arXiv subjects

T. Schwetz

Publications and source records attributed to T. Schwetz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

Letter of Intent for Double-CHOOZ: a Search for the Mixing Angle Theta13

Tremendous progress has been achieved in neutrino oscillation physics during the last few years. However, the smallness of the $\t13$ neutrino mixing angle still remains enigmatic. The current best constraint comes from the CHOOZ reactor neutrino experiment $\s2t13 < 0.2$ (at 90% C.L., for $\adm2=2.0 10^{-3} \text{eV}^2$). We propose a new experiment on the same site, Double-CHOOZ, to explore the range of $\s2t13$ from 0.2 to 0.03, within three years of data taking. The improvement of the CHOOZ result requires an increase in the statistics, a reduction of the systematic error below one percent, and a careful control of the cosmic ray induced background. Therefore, Double-CHOOZ will use two identical detectors, one at $\sim$150 m and another at 1.05 km distance from the nuclear cores. The plan is to start data taking with two detectors in 2008, and to reach a sensitivity of 0.05 in 2009, and 0.03 in 2011.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2004

Series expansions for three-flavor neutrino oscillation probabilities in matter

We present a number of complete sets of series expansion formulas for neutrino oscillation probabilities in matter of constant density for three flavors. In particular, we study expansions in the mass hierarchy parameter $α\equiv Δm_{21}^2/Δm_{31}^2$ and mixing parameter $s_{13} \equiv \sin θ_{13}$ up to second order and expansions only in $α$ and only in $s_{13}$ up to first order. For each type of expansion we also present the corresponding formulas for neutrino oscillations in vacuum.We perform a detailed analysis of the accuracy of the different sets of series expansion formulas and investigate which type of expansion is most accurate in different regions of the parameter space spanned by the neutrino energy E, the baseline length L, and the expansion parameters $α$ and $s_{13}$.We also present the formulas for series expansions in $α$ and in $s_{13}$ up to first order for the case of arbitrary matter density profiles. Furthermore, it is shown that in general all the 18 neutrino and antineutrino oscillation probabilities can be expressed through just two independent probabilites.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Status of three-neutrino oscillations after the SNO-salt data

We perform a global analysis of neutrino oscillation data in the framework of three neutrinos, including the recent improved measurement of the neutral current events at SNO. In addition to all current solar neutrino data we take into account the reactor neutrino data from KamLAND and CHOOZ, the atmospheric neutrino data from Super-Kamiokande and MACRO, as well as the first spectral data from the K2K long baseline accelerator experiment. The up-to-date best fit values and allowed ranges of the three-flavour oscillation parameters are determined from these data. Furthermore, we discuss in detail the status of the small parameters alpha = Delta_m^2_Sol / Delta_m^2_Atm and sin^2(theta_13), which fix the possible strength of CP violating effects in neutrino oscillations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Status of the CPT Violating Interpretations of the LSND Signal

We study the status of the CPT violating neutrino mass spectrum which has been proposed to simultaneously accommodate the oscillation data from LSND, KamLAND, atmospheric and solar neutrino experiments, as well as the non-observation of anti-neutrino disappearance in short-baseline reactor experiments. We perform a three-generation analysis of the global data with the aim of elucidating the viability of this solution. We find no compatibility between the results of the oscillation analysis of LSND and all-but-LSND data sets below 3$σ$ CL. Furthermore, the global data without LSND show no evidence for CPT violation: the best fit point of the all-but-LSND analysis occurs very close to a CPT conserving scenario.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Testing the statistical compatibility of independent data sets

We discuss a goodness-of-fit method which tests the compatibility between statistically independent data sets. The method gives sensible results even in cases where the chi^2-minima of the individual data sets are very low or when several parameters are fitted to a large number of data points. In particular, it avoids the problem that a possible disagreement between data sets becomes diluted by data points which are insensitive to the crucial parameters. A formal derivation of the probability distribution function for the proposed test statistic is given, based on standard theorems of statistics. The application of the method is illustrated on data from neutrino oscillation experiments, and its complementarity to the standard goodness-of-fit is discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Can four neutrinos explain global oscillation data including LSND and cosmology?

