Improving LMA predictions with non standard interactions

It has been known for some time that the well established LMA solution to the observed solar neutrino deficit fails to predict a flat energy spectrum for SuperKamiokande as opposed to what the data indicates. It also leads to a Chlorine rate which appears to be too high as compared to the data. We investigate the possible solution to these inconsistencies with non standard neutrino interactions, assuming that they come as extra contributions to the $\nu_{\alpha}\nu_{\beta}$ and $\nu_{\alpha}e$ vertices that affect both the propagation of neutrinos through solar matter and their detection. We find that, among the many possibilities for non standard couplings, only one of them leads to a flat SuperKamiokande spectral rate in better agreement with the data and predicts a Chlorine rate within 1$\sigma$ of the observed one, while keeping all other predictions accurate

Improving LMA predictions with non-standard interactions: neutrino decay in solar matter?

It has been known for some time that the well established LMA solution to the observed solar neutrino deficit fails to predict a flat energy spectrum for SuperKamiokande as opposed to what the data indicates. It also leads to a Chlorine rate which appears to be too high as compared to the data. We investigate the possible solution to these inconsistencies with non standard neutrino interactions, assuming that they come as extra contributions to the $\nu_{\alpha}\nu_{\beta}$ and $\nu_{\alpha}e$ vertices that affect both the propagation of neutrinos in the sun and their detection. We find that, among the many possibilities for non standard couplings, only the diagonal imaginary ones lead to a solution to the tension between the LMA predictions and the data, implying neutrino instability in the solar matter. Unitarity requirements further restrict the solution and a neutrino decay into an antineutrino and a majoron within the sun is the one favoured. Antineutrino probability is however too small to open the possibility of experimentally observing antineutrinos from the sun due to NSI.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. Final version to be published in Physical Review

Neutrino Mass Matrices with Vanishing Determinant and θ13\theta_{13}

We investigate the prospects for scenarios with vanishing determinant neutrino mass matrices and vanishing $\theta_{13}$ mixing angle. Normal and inverse mass hierarchies are considered separately. For normal hierarchy it is found that neutrinoless double beta decay cannot be observed by any of the present or next generation experiments. For inverse hierarchy the neutrinoless double beta decay is, on the contrary, accessible to experiments. We also analyse for both hierarchies the case for texture zeros and equalities between mass matrix elements. No texture zeros are found to be possible nor any such equalities, apart from the obvious ones.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur