Tripartite Neutrino Mass Matrix

The 3 X 3 Majorana neutrino mass matrix is written as a sum of 3 terms, i.e. M_nu = M_A + M_B + M_C, where M_A is proportional to the identity matrix and M_B and M_C are invariant under different Z_3 transformations. This M_nu is very suitable for understanding atmospheric and solar neutrino oscillations, with sin^2 (2 theta_atm) and tan^2 (theta_sol) fixed at 1 and 0.5 respectively, in excellent agreement with present data. It has in fact been proposed before, but only as an ansatz. This paper uncovers its underlying symmetry, thus allowing a complete theory of leptons and quarks to be constructed.Comment: 9 pages, no figur

New "Square Root" Model of Lepton Family Cyclic Symmetry

Following the newly formulated notion of form invariance of the neutrino mass matrix, a complete model of leptons is constructed. It is based on a specific unitary 3 X 3 matrix U in family space, such that U^2 is the simple discrete symmetry nu_e to -nu_e, nu_mu to nu_tau. Thus U also generates the cyclic group Z_4. The charged-lepton mass matrix is nearly diagonal while the neutrino mass matrix is of the form suitable for explaining maximal (large) mixing in atmospheric (solar) neutrino oscillations in the context of three nearly degenerate neutrino masses. Observable lepton flavor violation is predicted. Quarks may be treated in the same way as the charged leptons.Comment: 10 pages, no figur

Measuring cosmogenic Li9 background in a reactor neutrino experiment

Cosmogenic isotopes 9Li and 8He produced in the detector are the most problematic background in the reactor neutrino experiments designed to determine precisely the neutrino mixing angle theta13. The average time interval of cosmic-ray muons in the detector is often on the order of the lifetimes of the 9Li and 8He isotopes. We have developed a method for determining this kind of background from the distribution of time since last muon for muon rate up to about 20 Hz when the background-to-signal ratio is small, on the order of a few percents.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. To appear in NIM

Estimate of neutrino masses from Koide's relation

We apply Koide's mass relation of charged leptons to neutrinos and quarks, with both the normal and inverted mass schemes of neutrinos discussed. We introduce the parameters $k_{\nu}$, $k_u$ and $k_d$ to describe the deviations of neutrinos and quarks from Koide's relation, and suggest a quark-lepton complementarity of masses such as $k_{l}+k_{d} \approx k_{\nu}+k_{u} \approx 2$. The masses of neutrinos are determined from the improved relation, and they are strongly hierarchical (with the different orders of magnitude of $10^{-5} eV$, $10^{-3} eV$, and $10^{-2} eV$).Comment: 12 latex pages, 4 figures, version in publicatio

A New Parametrization of the Neutrino Mixing Matrix

The neutrino mixing matrix is expanded in powers of a small parameter $\lambda$, which approximately equals to 0.1. The meaning of every order of the expansion is discussed respectively, and the range of $\lambda$ is carefully calculated. We also present some applications of this new parametrization, such as to the expression of the Jarlskog parameter $J$, in which the simplicities and advantages of this parametrization are shown.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, version published in PL

Inverse seesaw and dark matter in models with exotic lepton triplets

We show that models with exotic leptons transforming as E ~ (1,3,-1) under the standard model gauge symmetry are well suited for generating neutrino mass via a radiative inverse seesaw. This approach realizes natural neutrino masses and allows multiple new states to appear at the TeV scale. The exotic leptons are therefore good candidates for new physics that can be probed at the LHC. Furthermore, remnant low-energy symmetries ensure a stable dark matter candidate, providing a link between dark matter and the origins of neutrino mass.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures (revtex4.1, two-columns

Generalized Tri-bimaximal Neutrino Mixing and Its Sensitivity to Radiative Corrections

We argue that the tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing pattern $V_0$ or its generalized form $V'_0$, which includes two arbitrary Majorana phases of CP violation, may result from an underlying flavor symmetry at a superhigh energy scale close to the seesaw scale ($\sim 10^{14}$ GeV). Taking the working assumption that three neutrino masses are nearly degenerate, we calculate radiative corrections to $V_0$ and $V'_0$ in their evolution down to the electroweak scale ($\sim 10^2$ GeV). Three mixing angles of $V_0$ or $V'_0$ are essentially stable against radiative corrections in the standard model (SM). In the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), however, $V_0$ is in general disfavored and $V'_0$ can be compatible with current neutrino oscillation data if its two Majorana phases $\alpha^{}_1$ and $\alpha^{}_2$ are properly fine-tuned. We also find that it is possible to radiatively generate the CP-violating phase $\delta$ from $\alpha^{}_1$ and $\alpha^{}_2$, and \delta may keep on staying at its fixed point in either the SM or the MSSM.Comment: RevTex 14 pages, 2 figures. Table I corrected. Minor changes made. More discussions adde

Searching for Secluded Dark Matter via Direct Detection of Recoiling Nuclei as well as Low Energy Electrons

Motivated by recent cosmic ray experimental results there has been a proposition for a scenario where a secluded dark matter particle annihilates, primarily, into Standard Model leptons through a low mass mediator particle. We consider several varieties of this scenario depending on the type of mixing among gauge bosons and we study the implications in novel direct dark matter experiments for detecting low energy recoiling electrons. We find significant event rates and time modulation effects, especially in the case where the mediator is massless, that may be complementary to those from recoiling nuclei.Comment: 27 pages, references added, published versio

Antibodies to the Mr 64,000 (64K) protein in islet cell antibody positive non-diabetic individuals indicate high risk for impaired Beta-cell function

A prospective study of a normal childhood population identified 44 islet cell antibody positive individuals. These subjects were typed for HLA DR and DQ alleles and investigated for the presence of antibodies to the Mr 64,000 (64K) islet cell antigen, complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and radiobinding insulin autoantibodies to determine their potency in detecting subjects with impaired Beta-cell function. At initial testing 64K antibodies were found in six of 44 islet cell antibody positive subjects (13.6%). The same sera were also positive for complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and five of them had insulin autoantibodies. During the follow-up at 18 months, islet cell antibodies remained detectable in 50% of the subjects studied. In all six cases who were originally positive, 64K antibodies were persistently detectable, whereas complement-fixing islet cell antibodies became negative in two of six and insulin autoantibodies in one of five individuals. HLA DR4 (p < 0.005) and absence of asparic acid (Asp) at position 57 of the HLA DQ chain (p < 0.05) were significantly increased in subjects with 64K antibodies compared with control subjects. Of 40 individuals tested in the intravenous glucose tolerance test, three had a first phase insulin response below the first percentile of normal control subjects. Two children developed Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus after 18 and 26 months, respectively. Each of these subjects was non-Asp homozygous and had persistent islet cell and 64K antibodies. We conclude that 64K antibodies, complement-fixing islet cell antibodies and insulin autoantibodies represent sensitive serological markers in assessing high risk for a progression to Type 1 diabetes in islet cell antibody positive non-diabetic individuals

Accidental stability of dark matter

We propose that dark matter is stable as a consequence of an accidental Z2 that results from a flavour-symmetry group which is the double-cover group of the symmetry group of one of the regular geometric solids. Although model-dependent, the phenomenology resembles that of a generic Higgs portal dark matter scheme.Comment: 12 pages, final version, published in JHE