Effective Majorana Neutrino Mass Research Articles

A realistic neutrino mixing scheme arising from A4 symmetry

We propose a unique lepton mixing scheme and its association with an exact hierarchy-philic neutrino mass matrix texture in the light of Type-I+Type-II seesaw mechanism under the framework of discrete flavour symmetry. The proposed model successfully predicts the normal ordering of neutrino masses and the two Majorana phases. Additionally, the analysis extends to the effective Majorana neutrino mass, in the context of neutrinoless double beta .

The physics case for neutrino–neutrino collisions

Addressing the mass origin and properties of neutrinos is of strong interest to particle physics, baryogenesis and cosmology. Popular explanations involve physics beyond the standard model, for example, the dimension-5 Weinberg operator or heavy Majorana neutrinos arising from ‘seesaw’ models. The current best direct limits on the electron neutrino mass, derived from nuclei beta decay or neutrinoless double beta decay processes, are at the sub-electronvolt level. Here we propose a novel neutrino–neutrino collider where the neutrino beam is generated from TeV scale muon decays. Such collisions can happen between either neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, or neutrinos and neutrinos. We find that with a tiny integrated luminosity of about 10−5 fb−1 we can already expect to observe direct neutrino anti-neutrino annihilation, νν¯→Z , which also opens the door to explore neutrino related resonances νν¯→X . The low luminosity requirement can accommodate a relatively large emittance muon beam. Such a device would also allow for probing heavy Majorana neutrino and effective Majorana neutrino mass through ν ν → HH to a competitive level, for both electron and muon types.

A minimal inverse seesaw model with S4 flavour symmetry

We construct an S4 flavour symmetric minimal inverse seesaw model where the standard model is extended by adding two right-handed and two standard model gauge singlet neutrinos to explain the origin of tiny neutrino masses. The resulting model describes the lepton mass spectra and flavour mixing quite well for the case of the normal hierarchy of neutrino masses. The prediction of the model on the Dirac CP-violating phase is centered around 370.087°. Furthermore, using the allowed region for the model parameters, we have calculated the value of the effective Majorana neutrino mass, |〈mee〉|, which characterizes neutrinoless double beta decay.

Theoretical and Experimental Challenges in the Measurement of Neutrino Mass

Neutrino masses are yet unknown. We discuss the present state of effective electron antineutrino mass from β decay experiments; effective Majorana neutrino mass from neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments; neutrino mass squared differences from neutrino oscillation: solar, atmospheric, reactor, and accelerator-based experiments; sum of neutrino masses from cosmological observations. Current experimental challenges in the determination of neutrino masses are briefly discussed. The main focus is devoted to contemporary experiments.

Search for Majorana neutrinos in same-sign WW scattering events from pp collisions at sqrt{s}=13 TeV

A search for Majorana neutrinos in same-sign WW scattering events is presented. The analysis uses sqrt{s}= 13 TeV proton–proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 140 fb^{-1} recorded during 2015–2018 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis targets final states including exactly two same-sign muons and at least two hadronic jets well separated in rapidity. The modelling of the main backgrounds, from Standard Model same-sign WW scattering and WZ production, is constrained with data in dedicated signal-depleted control regions. The distribution of the transverse momentum of the second-hardest muon is used to search for signals originating from a heavy Majorana neutrino with a mass between 50 GeV and 20 TeV. No significant excess is observed over the background expectation. The results are interpreted in a benchmark scenario of the Phenomenological Type-I Seesaw model. In addition, the sensitivity to the Weinberg operator is investigated. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are placed on the squared muon-neutrino–heavy-neutrino mass-mixing matrix element vert V_{mu N} vert ^{2} as a function of the heavy Majorana neutrino’s mass m_N, and on the effective mu mu Majorana neutrino mass |m_{mu mu }|.

New magic neutrino mass textures with three free parameters

Motivated by current experiments on searching for neutrinoless double beta decays, we study the phenomenological consequences and testability of the constraint relation “Mii=Mjj+Meμ+Meτ”, for i,j=e,μ,τ, on the magic neutrino mass matrix elements. This hypothesis is inspired by the μ−τ symmetry and gives rise to six different Majorana neutrino mass textures, including two textures one-zero. These obtained textures are diagonalized by the well-known trimaximal mixing which provides nonzero and nonmaximal reactor and atmospheric angles, respectively. Depending on the predominance of the e-row or μ-τ block, the preferred neutrino mass hierarchy and the lower limits on the |Mii| effective Majorana masses for each magic matrix are determined. Furthermore, in light of the global-fit results of neutrino oscillation parameters as reported by NuFIT 5.1, we also study the testability of these textures at the proposed neutrinoless double beta decay experiments such as KamLAND-Zen, GERDA Phase-II and nEXO, by incorporating the effective Majorana neutrino masses |Mij| that are generated through these neutrino mass matrices.

