How two neutrino superbeam experiments do better than one

We examine the use of two superbeam neutrino oscillation experiments with baselines \lsim 1000 km to resolve parameter degeneracies inherent in the three-neutrino analysis of such experiments. We find that with appropriate choices of neutrino energies and baselines two experiments with different baselines can provide a much better determination of the neutrino mass ordering than a single experiment alone. Two baselines are especially beneficial when the mass scale for solar neutrino oscillations $\delta m^2_{\rm sol}$ is \gsim 5\times10^{-5} eV$^2$. We also examine CP violation sensitivity and the resolution of other parameter degeneracies. We find that the combined data of superbeam experiments with baselines of 295 and 900 km can provide sensitivity to both the neutrino mass ordering and CP violation for $\sin^22\theta_{13}$ down to 0.03 for $|\delta m^2_{\rm atm}| \simeq 3\times10^{-3}$ eV$^2$. It would be highly advantageous to have a 10% determination of $|\delta m^2_{\rm atm}|$ before the beam energies and baselines are finalized, although if $|\delta m^2_{\rm atm}|$ is not that well known, the neutrino energies and baselines can be chosen to give fairly good sensitivity for a range of $|\delta m^2_{\rm atm}|$.Comment: 18 pages, 6 PS figures, added references and revised discussio

Piecing the Solar Neutrino Puzzle Together at SNO

We perform an oscillation parameter-independent analysis of solar neutrino flux measurements from which we predict the charged-current rate at SNO relative to Standard Solar Model to be $R_{SNO}^{CC}=0.35^{+0.16}_{-0.09} (0.46^{+0.13}_{-0.11})$ for oscillations to active (sterile) neutrinos. By alternately considering the $^8$B flux normalization fixed and free, we find that the flux measured by Super-Kamiokande (SK) not being a result of oscillations is strongly disfavored for oscillations to active neutrinos. SNO will determine the best-fit value of the $^8$B flux normalization $\beta$ (equal to the neutral-current rate), without recourse to neutral-current measurements, from the derived relation $\beta=R_{SNO}^{NC}=5.85 R_{SK} - 4.85 R_{SNO}^{CC}$. Using a simple parameterization of the fraction of high, intermediate, and low energy solar neutrinos starting above resonance, we reproduce the results of global analyses to good accuracy; we find that the LMA solution with a normal mass hierarchy is clearly favored. With $\beta$ free, our analysis for oscillations to active neutrinos gives $R_{SNO}^{NC}=\beta=1.34 \pm 0.34$, which corresponds to $R_{SNO}^{CC}=0.28\pm 0.07$.Comment: Version to appear in PL

Unknowns after the SNO Charged-Current Measurement

We perform a model-independent analysis of solar neutrino flux rates including the recent charged-current measurement at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). We derive a universal sum rule involving SNO and SuperKamiokande rates, and show that the SNO neutral-current measurement can not fix the fraction of solar $\nu_e$ oscillating to sterile neutrinos. The large uncertainty in the SSM $^8$B flux impedes a determination of the sterile neutrino fraction.Comment: Version to appear in PRL; includes analysis with anticipated SNO NC measuremen

Confronting mass-varying neutrinos with MiniBooNE

We study the proposal that mass-varying neutrinos could provide an explanation for the LSND signal for \bar\nu_mu to \bar\nu_e oscillations. We first point out that all positive oscillation signals occur in matter and that three active mass-varying neutrinos are insufficient to describe all existing neutrino data including LSND. We then examine the possibility that a model with four mass-varying neutrinos (three active and one sterile) can explain the LSND effect and remain consistent with all other neutrino data. We find that such models with a 3+1 mass structure in the neutrino sector may explain the LSND data and a null MiniBooNE result for 0.10 < \sin^2 2\theta_x < 0.30. Predictions of the model include a null result at Double-CHOOZ, but positive signals for underground reactor experiments and for \nu_\mu to \nu_e oscillations in long-baseline experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Comment added about recent MINOS dat

Breaking Eight-fold Degeneracies in Neutrino CP Violation, Mixing, and Mass Hierarchy

We identify three independent two-fold parameter degeneracies (\delta, \theta_{13}), sgn(\delta m^2_{31}) and (\theta_{23}, \pi/2-\theta_{23}) inherent in the usual three-neutrino analysis of long-baseline neutrino experiments, which can lead to as much as an eight-fold degeneracy in the determination of the oscillation parameters. We discuss the implications these degeneracies have for detecting CP violation and present criteria for breaking them. A superbeam facility with a baseline at least as long as the distance between Fermilab and Homestake (1290 km) and a narrow band beam with energy tuned so that the measurements are performed at the first oscillation peak can resolve all the ambiguities other than the (\theta_{23}, \pi/2-\theta_{23}) ambiguity (which can be resolved at a neutrino factory) and a residual (\delta, \pi-\delta) ambiguity. However, whether or not CP violation occurs in the neutrino sector can be ascertained independently of the latter two ambiguities. The (\delta,\pi-\delta) ambiguity can be eliminated by performing a second measurement to which only the \cos\delta terms contribute. The hierarchy of mass eigenstates can be determined at other oscillation peaks only in the most optimistic conditions, making it necessary to use the first oscillation maximum. We show that the degeneracies may severely compromise the ability of the proposed SuperJHF-HyperKamiokande experiment to establish CP violation. In our calculations we use approximate analytic expressions for oscillation probabilitites that agree with numerical solutions with a realistic Earth density profile.Comment: Revtex (singlespaced), 35 pages, 15 postscript figures, uses psfig.st

Imprint of SNO neutral current data on the solar neutrino problem

We perform a global analysis in the framework of two active neutrino oscillations of all solar neutrino data, including the recent SNO day and night spectra (comprised of the charged current (CC), elastic scattering (ES) and neutral current (NC) events), the Super-Kamiokande (SK) day and night spectra (from 1496 days) and the updated SAGE results. We find that the Large Mixing Angle (LMA) solution is selected at the 99% C.L.; the best-fit parameters are \Delta m^2=5.6 \times 10^{-5} eV^2 and \theta=32^{\circ}. No solutions with \theta\geq \pi/4 are allowed at the 5\sigma C.L. Oscillations to a pure sterile state are excluded at 5.3\sigma, but a sizeable sterile neutrino component could still be present in the solar flux.Comment: Version to appear in PL