Abstract
A new detection channel on atomic ionization for possible neutrino electromagnetic interactions is identified and studied. Significant sensitivity enhancement is demonstrated when the energy transfer to the target is of the atomic-transition scale. The interaction cross section induced by neutrino magnetic moments (μ(ν)) is evaluated with the equivalent photon method. A new limit of μ(ν)(ν[over ¯](e))<1.3×10(-11) μ(B) at 90% confidence level is derived by using current reactor neutrino data. Potential reaches for future experiments are explored. Experiments with sub-keV sensitivities can probe μ(ν) to 10(-13) μ(B). Positive observations of μ(ν) in this range would imply that neutrinos are Majorana particles.
Highlights
A new detection channel on atomic ionization for possible neutrino electromagnetic interactions is identified and studied
We focus on ð"eÞ in this Letter and place limits with published reactor neutrino data by using an interaction channel which significantly enhances the sensitivities
The -induced atomic ionization (AI) processes are analogous to the standard model (SM) electromagnetic interactions (QED) between relativistic charged particles and matter which were well-studied experimentally and theoretically [11,14]
Summary
A new detection channel on atomic ionization for possible neutrino electromagnetic interactions is identified and studied. We focus on ð"eÞ in this Letter and place limits with published reactor neutrino data by using an interaction channel which significantly enhances the sensitivities. [4] are from neutrino-electron scattering experiments with reactor [7,8] and solar neutrinos [9], where the published limits are ð"eÞ < 7:4 Â 10À11B [7] and ðÞ < 5:4 Â 10À11B [9], at 90% confidence level (C.L.), respectively.
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