Global status of neutrino oscillation parameters after Neutrino-2012

Here we update the global fit of neutrino oscillations in arXiv:1103.0734 and arXiv:1108.1376 including the recent measurements of reactor antineutrino disappearance reported by the Double Chooz, Daya Bay and RENO experiments, together with latest MINOS and T2K appearance and disappearance results, as presented at the Neutrino-2012 conference. We find that the preferred global fit value of $\theta_{13}$ is quite large: $\sin^2\theta_{13} \simeq 0.025$ for normal and inverted neutrino mass ordering, with $\theta_{13} = 0$ now excluded at more than 10$\sigma$. The impact of the new $\theta_{13}$ measurements over the other neutrino oscillation parameters is discussed as well as the role of the new long-baseline neutrino data and the atmospheric neutrino analysis in the determination of a non-maximal atmospheric angle $\theta_{23}$.Comment: Note added, matches published version in Physical Review

Neutrino oscillations refitted

Here we update our previous global fit of neutrino oscillations by including the recent results which have appeared since the Neutrino-2012 conference. These include the measurements of reactor anti-neutrino disappearance reported by Daya Bay and RENO, together with latest T2K and MINOS data including both disappearance and appearance channels. We also include the revised results from the third solar phase of Super-Kamiokande, SK-III, as well as new solar results from the fourth phase of Super-Kamiokande, SK-IV. We find that the preferred global determination of the atmospheric angle $\theta_{23}$ is consistent with maximal mixing. We also determine the impact of the new data upon all the other neutrino oscillation parameters with emphasis on the increasing sensitivity to the CP phase, thanks to the interplay between accelerator and reactor data. In the appendix we present the updated results obtained after the inclusion of new reactor data presented at the Neutrino 2014 conference. We discuss their impact on the global neutrino analysis.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. An appendix providing updated results after Neutrino-2014 Conference is added. Matches published version in Physical Review

A Short Travel for Neutrinos in Large Extra Dimensions

Neutrino oscillations successfully explain the flavor transitions observed in neutrinos produced in natural sources like the center of the sun and the earth atmosphere, and also from man-made sources like reactors and accelerators. These oscillations are driven by two mass-squared differences, solar and atmospheric, at the sub-eV scale. However, longstanding anomalies at short-baselines might imply the existence of new oscillation frequencies at the eV-scale and the possibility of this sterile state(s) to mix with the three active neutrinos. One of the many future neutrino programs that are expected to provide a final word on this issue is the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program (SBN) at FERMILAB. In this letter, we consider a specific model of Large Extra Dimensions (LED) which provides interesting signatures of oscillation of extra sterile states. We started re-creating sensitivity analyses for sterile neutrinos in the 3+1 scenario, previously done by the SBN collaboration, by simulating neutrino events in the three SBN detectors from both muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance. Then, we implemented neutrino oscillations as predicted in the LED model and also we have performed sensitivity analysis to the LED parameters. Finally, we studied the SBN power of discriminating between the two models, the 3+1 and the LED. We have found that SBN is sensitive to the oscillations predicted in the LED model and have the potential to constrain the LED parameter space better than any other oscillation experiment, for $m_{1}^D<0.1\,\text{eV}$. In case SBN observes a departure from the three active neutrino framework, it also has the power of discriminating between sterile oscillations predicted in the 3+1 framework and the LED ones.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Lepton flavor violation and non-unitary lepton mixing in low-scale type-I seesaw

Within low-scale seesaw mechanisms, such as the inverse and linear seesaw, one expects (i) potentially large lepton flavor violation (LFV) and (ii) sizeable non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI). We consider the interplay between the magnitude of non-unitarity effects in the lepton mixing matrix, and the constraints that follow from LFV searches in the laboratory. We find that NSI parameters can be sizeable, up to percent level in some cases, while LFV rates, such as that for \mu -> e \gamma, lie within current limits, including the recent one set by the MEG collaboration. As a result the upcoming long baseline neutrino experiments offer a window of opportunity for complementary LFV and weak universality tests.Comment: 14 pages, 14 composite figures and 1 table. v2: minor changes, references added. Accepted for publication in JHE

On the description of non-unitary neutrino mixing

Neutrino oscillations are well established and the relevant parameters determined with good precision, except for the CP phase, in terms of a unitary lepton mixing matrix. Seesaw extensions of the Standard Model predict unitarity deviations due to the admixture of heavy isosinglet neutrinos. We provide a complete description of the unitarity and universality deviations in the light neutrino sector. Neutrino oscillation experiments involving electron or muon neutrinos and anti-neutrinos are fully described in terms of just three new real parameters and a new CP phase, in addition to the ones describing oscillations with unitary mixing. Using this formalism we describe the implications of non-unitarity for neutrino oscillations and summarize the model-independent constraints on heavy neutrino couplings that arise from current experiments.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, typos corrected, modified bounds on non-unitarity parameters, new figs 3 and