Double Beta Decay Experiments: Recent Achievements and Future Prospects

The results of experiments on the search for and study of double beta decay processes obtained over the past 5 years (from 2018 to April 2023) are discussed. The results of the search for neutrinoless double beta decay are presented, in which a sensitivity of T1/2∼2×1024–2×1026 years (90% C.L.) has been achieved. The present conservative upper limit on effective Majorana neutrino mass ⟨mν⟩ was established from these experiments as 0.16 eV (90% C.L.). The results of experiments on recording and studying the processes of two-neutrino double beta decay in various nuclei (transitions to both the ground and excited states of daughter nuclei) are discussed too. The results of experiments on the search for majoron are also given. Possible progress in this field in the future is discussed.

A simplest seesaw model of the TM1 and μ-τ reflection symmetries for the neutrino masses and leptogenesis

In this paper, following the Occam’s razor principle, we have put forward a very simple form of the Dirac neutrino mass matrix in the minimal seesaw model with the right-handed neutrino mass matrix being diagonal ; it has one texture zero and only contains three real parameters, whose values can be determined from the neutrino oscillation experimental results. Such a model leads to a neutrino mass matrix that obeys the TM1 and μ-τ reflection symmetries simultaneously. In this way all the lepton flavor mixing parameters except for are predicted; the value of is predicted by the TM1 symmetry, while those of , δ, ρ and σ by the μ-τ reflection symmetry. And the neutrino masses are predicted to be of the NO case with , for which all three light neutrino masses will be pinned down with the help of the experimental results for the neutrino mass squared differences. For these results, the effective Majorana neutrino mass that controls the rate of the neutrinoless double beta decay is predicted to be 1.6 or 3.8 meV in the case of σ = 0 or π/2. We have also studied the implications of the model for leptogenesis. It turns out that only in the two-flavor leptogenesis regime (which holds in the temperature range 109–1012 GeV) can leptogenesis have a chance to be successful. And a successful leptogenesis can be achieved at GeV in the case of σ = π/2, but not in the case of σ = 0.

Search for Majorana neutrinos

AbstractWhether there exist elementary particles having Majorana nature is a fundamental open question that has persisted since the 1930s. The only practical experiments to test the Majorana nature of neutrinos is the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay, which has been a major challenge for nuclear and particle physicists. In the 2000s, a number of experiments using advanced technologies were planned, some of which have already achieved significant improvements in the search sensitivity. In this article, the current status of the neutrinoless double-beta decay searches is summarized, reviewing the progress of KamLAND-Zen, which recorded the world’s best sensitivity in the effective Majorana neutrino mass limit.

Search for the Majorana Nature of Neutrinos in the Inverted Mass Ordering Region with KamLAND-Zen.

The KamLAND-Zen experiment has provided stringent constraints on the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay half-life in ^{136}Xe using a xenon-loaded liquid scintillator. We report an improved search using an upgraded detector with almost double the amount of xenon and an ultralow radioactivity container, corresponding to an exposure of 970kgyr of ^{136}Xe. These new data provide valuable insight into backgrounds, especially from cosmic muon spallation of xenon, and have required the use of novel background rejection techniques. We obtain a lower limit for the 0νββ decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>2.3×10^{26} yr at 90%C.L., corresponding to upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of 36-156meV using commonly adopted nuclear matrix element calculations.

The translational μ-τ reflection symmetry of Majorana neutrinos

The present neutrino oscillation data allow [Formula: see text] (or [Formula: see text]) for the neutrino mass spectrum and support [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] as two good approximations for the PMNS lepton flavor mixing matrix [Formula: see text]. We show that these intriguing possibilities can be a very natural consequence of the translational[Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] reflection symmetry — the effective Majorana neutrino mass term keeps invariant under the transformations [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (for [Formula: see text] or 3), where [Formula: see text] is the charge conjugation of a constant spinor field [Formula: see text]. By extending such a working flavor symmetry to the canonical seesaw mechanism at a superhigh-energy scale, we calculate its soft breaking effects at the electroweak scale by using the one-loop renormalization-group equations.

