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.

Confronting mass-varying neutrinos with MiniBooNE

We study the proposal that mass-varying neutrinos could provide an explanation for the LSND signal for \bar\nu_mu to \bar\nu_e oscillations. We first point out that all positive oscillation signals occur in matter and that three active mass-varying neutrinos are insufficient to describe all existing neutrino data including LSND. We then examine the possibility that a model with four mass-varying neutrinos (three active and one sterile) can explain the LSND effect and remain consistent with all other neutrino data. We find that such models with a 3+1 mass structure in the neutrino sector may explain the LSND data and a null MiniBooNE result for 0.10 < \sin^2 2\theta_x < 0.30. Predictions of the model include a null result at Double-CHOOZ, but positive signals for underground reactor experiments and for \nu_\mu to \nu_e oscillations in long-baseline experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Comment added about recent MINOS dat

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

Probing neutrino oscillations jointly in long and very long baseline experiments

We examine the prospects of making a joint analysis of neutrino oscillation at two baselines with neutrino superbeams. Assuming narrow band superbeams and a 100 kt water Cerenkov calorimeter, we calculate the event rates and sensitivities to the matter effect, the signs of the neutrino mass differences, the CP phase and the mixing angle \theta_{13}. Taking into account all possible experimental errors under general consideration, we explored the optimum cases of narrow band beam to measure the matter effect and the CP violation effect at all baselines up to 3000 km. We then focus on two specific baselines, a long baseline of 300 km and a very long baseline of 2100 km, and analyze their joint capabilities. We found that the joint analysis can offer extra leverage to resolve some of the ambiguities that are associated with the measurement at a single baseline.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure

Ab initio calculation of the KRb dipole moments

The relativistic configuration interaction valence bond method has been used to calculate permanent and transition electric dipole moments of the KRb heteronuclear molecule as a function of internuclear separation. The permanent dipole moment of the ground state $X^1\Sigma^+$ potential is found to be 0.30(2) $ea_0$ at the equilibrium internuclear separation with excess negative charge on the potassium atom. For the $a^3\Sigma^+$ potential the dipole moment is an order of magnitude smaller (1 $ea_0=8.47835 10^{-30}$ Cm) In addition, we calculate transition dipole moments between the two ground-state and excited-state potentials that dissociate to the K(4s)+Rb(5p) limits. Using this data we propose a way to produce singlet $X^1\Sigma^+$ KRb molecules by a two-photon Raman process starting from an ultracold mixture of doubly spin-polarized ground state K and Rb atoms. This Raman process is only allowed due to relativistic spin-orbit couplings and the absence of gerade/ungerade selection rules in heteronuclear dimers.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Unitarity Constraints on Anomalous Top Quark Couplings to Weak Gauge Bosons

If there is new physics associated with the top quark, it could show up as anomalous couplings of the top quark to weak gauge bosons, such as Z\ttbar and W\tbbar vector and axial-vector couplings. We use the processes \ttbar\to Z^0Z^0, \ttbar\to W^+W^-, and \ttbar\to Z^0H to obtain the unitarity constraints on these anomalous couplings, and combine these constraints with those from precision electroweak data. The unitarity constraints can impose additional limits on the anomalous couplings when the scale of new physics is as low as 2 TeV. A nonzero measurement of such an anomalous coupling leads to an upper limit on the new physics scale from the unitarity condition.Comment: 12 pages, Latex, 4 postscipt figures included. Resubmitted with major revisions, including the newest data on $R_b

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

Probing anomalous top quark interactions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider

We study the effects of dimension-six operators contributing to the $gt\bar t$ vertex in top quark pair production at the Tevatron collider. We derive both the limits from Run 1 data and the potential bounds from future runs (Run 2 and 3). Although the current constraints are not very strong, the future runs are quite effective in probing these operators. We investigate the possibility of disentangling different operators with the $t\bar t$ invariant mass distribution and the top quark polarization asymmetry. We also study the effects of a different set of operators contributing to single top production via the $Wt\bar b$ coupling. We derive the current and potential future bounds on these anomalous operators and find that the upgraded Tevatron can improve the existing constraints from $R_b$ for one of the operators.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, REVTEX, some clarifying remarks adde