Exploring Neutrino Oscillations with Superbeams

We consider the medium- and long-baseline oscillation physics capabilities of intense muon-neutrino and muon-antineutrino beams produced using future upgraded megawatt-scale high-energy proton beams. In particular we consider the potential of these conventional neutrino ``superbeams'' for observing \nu_\mu\to\nu_e oscillations, determining the hierarchy of neutrino mass eigenstates, and measuring CP-violation in the lepton sector. The physics capabilities of superbeams are explored as a function of the beam energy, baseline, and the detector parameters. The trade-offs between very large detectors with poor background rejection and smaller detectors with excellent background rejection are illustrated. We find that it may be possible to observe \nu_\mu\to\nu_e oscillations with a superbeam provided that the amplitude parameter \sin^2 2\theta_{13} is larger than a few \times 10^{-3}. If \sin^2 2\theta_{13} is of order 10^{-2} or larger, then the neutrino mass hierarchy can be determined in long-baseline experiments, and if in addition the large mixing angle MSW solution describes the solar neutrino deficit then there is a small region of parameter space within which maximal CP-violation in the lepton sector would be observable in a low-energy medium-baseline experiment. We explicitly consider massive water Cherenkov and liquid argon detectors at superbeams with neutrino energies ranging from 1 GeV to 15 GeV, and baselines from 295 km to 9300 km. Finally, we compare the oscillation physics prospects at superbeams with the corresponding prospects at neutrino factories. The sensitivity at a neutrino factory to CP violation and the neutrino mass hierarchy extends to values of the amplitude parameter \sin^2 2\theta_{13} that are one to two orders of magnitude lower than at a superbeam.Comment: Revtex (singlespaced), 41 pages, uses epsf.sty, 12 postscript figures. Minor corrections and notation changes, expanded discussions, x-axis numbers added to Fig.9(a),(c). To be published in Phys. Rev.

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

Unitarity And Anomalous Top-Quark Yukawa Couplings

Unitarity constraints on anomalous top-Higgs couplings are examined. We also compare the unitarity constraints with the constraints from electroweak baryogenesis and electric dipole moments derived earlier.Comment: Iowa State University Preprint, AMES-HET 94-11, (Tex file) 10 pages, one Figure available by reques

Maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing and the small ratio of muon to tau mass

We discuss the problem of the small ratio of muon mass to tau mass in a class of seesaw models where maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing is enforced through a $\mu$--$\tau$ interchange symmetry. We introduce into those models an additional symmetry $T$ such that $m_\mu = 0$ in the case of exact $T$ invariance. The symmetry $T$ may be softly broken in the Higgs potential, and one thus achieves $m_\mu \ll m_\tau$ in a technically natural way. We speculate on a wider applicability of this mechanism.Comment: 10 pages, plain LaTeX, no figures, minor changes, final version for J. Phys.

Single Top Quark Production via FCNC Couplings at Hadron Colliders

We calculate single top-quark production at hadron colliders via the chromo-magnetic flavor-changing neutral current couplings $\bar tcg$ and $\bar tug$. We find that the strength for the anomalous $\bar tcg$ ($\bar tug$) coupling may be probed to $\kappa_c / \Lambda = 0.092 {TeV}^{-1}$ ($\kappa_u / \Lambda = 0.026 {TeV}^{-1}$) at the Tevatron with $2 {fb}^{-1}$ of data and $\kappa_c / \Lambda = 0.013 {TeV}^{-1}$ ($\kappa_u / \Lambda = 0.0061 {TeV}^{-1}$) at the LHC with $10 {fb}^{-1}$ of data. The two couplings may be distinguished by a comparision of the single top signal with the direct top and top decay signals for these couplings.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Limits on Non-Standard Top Quark Couplings from Electroweak Measurements

We calculate the typical size of loop corrections to electroweak observables arising from non-standard $Z {\overline t } t$ and $W t b$ vertices. We use an effective Lagrangian formalism based on the electroweak gauge group $SU(2)_L\times U(1)_Y \rightarrow U(1)_{EM}$. Limits on the non-standard model top quark couplings from electroweak observables are presented and compared with previously obtained limits.Comment: 9 pages, uses epsf.st

Phenomenology of a non-standard top quark Yukawa coupling

There are theoretical speculations that the top quark may have different properties from that predicted by the standard model. We use an effective Lagrangian technique to model such a non-standard top quark scenario and study its effects on the electroweak baryogenesis, low and high energy physics.Comment: (TeX file, Figures available by request) AMES-HET 94-05, June 199