BINGO: Background reduction techniques for 0ν2β bolometric experiments

BINGO is a project dedicated to explore new methods for background reduction in experiments searching for 0ν2β decay. It is based on bolometers, one of the most promising techniques to search for 0ν2β. CUORE and CUPID-Mo/0 are the main bolometric experiments that have illustrated the most relevant limiting factors on sensitivity the bolometers are facing. Surface αs are the main source of background in CUORE, and this contribution has been mitigated in CUPID-Mo/0 using dual heat-light channels, i.e., a main absorber embedding the 2β decay isotope facing a light detector. In this case, surface α rejection is achieved thanks to the lower α light output compared to β/γ. However, there are still other background components that limit the sensitivity of the experiments, such as pile-ups due to random coincidences of physical events, external γ background and β surface radioactivity. BINGO’s proposed technology aims at reducing the background index down to 10−5 counts/(keV kg yr) in the region of interest, thus boosting the sensitivity on the effective Majorana neutrino mass. This can be achieved by: (i) having a revolutionary detector assembly with a reduction in the passive materials facing the detector; (ii) increasing the light detector sensitivity thanks to Neganov-Luke amplification; (iii) using an active shield, based on BGO scintillators with bolometric light detector readout to surround the experimental volume. The main text describes the listed approaches in detail, as well as the recent results of prototype tests.

Final results on the 0nu beta beta decay half-life limit of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment

The CUPID-Mo experiment to search for 0nu beta beta decay in ^{100}Mo has been recently completed after about 1.5 years of operation at Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France). It served as a demonstrator for CUPID, a next generation 0nu beta beta decay experiment. CUPID-Mo was comprised of 20 enriched hbox {Li}_{{2}}^{100}hbox {MoO}_4 scintillating calorimeters, each with a mass of sim 0.2 kg, operated at sim 20 mK. We present here the final analysis with the full exposure of CUPID-Mo (^{100}Mo exposure of 1.47 hbox {kg} times hbox {year}) used to search for lepton number violation via 0nu beta beta decay. We report on various analysis improvements since the previous result on a subset of data, reprocessing all data with these new techniques. We observe zero events in the region of interest and set a new limit on the ^{100}Mo 0nu beta beta decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0nu }> {1.8}times 10^{24} year (stat. + syst.) at 90% CI. Under the light Majorana neutrino exchange mechanism this corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of left<m_{beta beta }right> <~{(0.28{-}0.49)} eV, dependent upon the nuclear matrix element utilized.

Phenomenology of Trimaximal Mixing with One Texture Equality

We study neutrino mass matrices with one texture equality and the neutrino mixing matrix having either its first ( T M 1 ) or second ( T M 2 ) column identical to that of the tribimaximal mixing matrix. We found that out of total fifteen possible neutrino mass matrices with one texture equality, only six textures are compatible with T M 1 mixing and six textures are compatible with T M 2 mixing in the light of the current neutrino oscillation data. These textures have interesting implications for the presently unknown parameters such as the neutrino mass scale, effective Majorana neutrino mass, effective neutrino mass, the atmospheric mixing, and the Dirac- and Majorana-type CP violating phases. We, also, present the S 3 group motivation for some of these textures.

Final Result on the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of ^{82}Se with CUPID-0.

CUPID-0, an array of Zn^{82}Se cryogenic calorimeters, was the first medium-scale demonstrator of the scintillating bolometers' technology. The first project phase (March 2017-December 2018) allowed the most stringent limit on the neutrinoless double beta decay half-life of the isotope of interest, ^{82}Se, to be set. After a six month long detector upgrade, CUPID-0 began its second and last phase (June 2019-February 2020). In this Letter, we describe the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of ^{82}Se with a total exposure (phase I+II) of 8.82 kg yr^{-1} of isotope. We set a limit on the half-life of ^{82}Se to the ground state of ^{82}Kr of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{82}Se)>4.6×10^{24} yr (90% credible interval), corresponding to an effective Majorana neutrino mass m_{ββ}<(263-545) meV. We also set the most stringent lower limits on the neutrinoless decays of ^{82}Se to the 0_{1}^{+}, 2_{1}^{+}, and 2_{2}^{+} excited states of ^{82}Kr, finding 1.8×10^{23} yr, 3.0×10^{23} yr, and 3.2×10^{23} yr (90% credible interval) respectively.

