Mass Eigenstates Research Articles

Dark energy and neutrino mass from a transient vacuum particle pair model

We propose that the transient vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields can be represented by transient vacuum quanta where both the lifetime and spatial extent are given by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, HUP. Accordingly, a quantum field fluctuation at any spatial site results in the creation of a transient HUP-limited vacuum pair, corresponding to the particle and the antiparticle associated with that quantum field. All HUP-limited vacuum pairs, both massive and massless, are found to be on-shell particles, and are indistinguishable from each other except for differences related to their exchange symmetry. We find that the net vacuum energy density of all HUP-limited vacuum pairs is identically zero at any energy where both bosonic and fermionic transient vacuum pairs are present. The net vacuum energy density, from zero energy to the Planck limit, is found to be proportional to that of the rest mass of the lightest fermion, the lowest mass neutrino eigenstate. This net energy density is equal to the observed dark energy density if the mass of the lightest neutrino eigenstate is 3.2[Formula: see text]meV. The model predicts the absolute values of the masses of the three neutrino mass eigenstates and of the three neutrino flavor eigenstates for both normal and inverted ordering. The sum of the neutrino masses is found to be below the Planck satellite upper limit of 120[Formula: see text]meV, and the neutrino mass sum for normal ordering is below the most stringent upper bound of 78[Formula: see text]meV, indicating a preference for normal ordering.

The Search for Electroweakinos

In this review, we consider a general theoretical framework for fermionic color-singlet states—including a singlet, a doublet, and a triplet under the Standard Model SU(2)L gauge symmetry, corresponding to the bino, higgsino, and wino in supersymmetric theories—generically dubbed electroweakinos for their mass eigenstates. Depending on the relations among these states’ three mass parameters and their mixing after the electroweak symmetry breaking, this sector leads to a rich phenomenology that may be accessible in current and near-future experiments. We discuss the decay patterns of electroweakinos and their observable signatures at colliders, review the existing bounds on the model parameters, and summarize the current statuses of the comprehensive searches by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider. We also comment on the prospects for future colliders. An important feature of the theory is that the lightest neutral electroweakino can be identified as a weakly interacting massive particle cold dark matter candidate. We take into account the existing bounds on the parameters from the dark matter direct detection experiments and discuss the complementarity of the electroweakino searches at colliders.

Probing the sensitivity to leptonic δ CP in presence of invisible decay of ν 3 using atmospheric neutrinos

One of the main neutrino oscillation parameters whose value has not been determined very precisely is the leptonic δ CP phase. Since neutrinos have a tiny but finite mass they can undergo decay both visibly and invisibly. The effect of invisible decay of the third mass eigen state ν 3 on the sensitivity to δ CP is analysed here using atmospheric neutrino and anti-neutrino events. Effects of detector resolutions and systematic uncertainties are studied to identify the optimum resolutions and efficiencies required by a detector to obtain a significant sensitivity even in the presence of decay.

Neutrino oscillations in gravitational and cosmological backgrounds

We use the eikonal approximation in order to calculate the additional phase shift between two neutrino mass eigenstates during their propagation in a background of gravitational wave or scalar perturbations in the flat and the FRW spacetime metric. We comment on the dependence of the results on the characteristics of the perturbations, give some order-of-magnitude estimates, and find that, although small, the resulting phase difference persists for large redshifts, up to the validity of our approximations.

RETRACTED: Lepton number violation in a unified framework

Abstract We study the time evolution of lepton family number for a neutrino that forms an SU(2) doublet with a charged lepton. The lepton family number is defined through a weak basis of the SU(2) doublet in which the charged lepton mass matrix is a real and diagonal one. The lepton family number carried by the neutrino is defined with a left-handed current of the neutrino family. We study the time evolution of the lepton family number operator for the Majorana neutrino. To be definite, we introduce the mass term at $t=0$ and study the time evolution of the lepton family number for the later time. Since the operator in the flavor eigenstate is continuously connected to that of the mass eigenstate, the creation and annihilation operators for the flavor eigenstates are related to those of the mass eigenstates. The total lepton number of the Majorana neutrino is conserved. By choosing a specific flavor eigenstate of the neutrino as an initial state, we compute the time evolution of all lepton family numbers. They are sensitive to Majorana and Dirac phases and are also sensitive to the absolute mass and mass hierarchy of neutrinos.

The neutrino Casimir force

In the low energy effective theory of the weak interaction, a macroscopic force arises when pairs of neutrinos are exchanged. We calculate the neutrino Casimir force between plates, allowing for two different mass eigenstates within the loop. We also provide the general potential between point sources. We discuss the possibility of distinguishing whether neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac fermions using these quantum forces.

