Search for signatures of sterile neutrinos with Double Chooz

T Abrahão,I M Pepe,M Skorokhvatov,A Etenko,G Yang,T Brugière,M Ishitsuka,S Sukhotin,S Schoppmann,L Bezrukov,D Hellwig,D Lhuillier,C Mariani,J Jochum,M Lindner,D Navas-Nicolás,L F G Gonzalez,Z Djurcic,K Kale,A Cabrera,L F F Stokes,A Stahl,L Oberauer,J Maeda,T J C Bezerra,M Cerrada,S Schönert,J Martino,T Lasserre,A Givaudan,T Lachenmaier,C Buck,I Bekman,M Obolensky,V Sibille,H Furuta,A Meregaglia,T Kawasaki,E Kemp,G Pronost,F Suekane,H Gómez ,J Reichenbacher,A Hourlier,J C Dos Anjos,M Kaneda,D Kryn,H De Kerret,J M Losecco,B Viaud,A Minotti,R Milinčić ,J Maricic,V V Sinev ,I Gil-Botella,M C Goodman,M Vivier,S Appel,Yujing Sun ,J Dawson ,T Sumiyoshi,P Chimenti,H Almazán ,S J Wagner ,Lars Philipp Heuermann ,J Busenitz,M Karakac,P Soldin,I Stancu,H P Lima ,C Jollet,A Oralbaev,E Blucher,P Novella,J C Barrière ,A Onillón ,O Corpace,C Palomares,L Scola,R Sharankova,T Miletic,M Kuze,T Hara,C Lane ,E Chauveau,Б Лубсандоржиев ,José Miguel No ,T Matsubara,C Lastoria,J Haser,G Mention,B Reinhold,Christopher Wiebusch ,C Veyssiére ,F Yermia

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09459-0

Abstract

We present a search for signatures of neutrino mixing of electron anti-neutrinos with additional hypothetical sterile neutrino flavors using the Double Chooz experiment. The search is based on data from 5 years of operation of Double Chooz, including 2 years in the two-detector configuration. The analysis is based on a profile likelihood, i.e. comparing the data to the model prediction of disappearance in a data-to-data comparison of the two respective detectors. The analysis is optimized for a model of three active and one sterile neutrino. It is sensitive in the typical mass range {5 times 10^{-3}},mathrm{eV}^2 lesssim varDelta m^2_{41} lesssim {3 times 10^{-1}},mathrm{eV}^2 for mixing angles down to sin ^2 2theta _{14} gtrsim {0.02} . No significant disappearance additionally to the conventional disappearance related to theta _{13} is observed and correspondingly exclusion bounds on the sterile mixing parameter theta _{14} as a function of varDelta m^2_{41} are obtained.

Highlights

The standard model of particle physics includes three flavors of neutrinos that interact through the weak force with other particles [53]
The neutrino experiments Double Chooz, Daya Bay, and RENO contributed to the field by establishing the third oscillation mode that is related to the mixing angle θ13 [3,17,21]
A non-zero mixing of reactor νe with a sterile neutrino will result in a disappearance, superimposed to the standard oscillation related to θ13

Summary

Introduction

The standard model of particle physics includes three flavors of neutrinos that interact through the weak force with other particles [53]. The neutrino experiments Double Chooz, Daya Bay, and RENO contributed to the field by establishing the third oscillation mode that is related to the mixing angle θ13 [3,17,21] These experiments observe the disappearance of νe from nuclear reactors by measuring the flux at different distances. This results in an additional mass state m4 and an extension of the mixing matrix to 4 × 4 with the additional parameters θ14, θ24, θ34, and additional CP violating phases In this picture, a non-zero mixing of reactor νe with a sterile neutrino will result in a disappearance, superimposed to the standard oscillation related to θ13. The here presented search is complementary in probed L/E as well as lower probed mass-square differences below 0.1 eV2; see [34]

Experimental setup

Analysis method

Test statistic

Sensitivity

Findings

Discussion