Search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of Ge76 with a natural broad energy germanium detector

A natural broad energy germanium (BEGe) detector is operated in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) for a feasibility study of building the next generation experiment of the neutrinoless double-beta (0{$\nu\beta\beta$}) decay of $^{76}$Ge. The setup of the prototype facility, characteristics of the BEGe detector, background reduction methods, and data analysis are described in this paper. A background index of 6.4$\times$10$^{-3}$ counts/(keV$\cdot$kg$\cdot$day) is achieved and 1.86 times lower than our previous result of the CDEX-1 detector. No signal is observed with an exposure of 186.4 kg$\cdot$day, thus a limit on the half life of $^{76}$Ge 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay is set at T$_{1/2}^{0\nu}$ $>$ 5.62$\times$10$^{22}$ yr at 90% C.L.. The limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass in the range of 4.6 $\sim$ 10.3 eV, dependent on the nuclear matrix elements.

A non-renormalizable neutrino mass model with S3 ⊗ Z2 symmetry

The lepton sector is studied within a flavored non-renormalizable model where the S3 ⊗ Z2 flavor symmetry controls the masses and mixings. In this work, the effective neutrino as well as the charged lepton mass matrices are hierarchical and these have (under a benchmark in the charged sector) a kind of Fritzsch textures that accommodate the mixing angles in good agreement with the last experimental data. The model favors the normal hierarchy, this also predicts consistent values for the CP-violating phase and the |mee| effective Majorana neutrino mass rate. Along with this, the branching ratio for the lepton flavor violation process, µ → eγ, is below the current bound.

Determining the Neutrino Mass Eigenstates and the Effective Majorana Mass

This paper aims at solving several open questions in current neutrino physics: the neutrino mass hierarchy, the Dirac CP violating phase, the absolute mass of neutrinos, the nature of neutrinos (Dirac or Majorana), the Majorana matrix and the absolute value of the effective Majorana neutrino mass. In the research presented in this paper, we have shown that the precise definition of the mass splittings between neutrino mass eigenstates, done in the latest analysis of experimental data, can be of crucial importance for defining the nature of neutrino mass hierarchy. The Standard Model has three generations of fundamental matter particles. Three generations of the charged lepton mass show a hierarchical structure: mτ > mμ > me. Owing to that, there is a belief and it is considered that neutrinos may follow such hierarchical structure. In our calculations, we have also included the latest data obtained, based on the processing of measurement results, which showed that even with such data, obtained results favor the normal neutrino mass hierarchy. As for the individual neutrino mass calculated in this paper, in today’s neutrino physics it is only known that neutrino mass scale is bounded only from above, and both the Dirac and the Majorana character of neutrinos are compatible with all observations. Among some of the questions resolved in this paper, which are related to the properties of neutrinos, a positive answer was also given to the question of whether light neutrinos are self-conjugate particles or not.

Resonant leptogenesis and TM_1 mixing in minimal type-I seesaw model with S_4 symmetry

We present an S_4 flavour symmetric model within a minimal seesaw framework resulting in mass matrices that leads to TM_1 mixing. Minimal seesaw is realized by adding two right-handed neutrinos to the Standard Model. The model predicts Normal Hierarchy (NH) for neutrino masses. Using the constrained six-dimensional parameter space of the model, we have evaluated the effective Majorana neutrino mass, which is the parameter of interest in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. The possibility of explaining baryogenesis via resonant leptogenesis is also examined within the model. A non-zero, resonantly enhanced CP asymmetry generated from the decay of right-handed neutrinos at the TeV scale is studied, considering flavour effects. The evolution of lepton asymmetry is discussed by solving the set of Boltzmann equations numerically and obtain the value of baryon asymmetry to be |eta _B| = 6.3 times 10^{-10} with the choice of right-handed neutrino mass, M_1 = 10 TeV and mass splitting, d simeq 10^{-8}.

Small 𝜃13 and solar neutrino oscillation parameters from μ − τ symmetry

Exchange [Formula: see text] symmetry in the effective Majorana neutrino mass matrix does predict a maximal mixing for atmospheric neutrino oscillations asides to a null mixing that cannot be straightforwardly identified with reactor neutrino oscillation mixing, [Formula: see text], unless a specific ordering is assumed for the mass eigenstates. Otherwise, a nonzero value for [Formula: see text] is predicted already at the level of an exact symmetry. In this case, solar neutrino mixing and scale, as well as the correct atmospheric mixing arise from the breaking of the symmetry. I present a mass matrix proposal for normal hierarchy that realizes this scenario, where the smallness of [Formula: see text] is naturally given by the parameter [Formula: see text] and the solar mixing is linked to the smallness of [Formula: see text]. The proposed matrix remains stable under renormalization effects and it also allows to account for CP violation within the expected region without further constrains.