Fractionalized time reversal, parity, and charge conjugation symmetry in a topological superconductor: A possible origin of three generations of neutrinos and mass mixing

The existence of three generations of neutrinos(charged leptons/quarks) and their mass mixing are deep mysteries of our universe. Recently, Majorana's spirit returns in modern condensed matter physics -- in the context of topological Majorana zero modes in certain classes of topological superconductors(TSCs). In this paper, we attempt to investigate the topological nature of the neutrino by assuming that a relativistic Majorana fermion can be divided into four topological Majorana zero modes at cutoff energy scale, e.g. planck scale. We begin with an exactly solvable $1$D lattice model which realizes a $T^2=-1$ time reversal symmetry protected TSC, and show that a pair of topological Majorana zero modes can realize a $T^4=-1$ time reversal symmetry.Moreover, we find that a pair of topological Majorana zero modes can also realize a $P^4=-1$ parity symmetry and even a nontrivial $\overline C^4=-1$ charge conjugation symmetry. Next, we argue that the origin of three generations of neutrinos(charged leptons and quarks) can be naturally explained as three distinguishable ways of forming a pair of complex fermions(with opposite spin polarizations) out of four topological Majorana zero modes, characterized by the $T^4=-1$, $(TP)^4=-1$ and $(T \overline C)^4=-1$ fractionalized symmetries that each complex fermion carries at cutoff energy scale. Finally, we use a semiclassical approach to compute the neutrino mass mixing matrix at leading order(LO), e.g., in the absence of $CP$ violation correction. We obtain $\theta_{12}=31.7^\circ, \theta_{23}=45^\circ$ and $\theta_{13}=0^\circ$(the golden ratio pattern), which is consistent with an $A_5$ flavor symmetry pattern. We further predict an exact mass ratio of the three mass eigenstates of neutrinos with $m_1/m_3=m_2/m_3=3/\sqrt{5}$ and an effective mass of neutrinoless double beta decay $m_{0\nu\beta\beta}=m_1/\sqrt{5}$.

Testing triplet fermions at the electron-positron and electron-proton colliders using fat jet signatures

The addition of $SU(2)_L$ triplet fermions of zero hypercharge with the Standard Model (SM) helps to explain the origin of the neutrino mass by the so-called seesaw mechanism. Such a scenario is commonly know as the type-III seesaw model. After the electroweak symmetry breaking the mixings between the light and heavy mass eigenstates of the neutral leptons are developed which play important roles in the study of the charged and neutral multiplets of the triplet fermions at the colliders. In this article we study such interactions to produce these multiplets of the triplet fermion at the electron-positron and electron-proton colliders at different center of mass energies. We focus on the heavy triplets, for example, having mass in the TeV scale so that their decay products including the SM the gauge bosons or Higgs boson can be sufficiently boosted, leading to a fat jet. Hence we probe the mixing between light-heavy mass eigenstates of the neutrinos and compare the results with the bounds obtained by the electroweak precision study.

Dirac and Majorana neutrino signatures of primordial black holes

We study Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) as sources of massive neutrinos via Hawking radiation. Under the hypothesis that black holes emit neutrino mass eigenstates, we describe quantitatively how the PBH evolution and lifetime is affected by the mass and fermionic—Dirac or Majorana—nature of neutrinos. In the case of Dirac neutrinos, PBHs radiate right-handed and left-handed neutrinos in equal amounts, thus possibly increasing the effective number of neutrino species, Neff. Assuming an initially monochromatic PBH mass spectrum, with the initial mass Mi related to the particle horizon mass, and considering the current constraint on Neff, we derive a bound on the initial PBH fraction β′ in the interval 4.3× 107 g≲ Mi ≲ 109 g. Future measurements of Neff may be able to constraint the initial fraction for black hole masses as low as 1 g. If an excess in Neff is found, PBHs with Dirac neutrinos could provide a minimal explanation of it. For example, for 107 g ≲ Mi≲ 109 g and β′ ≳ 10−13, an excess radiation at the level of 0.2≲ Δ Neff≲ 0.37 is produced, which can alleviate the tension of the Hubble parameter measurements. Finally, we obtain the diffuse flux of right-helical neutrinos from PBHs at the Earth, and show that their detection in a PTOLEMY-like detector (using neutrino capture on tritium) would be difficult.

Parton distribution functions of heavy mesons on the light front

The parton distribution functions (PDFs) of heavy mesons are evaluated from their light-front wave functions, which are obtained from a basis light-front quantization in the leading Fock sector representation. We consider the mass eigenstates from an effective Hamiltonian consisting of the confining potential adopted from light-front holography in the transverse direction, a longitudinal confinement, and a one-gluon exchange interaction with running coupling. We present the gluon and the sea quark PDFs which we generate dynamically from the QCD evolution of the valence quark distributions.