We present an analysis of the global neutrino oscillation data in terms of four-neutrino mass schemes. We find that the strong preference of oscillations into active neutrinos implied by solar+KamLAND as well as atmospheric neutrino data allows to rule out (2+2) mass schemes, whereas (3+1) schemes are strongly disfavoured by short-baseline experiments. In addition, we perform an analysis using recent data from cosmology, including CMB data from WMAP and data from 2dFGRS large scale structure surveys. These data lead to further restrictions of the allowed regions for the (3+1) mass scheme.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Constraining neutrino oscillation parameters with current solar and atmospheric data

We analyze the impact of recent solar, atmospheric and reactor data in the determination of the neutrino oscillation parameters, taking into account that both the solar nu_e and the atmospheric nu_mu may convert to a mixture of active and sterile neutrinos. We use the most recent global solar neutrino data, including the 1496-day Super-K neutrino data sample, and we investigate in detail the impact of the SNO neutral current, spectral and day/night data by performing also an analysis using only the charged current rate from SNO. The implications of the first 145.1 days of KamLAND data on the determination of the solar neutrino parameters are also discussed in detail. We confirm the clear preference of solar+reactor data for the pure active LMA-MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem, and obtain that the LOW, VAC, SMA and Just-So^2 solutions are disfavored with a Delta_chi^2 = 22, 22, 36, 44, respectively. Furthermore, we find that the global solar data constrains the admixture of a sterile neutrino to be less than 43% at 99% CL. By performing an improved fit of the atmospheric data, we also update the corresponding regions of oscillation parameters. We find that the recent atmospheric Super-K (1489-day) and MACRO data have a strong impact on constraining a sterile component in atmospheric oscillations: if the nu_mu is restricted to the atmospheric mass states only a sterile admixture of 16% is allowed at 99% CL, while a bound of 35% is obtained in the unconstrained case. Pure sterile oscillations are disfavored with a Delta_chi^2 = 34.6 compared to the pure active case.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

The solar LMA neutrino oscillation solution in the Zee model

We examine the neutrino mass matrix in the version of Zee model where both Higgs doublets couple to the leptons. We show that in this case one can accommodate the large mixing angle (LMA) MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem, while avoiding maximal solar mixing and conflicts with constraints on lepton family number-violating interactions. In the simplified scenario we consider, we have the neutrino mass spectrum characterized by $m_1 \simeq m_2 \simeq \sqrt{Δm^2_\mathrm{atm}}/\sin 2θ$ and $m_3/m_1 \simeq \cos 2θ$, where $θ$ is the solar mixing angle.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Combining first KamLAND results with solar neutrino data

We consider the impact of the recent KamLAND data on neutrino oscillations, the first terrestrial neutrino experiment that can probe the solar neutrino anomaly. By combining the first 145.1 days of KamLAND data with the full sample of latest solar neutrino data we find an enhanced rejection against non-LMA oscillations, allowed only at more than 4 sigma with respect to LMA. Furthermore, the new data have a strong impact in narrowing down the allowed range of Delta_m^2 inside the LMA region. In contrast, our global analysis indicates that the new data have little impact on the location of the best fit point. In particular the solar neutrino mixing remains significantly non-maximal (3 sigma).

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Global analysis of neutrino oscillation data in four-neutrino schemes

We present an analysis of the global neutrino oscillation data in terms of four-neutrino mass schemes. We find that the strong preference of oscillations into active neutrinos implied by the latest solar as well as atmospheric neutrino data allows to rule out (2+2) mass schemes, whereas (3+1) schemes are strongly disfavoured by short-baseline experiments. Our analysis shows that four-neutrino oscillations do not provide a satisfactory description of the global neutrino oscillation data including the LSND result.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Constraining Majorana neutrino electromagnetic properties from the LMA-MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem

In this paper we use solar neutrino data to derive stringent bounds on Majorana neutrino transition moments (TMs). Should such be present, they would contribute to the neutrino--electron scattering cross section and hence alter the signal observed in Super-Kamiokande. Motivated by the growing robustness of the LMA-MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem indicated by recent data, and also by the prospects of its possible confirmation at KamLAND, we assume the validity of this solution, and we constrain neutrino TMs by using the latest global solar neutrino data. We find that all elements of the TM matrix can be bounded at the same time. Furthermore, we show how reactor data play a complementary role to the solar neutrino data, and use the combination of both data sets to improve the current bounds. Performing a simultaneous fit of LMA-MSW oscillation parameters and TMs we find that 6.3 times 10^{-10} mu_B and 2.0 times 10^{-10} mu_B are the 90% C.L. bounds from solar and combined solar + reactor data, respectively. Finally, we perform a simulation of the upcoming Borexino experiment and show that it will improve the bounds from today's data by roughly one order of magnitude.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Ruling out four-neutrino oscillation interpretations of the LSND anomaly?

