Constraining the absolute neutrino mass scale and Majorana CP violating phases by future neutrinoless double beta decay experiments

Assuming that neutrinos are Majorana particles, in a three generation framework, current and future neutrino oscillation experiments can determine six out of the nine parameters which fully describe the structure of the neutrino mass matrix. We try to clarify the interplay among the remaining parameters, the absolute neutrino mass scale and two CP violating Majorana phases, and how they can be accessed by future neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay experiments, for the normal as well as for the inverted order of the neutrino mass spectrum. Assuming the oscillation parameters to be in the range presently allowed by atmospheric, solar, reactor and accelerator neutrino experiments, we quantitatively estimate the bounds on $m_0$, the lightest neutrino mass, that can be infered if the next generation $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay experiments can probe the effective Majorana mass ($m_{ee}$) down to $\sim$ 1 meV. In this context we conclude that in the case neutrinos are Majorana particles: (a) if m_0 \gsim 300 meV, {\em i.e.}, within the range directly attainable by future laboratory experiments as well as astrophysical observations, then m_{ee} \gsim 30 meV must be observed; (b) if $m_0 < 300$ meV, results from future $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay experiments combined with stringent bounds on the neutrino oscillation parameters, specially the solar ones, will place much stronger limits on the allowed values of $m_0$ than these direct experiments.Comment: 26 pages, 11 encapsulated postscript figures. A new figure and minor changes are included. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Probing supernova physics with neutrino oscillations

We point out that solar neutrino oscillations with large mixing angle as evidenced in current solar neutrino data have a strong impact on strategies for diagnosing collapse-driven supernova (SN) through neutrino observations. Such oscillations induce a significant deformation of the energy spectra of neutrinos, thereby allowing us to obtain otherwise inaccessible features of SN neutrino spectra. We demonstrate that one can determine temperatures and luminosities of non-electron flavor neutrinos by observing bar{nu}_{e} from galactic SN in massive water Cherenkov detectors by the charged current reactions on protons.Comment: 6 pages. Typos corrected and references added. Version to be published in Physics Letters

Neutrinos and Nucleosynthesis in Supernova

The type II supernova is considered as a candidate site for the production of heavy elements. The nucleosynthesis occurs in an intense neutrino flux, we calculate the electron fraction in this environment.Comment: RevTex4 style, 3 pages including 1 figure. Presented at Mexican School of Astrophysics 2002, Guanajuato, Mexico, 31 Jul - 7 Aug 2002. Final version to appear in the Proceedings of IX Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields Physics Beyond the Standard Model, Colima Col. Mexico, November 17-22, 200

Resonant Conversion of Massless Neutrinos in Supernovae

It has been noted for a long time that, in some circumstances, {\sl massless} neutrinos may be {\sl mixed} in the leptonic charged current. Conventional neutrino oscillation searches in vacuum are insensitive to this mixing. We discuss the effects of resonant massless-neutrino conversions in the dense medium of a supernova. In particular, we show how the detected $\bar\nu_e$ energy spectra from SN1987a and the supernova $r$-process nucleosynthesis may be used to provide very stringent constraints on the mixing of {\sl massless} neutrinos.Comment: latex file, 20 pages, including 3 postscript figure

Why matter effects matter for JUNO

In this paper we focus on the Earth matter effects for the solar parameter determination by a medium baseline reactor experiment such as JUNO. We derive perturbative expansions for the mixing angles $\theta_{12}$ and $\theta_{13}$ as well as the $\Delta m^2_{21}$ and $\Delta m^2_{31}$ in terms of the matter potential relevant for JUNO. These expansions, up to second order in the matter potential, while simple, allow one to calculate the electron antineutrino survival probability to a precision much better than needed for the JUNO experiment. We use these perturbative expansions to semi-analytically explain and confirm the shift caused by the matter effects on the solar neutrino mixing parameters $\theta_{12}$ and $\Delta m^2_{21}$ which were previously obtained by a purely numerical $\chi^2$ analysis. Since these shifts do not satisfy the naive expectations and are significant given the precision that can be achieved by the JUNO experiment, a totally independent cross check using a completely different method is of particular importance. We find that these matter effect shifts do not depend on any of the details of the detector characteristics apart from the baseline and earth mass density between reactor(s) and detector, but do depend on the normalized product of reactor neutrino spectrum times the inverse-beta decay cross-section. The results of this manuscript suggests an alternative analysis method for measuring $\sin^2 \theta_{12}$ and $\Delta m^2_{21}$ in JUNO which would be a useful cross check of the standard analysis and for the understanding of the Wolfenstein matter effect. The explanation of these shifts together with a quantitative understanding, using a semi-analytical method, is the principal purpose of this paper.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. Minor changes and reorganizatio

Angra Neutrino Project: status and plans

We present the status and plans of the Angra Project, a new nuclear reactor neutrino oscillation experiment, proposed to be built in Brazil at the Angra dos Reis nuclear reactor complex. This experiment is aimed to measure theta_13, the last unknown of the three neutrino mixing angles. Combining a high luminosity design, very low background from cosmic rays and careful control of systematic errors at the 1% level, we propose a high sensitivity multi-detector experiment, able to reach a sensitivity to antineutrino disappearance down to sin^2(2*theta_13) = 0.006 in a three years running period, improving present limits constrained by the CHOOZ experiment by more than an order of magnitude.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, talk presented by J.C. Anjos ([email protected]) at NuFact05, 21-26 June 2005, Frascati, Ital

Parameter Degeneracy in Flavor-Dependent Reconstruction of Supernova Neutrino Fluxes

We reexamine the possibility of reconstructing the initial fluxes of supernova neutrinos emitted in a future core-collapse galactic supernova explosion and detected in a Megaton-sized water Cherenkov detector. A novel key element in our method is the inclusion, in addition to the total and the average energies of each neutrino species, of a "pinching" parameter characterizing the width of the distribution as a fit parameter. We uncover in this case a continuous degeneracy in the reconstructed parameters of supernova neutrino fluxes at the neutrinosphere. We analyze in detail the features of this degeneracy and show how it occurs irrespective of the parametrization used for the distribution function. Given that this degeneracy is real we briefly comment on possible steps towards resolving it, which necessarily requires going beyond the setting presented here.Comment: 28 pages, 37 figures, version with some improvements in the text and some new references, conclusions unchanged, to appear in JCA

Mass Hierarchy via Mossbauer and Reactor Neutrinos

We show how one could determine the neutrino mass hierarchy with Mossbauer neutrinos and also revisit the question of whether the hierarchy can be determined with reactor neutrinos.Comment: contribution to NOW 2008, 3 pages, 4 figures, late