Bounds on Dark Matter from the ``Atmospheric Neutrino Anomaly''

Bounds are derived on the cross section, flux and energy density of new particles that may be responsible for the atmospheric neutrino anomaly. $4.6 \times 10^{-45} cm^2 < \sigma <2.4 \times 10^{-34} cm^2$ Decay of primordial homogeneous dark matter can be excluded.Comment: 10 pages, TeX (revtex

Testing maximal electron and muon neutrino oscillations with sub-GeV SuperKamiokande atmospheric neutrino data

Motivated by the Exact Parity Model and other theories, the hypothesis that each of the known neutrinos oscillates maximally with a sterile partner has been put forward as an explanation of the atmospheric and solar neutrino anomalies. We provide detailed predictions for muon and electron flux ratios induced in the Kamiokande and SuperKamiokande detectors by sub-GeV atmospheric neutrinos. Several different, carefully chosen cuts on momentum and zenith angle are proposed, emphasizing the role of up-down flux asymmetries.Comment: LaTeX, 8 figures, 17 pages, version to appear in Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication

Measuring Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations with Neutrino Telescopes

Neutrino telescopes with large detection volumes can demonstrate that the current indications of neutrino oscillation are correct or if a better description can be achieved with non-standard alternatives. Observations of contained muons produced by atmospheric neutrinos can better constrain the allowed region for oscillations or determine the relevant parameters of non-standard models. We analyze the possibility of neutrino telescopes measuring atmospheric neutrino oscillations. We suggest adjustments to improve this potential. An addition of four densely-instrumented strings to the AMANDA II detector makes observations feasible. Such a configuration is competitive with current and proposed experiments.Comment: 36 pages, 21 figures, revte

Two-Loop Neutrino Masses and the Solar Neutrino Problem

The addition of $m$ singlet right-handed neutrinos to the Standard Model leads to radiatively generated mass corrections for the $SU(2)_L$ doublet neutrinos. For those neutrinos which are massless at the tree level after this addition, this implies a small mass generated at the two-loop level via $W^{\pm}$ exchange. We calculate these mass corrections exactly by obtaining an analytic form for the general case of $n$ doublets and $m$ singlets. As a phenomenological application, we consider the $m=1$ case and examine the masses and mixings of the doublet neutrinos which arise as a result of the two-loop correction in the light of experimental data from two sources which may shed light on the question of neutrino masses. These are(a) the neutrino detectors reporting a solar neutrino deficit (and its resolution via Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein matter oscillations), and (b) the COBE satellite data on the non-zero angular variations of the cosmic microwave background temperature (and its possible implications for hot dark matter). Within the framework of the extension considered here, which leaves the gauge group structure of the Standard Model intact, we show that it is possible for neutrinos to acquire small masses naturally, with values which are compatible with current theoretical bias and experimental data.Comment: 24 pages, Two figures, attached as postscript files at the end, Latex, CTP-TAMU-76/93, MRI-PHY-12/93, LTH-32

Common Origin for the Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Deficits

Some typos corrected, slightly different abstract, same plots, results and conclusions.Comment: 14 Latex pages, 3 figures attached as postscript files, IFP-472-UNC, PRL-TH-93/1

Possible Revelation of Seesaw Mass Pattern in Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Data

Assuming the solar and atmospheric neutrino deficits to be due to neutrino oscillations, it is shown that the 3X3 mass matrix spanning the e, mu, and tau neutrinos may have already revealed a seesaw mass pattern. Also, this matrix is the natural reduction of a simple 5X5 seesaw mass matrix with one large scale, the 4X4 reduction of which predicts that a fourth neutrino would mix with the e and mu neutrinos in such a way that oscillations between them may occur just within the detection capability of the LSND (Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector) experiment.Comment: 10 pages (4 figures not included

Constraints on Three-Neutrino Mixing from Atmospheric and Reactor Data

Observations of atmospheric neutrinos are usually analyzed using the simplifying approximation that either $\nu_\mu \leftrightarrow \nu_\tau$ or $\nu_e \leftrightarrow \nu_\mu$ two-flavor mixing is relevant. Here we instead consider the data using the simplifying approximation that only one neutrino mass scale is relevant. This approximation is the minimal three-flavor notation that includes the two relevant two-flavor approximations. The constraints in the parameter space orthogonal to the usual, two-flavor analyses are studied.Comment: 15 pages, preprint IUHET-26

On the Atmospheric Neutrino Anomaly and its Statistical Significance

An analysis of the existing data on the atmospheric neutrino anomaly is presented, focused on the statistical significance that can be attributed to its experimental evidence. Our approach is alternative to the usual analyses in terms of the $\mu/e$ ratio of event rates. In fact, we perform a comparison between data and expectations, by {\em separating\/} the information on $e$-like and $\mu$-like events, with a careful estimate of the different errors and of their correlation effects. The results are shown both numerically and graphically, and disclose interesting aspects of the atmospheric neutrino anomaly, that the use of the $\mu/e$ ratio would partially hide, both in the sub-GeV and in the multi-GeV energy range.Comment: Revised version, Uuencoded, compressed postscript file (16 pages plus 4 figures), to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Notice that the abstract is also revise

Three-flavor atmospheric neutrino anomaly

We investigate the indications of flavor oscillations that come from the anomalous flavor composition of the atmospheric neutrino flux observed in some underground experiments. We study the information coming from the neutrino-induced $\mu$-like and $e$-like events both in the sub-GeV energy range (Kamiokande, IMB, Fr{\'e}jus, and NUSEX experiments) and in the multi-GeV energy range (Kamiokande experiment). First we analyze all the data in the limits of pure $\nu_\mu\leftrightarrow\nu_\tau$ and $\nu_\mu\leftrightarrow\nu_e$ oscillations. We obtain that $\nu_\mu\leftrightarrow\nu_e$ oscillations provide a better fit, in particular to the multi-GeV data. Then we perform a three-flavor analysis in the hypothesis of dominance of one neutrino square mass difference, $m^2$, implying that the neutrino mixing is parametrized by two angles, $(\psi,\,\phi)\in[0,\,\pi/2]$. We explore the space $(m^2,\,\psi,\,\phi)$ exhaustively, and find the regions favored by the oscillation hypothesis. The results are displayed in a form suited to the comparison with other flavor oscillation searches at accelerator, reactor, and solar $\nu$ experiments. In the analysis, we pay particular attention to the earth matter effects, to the correlation of the uncertainties, and to the symmetry properties of the oscillation probability.Comment: 25 pages (RevTeX) + 12 figures, requires epsfig.sty. All the figures are bitmapped. Postscript figures with full resolution are available at ftp://ftp.sns.ias.edu/pub/lisi/atmpaper