Multi-Higgs boson production and unitarity in vector-boson fusion at future hadron colliders

We study multi-Higgs final states in vector boson fusion (VBF) processes at the LHC and at future proton-proton colliders, focusing on the prospects for measurements at 27 TeV and at 100 TeV. We use an effective Lagrangian which includes higher-dimensional operators in the mass eigenstates which are relevant to VBF processes and relate this to specific parameterizations and models for new physics in the Higgs sector. We derive theoretical constraints on the parameter space from the unitarity of $2\to n$ scattering amplitudes and apply the results to $V V \to hh$ and $h h h$ processes, where $V=W,Z$. As a result, we present constraints on differential distributions as appropriate to the study of $V V \to hh$ and $h h h$ processes.

TetrahedralA4symmetry in anti-SU(5) GUT

We construct a flavor model in an anti-SU(5) GUT with a tetrahedral symmetry $A_4$. We choose a basis where $Q_{text{em}}=-\frac13$ quarks and charged leptons are already mass eigenstates. This choice is possible from the $A_4$ symmetry. Then, matter representation $\overline{10}_{-1}^{\rm\, matter}$ contains both a quark doublet and a heavy neutrino $N$, which enables us to use the $A_4$ symmetry to both $Q_{text{em}}=+\frac23$ quark masses and neutrino masses (through the see-saw via $N$). This is made possible because the anti-SU(5) breaking is achieved by the Higgs fields transforming as anti-symmetric representations of SU(5), $\overline{10}_{-1}^H\oplus 10_{+1}^H$, reducing the rank-5 anti-SU(5) group down to the rank-4 standard model group \smg. For possible mass matrices, the $A_4$ symmetry predictions on mass matrices at field theory level are derived. Finally, an illustration from string compactification is presented.

Solar neutrino limits on decoherence

The solar neutrino flux arrives at Earth as an incoherent admixture of mass eigenstates, and then solar neutrino detection constitute a blind probe to the oscillation pattern of the neutrino flavour conversion. Consequently, it is also impossible to probe, in a model independent approach, any new physics that leads to an enhancement of decoherence during the neutrino evolution, an effect that is present for instance in Open Quantum System formalism. However, such mechanism can also induce changes between mass eigenstates if an energy interchange between the neutrino subsystem and the reservoir is not explicitly forbiden. In this work the conversion probabilities between mass eigenstates in an Open Quantum System are calculated, and limits are stablished for these kind of transitions. We present our results in a pedagogical way, pointing out how far the analysis can go without any assumption on the neutrino conversion physics inside the Sun, before performing the full calculations. We obtain as limits for the decoherence parameters the values of Γ3< 6.5× 10−19 eV and Γ8< 7.1× 10−19 eV at 3σ.

Correction to Democratic Matrix for Neutrino Mass Hierarchy

We obtain democratic mass matrix by using the hypothesis of single right-handed neutrino dominance. By adding perturbation to the democratic mass matrix and constraining mass eigenstates according to experimental fact, we attempt to predict neutrino oscillation parameters.

Cascade decays of heavy Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks in two Higgs doublet models

We study cascade decays of heavy neutral Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks. We focus on scenarios where decay modes into pairs of vectorlike quarks are not kinematically open which extends the sensitivity of the LHC to larger masses. Assuming only mixing with the third family of standard model quarks the new decay modes of heavy Higgs bosons are: H → t4t → Wbt, Ztt, htt and H → b4b → Wtb, Zbb, hbb, where t4 (b4) is the new up-type (down-type) quark mass eigenstate. In the numerical analysis we assume the CP even Higgs boson in the two Higgs doublet model type-II but the signatures are relevant for many other scenarios. We identify the region of the parameter space where these decay modes are significant or can even dominate, and thus they provide the best opportunities for the simultaneous discovery of a new Higgs boson and vectorlike quarks. We further explore the reach of the High Luminosity LHC for two representative decay modes, t4→ Zt → ℓℓt and b4→ Zb → ℓℓb, and found that cross sections at a 0.1 fb level can be probed with simple cut based analyses. We also find that the rates for Higgs cascade decays can be much larger than the rates for a single production of vectorlike quarks. Furthermore, the reach for vectorlike quarks in Higgs cascade decays and pair production extends to comparable masses.

Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic τ -leptons in s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners of $\tau$-leptons (staus) in final states with two hadronically decaying $\tau$-leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of $pp$ collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $139$ fb$^{-1}$, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected Standard Model background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with each stau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and one $\tau$-lepton in simplified models where the two stau mass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for a massless lightest neutralino.