Prompted by recent solar and atmospheric data, we re-analyze the four-neutrino description of current global neutrino oscillation data, including the LSND evidence for oscillations. The higher degree of rejection for non-active solar and atmospheric oscillation solutions implied by the SNO neutral current result as well as by the latest 1489-day Super-K atmospheric neutrino data allows us to rule out (2+2) oscillation schemes proposed to reconcile LSND with the rest of current neutrino oscillation data. Using an improved goodness of fit (gof) method especially sensitive to the combination of data sets we obtain a gof of only 1.6 times 10^{-6} for (2+2) schemes. Further, we re-evaluate the status of (3+1) oscillations using two different analyses of the LSND data sample. We find that also (3+1) schemes are strongly disfavoured by the data. Depending on the LSND analysis we obtain a gof of 5.6 times 10^{-3} or 7.6 times 10^{-5}. This leads to the conclusion that all four-neutrino descriptions of the LSND anomaly, both in (2+2) as well as (3+1) realizations, are highly disfavoured. Our analysis brings the LSND hint to a more puzzling status.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Confusing non-standard neutrino interactions with oscillations at a neutrino factory

Most neutrino mass theories contain non-standard interactions (NSI) of neutrinos which can be either non-universal (NU) or flavor-changing (FC). We study the impact of such interactions on the determination of neutrino mixing parameters at a neutrino factory using the so-called ``golden channels'' \pnu{e}\to\pnuμ for the measurement of θ_{13}. We show that a certain combination of FC interactions in neutrino source and earth matter can give exactly the same signal as oscillations arising due to θ_{13}. This implies that information about θ_{13} can only be obtained if bounds on NSI are available. Taking into account the existing bounds on FC interactions, this leads to a drastic loss in sensitivity in θ_{13}, at least two orders of magnitude. A near detector at a neutrino factory offers the possibility to obtain stringent bounds on some NSI parameters. Such near site detector constitutes an essential ingredient of a neutrino factory and a necessary step towards the determination of θ_{13} and subsequent study of leptonic CP violation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Status of four-neutrino mass schemes: a global and unified approach to current neutrino oscillation data

We present a unified global analysis of neutrino oscillation data within the framework of the four-neutrino mass schemes (3+1) and (2+2). We include all data from solar and atmospheric neutrino experiments, as well as information from short-baseline experiments including LSND. If we combine only solar and atmospheric neutrino data, (3+1) schemes are clearly preferred, whereas short-baseline data in combination with atmospheric data prefers (2+2) models. When combining all data in a global analysis the (3+1) mass scheme gives a slightly better fit than the (2+2) case, though all four-neutrino schemes are presently acceptable. The LSND result disfavors the three-active neutrino scenario with only $Δm^2_{sol}$ and $Δm^2_{atm}$ at 99.9% CL with respect to the four-neutrino best fit model. We perform a detailed analysis of the goodness of fit to identify which sub-set of the data is in disagreement with the best fit solution in a given mass scheme.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

How sensitive is a neutrino factory to the angle $θ_{13}$?

We consider the impact of non-standard interactions of neutrinos (NSI) on the determination of neutrino mixing parameters at a neutrino factory using $\pnu{e}\to\pnuμ$ ``golden channels'' for the measurement of $θ_{13}$. We show how a small residual NSI leads to a drastic loss in sensitivity in $θ_{13}$, of up to two orders of magnitude. This can be somewhat overcome if two baselines are combined.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Cornering (3+1) sterile neutrino schemes

Using the most recent atmospheric neutrino data, as well as short-baseline, long-baseline and tritium $β$-decay data we show that the joint interpretation of the LSND, solar and atmospheric neutrino anomalies in (3+1) sterile neutrino schemes is severely disfavored, in contrast to the theoretically favored (2+2) schemes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

4-Neutrino mass schemes and the likelihood of (3+1)-mass spectra

We examine the (3+1)-class of 4-neutrino mass spectra within a rigorous statistical analysis based on the Bayesian approach to probability. The data of the Bugey, CDHS and KARMEN experiments are combined by using a likelihood function. Our statistical approach allows us to incorporate solar and atmospheric neutrino data and also the result of the CHOOZ experiment via inequalities which involve elements of the neutrino mixing matrix and are derived from these data. For any short-baseline $Δm^2$ we calculate a bound on the LSND transition amplitude $A_{μ;e}$ and find that, in the $Δm^2$--$A_{μ;e}$ plane, there is no overlap between the 99% CL region allowed by the latest LSND analysis and the region allowed by our bound on $A_{μ;e}$ at 95% CL; there are some small overlap regions if we take the bound at 99% CL. Therefore, we conclude that, with the existing data, the (3+1)-neutrino mass spectra are not very likely. However, treating the (2+2)-spectra with our method, we find that they are well compatible with all data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Elastic $νe^-$ scattering of solar neutrinos with electromagnetic moments

We consider the azimuthal asymmetry of the recoil electrons in elastic $νe^-$ scattering of solar neutrinos, which can arise if neutrinos have electromagnetic moments and there is a large solar magnetic field. We show that using this effect it is not possible to distinguish between magnetic and electric dipole moment in the 1-Dirac and 2-Majorana neutrino cases and that averaging over neutrino energy is important and suppresses the azimuthal asymmetry in the 2-Majorana case.

hep-ph↗