picture are seen however, it is crucial to know which new physics scenario is found so that it can be verified elsewhere and theoretically understood. We investigate several benchmark new physics scenarios by looking at existing long-baseline accelerator neutrino data from NOvA and T2K and determine at what sensitivity DUNE can differentiate among them. We consider sterile neutrinos and both vector and scalar non-standard neutrino interactions, all with new complex phases, the latter of which could conceivably provide absolute neutrino mass scale information. We find that, in many interesting cases, DUNE will have good model discrimination. We also perform a new fit to NOvA and T2K data with scalar NSI.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier Report

This report summarizes the current status of neutrino physics and the broad and exciting future prospects identified for the Neutrino Frontier as part of the 2021 Snowmass Process.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

Tau Neutrinos in the Next Decade: from GeV to EeV

Tau neutrinos are the least studied particle in the Standard Model. This whitepaper discusses the current and expected upcoming status of tau neutrino physics with attention to the broad experimental and theoretical landscape spanning long-baseline, beam-dump, collider, and astrophysical experiments. This whitepaper was prepared as a part of the NuTau2021 Workshop.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

Sterile Neutrino Searches with MicroBooNE: Electron Neutrino Disappearance

A sterile neutrino is a well motivated minimal new physics model that leaves an imprint in neutrino oscillations. Over the last two decades, a number of hints pointing to a sterile neutrino have emerged, many of which are pointing near $m_4\sim1$ eV. Here we show how MicroBooNE data can be used to search for electron neutrino disappearance using each of their four analysis channels. We find a hint for oscillations with the highest single channel significance of $2.4σ$ (using the Feldman-Cousins approach) coming from the Wire-Cell analysis and a simplified treatment of the experimental systematics. The preferred parameters are $\sin^2(2θ_{14})=0.35^{+0.19}_{-0.16}$ and $Δm^2_{41}=1.25^{+0.74}_{-0.39}$ eV$^2$. This region of parameter space is in good agreement with existing hints from source experiments, is at a similar frequency but higher mixing than indicated by reactor anti-neutrinos, and is at the edge of the region allowed by solar neutrino data. Existing unanalyzed data from MicroBooNE could increase the sensitivity to the $>3σ$ level.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

New reactor data improves robustness of neutrino mass ordering determination

In neutrino oscillation physics numerous exact degeneracies exist under the name LMA-Dark. These degeneracies make it impossible to determine the sign of $Δm^2_{31}$ known as the atmospheric mass ordering with oscillation experiments alone in the presence of new neutrino interactions. The combination of different measurements including multiple oscillation channels and neutrino scattering experiments lifts some aspects of these degeneracies. In fact, previous measurements of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CEvNS) by COHERENT already ruled out the LMA-Dark solution for new physics with mediators heavier than $M_{Z'}\sim50$ MeV while cosmological considerations disfavor these scenarios for mediators lighter than $M_{Z'}\sim3$ MeV. Here we leverage new data from the Dresden-II experiment which provides the strongest bounds on CEvNS with reactor neutrinos to date. We show that this data completely removes the degeneracies in the $ν_e$ sector for mediators down to the MeV scale at which point constraints from the early universe take over. While the LMA-Dark degeneracy is lifted in the $ν_e$ sector, it can still be restored in the $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ sector or with very specific couplings to up and down quarks, and we speculate on a path forward.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

High-Energy and Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos

Astrophysical neutrinos are excellent probes of astroparticle physics and high-energy physics. With energies far beyond solar, supernovae, atmospheric, and accelerator neutrinos, high-energy and ultra-high-energy neutrinos probe fundamental physics from the TeV scale to the EeV scale and beyond. They are sensitive to physics both within and beyond the Standard Model through their production mechanisms and in their propagation over cosmological distances. They carry unique information about their extreme non-thermal sources by giving insight into regions that are opaque to electromagnetic radiation. This white paper describes the opportunities astrophysical neutrino observations offer for astrophysics and high-energy physics, today and in coming years.

hep-ph↗