Neutrino Oscillations and Lorentz Invariance Violation

This work explores the possibility of resorting to neutrino phenomenology to detect evidence of new physics, caused by the residual signals of the supposed quantum structure of spacetime. In particular, this work investigates the effects on neutrino oscillations and mass hierarchy detection, predicted by models that violate Lorentz invariance, preserving the spacetime isotropy and homogeneity. Neutrino physics is the ideal environment where conducting the search for new “exotic” physics, since the oscillation phenomenon is not included in the original formulation of the minimal Standard Model (SM) of particles. The confirmed observation of the neutrino oscillation phenomenon is, therefore, the first example of physics beyond the SM and can indicate the necessity to resort to new theoretical models. In this work, the hypothesis that the supposed Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) perturbations can influence the oscillation pattern is investigated. LIV theories are indeed constructed assuming modified kinematics, caused by the interaction of massive particles with the spacetime background. This means that the dispersion relations are modified, so it appears natural to search for effects caused by LIV in physical phenomena governed by masses, as in the case of neutrino oscillations. In addition, the neutrino oscillation phenomenon is interesting since there are three different mass eigenstates and in a LIV scenario, which preserves isotropy, at least two different species of particle must interact.

Combined sensitivity to the neutrino mass ordering with JUNO, the IceCube Upgrade, and PINGU

The ordering of the neutrino mass eigenstates is one of the fundamental open questions in neutrino physics. While current-generation neutrino oscillation experiments are able to produce moderate indications on this ordering, upcoming experiments of the next generation aim to provide conclusive evidence. In this paper we study the combined performance of the two future multi-purpose neutrino oscillation experiments JUNO and the IceCube Upgrade, which employ two very distinct and complementary routes towards the neutrino mass ordering. The approach pursued by the $20\,\mathrm{kt}$ medium-baseline reactor neutrino experiment JUNO consists of a careful investigation of the energy spectrum of oscillated $\bar{\nu}_e$ produced by ten nuclear reactor cores. The IceCube Upgrade, on the other hand, which consists of seven additional densely instrumented strings deployed in the center of IceCube DeepCore, will observe large numbers of atmospheric neutrinos that have undergone oscillations affected by Earth matter. In a joint fit with both approaches, tension occurs between their preferred mass-squared differences $ \Delta m_{31}^{2}=m_{3}^{2}-m_{1}^{2} $ within the wrong mass ordering. In the case of JUNO and the IceCube Upgrade, this allows to exclude the wrong ordering at $>5\sigma$ on a timescale of 3--7 years --- even under circumstances that are unfavorable to the experiments' individual sensitivities. For PINGU, a 26-string detector array designed as a potential low-energy extension to IceCube, the inverted ordering could be excluded within 1.5 years (3 years for the normal ordering) in a joint analysis.

Mixed gluinos and sgluons from a new SU(3) gauge group

I study supersymmetric models in which the QCD gauge group is the remnant diagonal subgroup from the spontaneous breaking of an $SU(3) \times SU(3)$ gauge group at a multi-TeV scale. In renormalizable models with soft supersymmetry breaking, the scalar potential is shown to have global minima with the required gauge symmetry breaking pattern. In addition to a massive color octet vector boson, this framework predicts 3 color octet spin-0 sgluons, and 4 color octet gluinos with both Dirac and Majorana mass terms. One of the gluino mass eigenstates typically has a coupling to quark-squark pairs that is at least as large as the prediction of minimal supersymmetry, but it need not be the lightest one.

On the beta -decay of the accelerated proton and neutrino oscillations: a three-flavor description with CP violation

The (inverse) beta -decay of uniformly accelerated protons (prightarrow n+ e^{+}+nu _e) has been recently analyzed in the context of two-flavor neutrino mixing and oscillations. It has been shown that the decay rates as measured by an inertial and comoving observer are in agreement, provided that: (i) the thermal nature of the accelerated vacuum (Unruh effect) is taken into account; (ii) the asymptotic behavior of neutrinos is described through flavor (rather than mass) eigenstates; (iii) the Unruh radiation is made up of oscillating neutrinos. Here we extend the above considerations to a more realistic scenario including three generations of Dirac neutrinos. By following the outlined recipe, we find that the equality between the two rates still holds true, confirming that mixing is perfectly consistent with the General Covariance of Quantum Field Theory. Notably, we prove that the analysis of CP violation in neutrino oscillations provides a further solid argument for flavor states as fundamental representation of asymptotic neutrino states. Our approach is finally discussed in comparison with the other treatments appeared in literature.