Two-parameter neutrino mass matrices with two texture zeros

We reanalyse Majorana-neutrino mass matrices M_nu with two texture zeros, by searching for viable hybrid textures in which the non-zero matrix elements of M_nu have simple ratios. Referring to the classification scheme of Frampton, Glashow and Marfatia, we find that the mass matrix denoted by A1 allows the ratios (M_nu)_{mu mu} : (Mnu)_{tau tau} = 1:1 and (M_nu)_{e tau} : (Mnu)_{mu tau} = 1:2. There are analogous ratios for texture A2. With these two hybrid textures, one obtains, for instance, good agreement with the data if one computes the three mixing angles in terms of the experimentally determined mass-squared differences Delta m^2_21 and Delta m^2_31. We could not find viable hybrid textures based on mass matrices different from those of cases A1 and A2.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, minor changes, some references adde

Status of neutrino oscillations 2018: first hint for normal mass ordering and improved CP sensitivity

We present a new global fit of neutrino oscillation parameters within the simplest three-neutrino picture, including new data which appeared since our previous analysis~\cite{Forero:2014bxa}. In this update we include new long-baseline neutrino data involving the antineutrino channel in T2K, as well as new data in the neutrino channel, data from NO$\nu$A, as well as new reactor data, such as the Daya Bay 1230 days electron antineutrino disappearance spectrum data and the 1500 live days prompt spectrum from RENO, as well as new Double Chooz data. We also include atmospheric neutrino data from the IceCube DeepCore and ANTARES neutrino telescopes and from Super-Kamiokande. Finally, we also update our solar oscillation analysis by including the 2055-day day/night spectrum from the fourth phase of the Super-Kamiokande experiment. With the new data we find a preference for the atmospheric angle in the upper octant for both neutrino mass orderings, with maximal mixing allowed at $\Delta\chi^2 = 1.6 \, (3.2)$ for normal (inverted) ordering. We also obtain a strong preference for values of the CP phase $\delta$ in the range $[\pi,2\pi]$, excluding values close to $\pi/2$ at more than 4$\sigma$. More remarkably, our global analysis shows for the first time hints in favour of the normal mass ordering over the inverted one at more than 3$\sigma$. We discuss in detail the origin of the mass ordering, CP violation and octant sensitivities, analyzing the interplay among the different neutrino data samples.Comment: Updated neutrino oscillation analysis using the most recent results from T2K, NO$\nu$A, RENO and Super-Kamiokande. 17 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Constrained analytical interrelations in neutrino mixing

Hermitian squared mass matrices of charged leptons and light neutrinos in the flavor basis are studied under general additive lowest order perturbations away from the tribimaximal (TBM) limit in which a weak basis with mass diagonal charged leptons is chosen. Simple analytical expressions are found for the three measurable TBM-deviants in terms of perturbation parameters appearing in the neutrino and charged lepton eigenstates in the flavor basis. Taking unnatural cancellations to be absent and charged lepton perturbation parameters to be small, interrelations are derived among masses, mixing angles and the amount of CP-violation.Comment: To be published in the Springer Proceedings in the Physics Series under the heading of the XXI DAE-BRNS Symposium (Guwahati, India

Reactor mixing angle from hybrid neutrino masses

In terms of its eigenvector decomposition, the neutrino mass matrix (in the basis where the charged lepton mass matrix is diagonal) can be understood as originating from a tribimaximal dominant structure with small deviations, as demanded by data. If neutrino masses originate from at least two different mechanisms, referred to as "hybrid neutrino masses", the experimentally observed structure naturally emerges provided one mechanism accounts for the dominant tribimaximal structure while the other is responsible for the deviations. We demonstrate the feasibility of this picture in a fairly model-independent way by using lepton-number-violating effective operators, whose structure we assume becomes dictated by an underlying $A_4$ flavor symmetry. We show that if a second mechanism is at work, the requirement of generating a reactor angle within its experimental range always fixes the solar and atmospheric angles in agreement with data, in contrast to the case where the deviations are induced by next-to-leading order effective operators. We prove this idea is viable by constructing an $A_4$-based ultraviolet completion, where the dominant tribimaximal structure arises from the type-I seesaw while the subleading contribution is determined by either type-II or type-III seesaw driven by a non-trivial $A_4$ singlet (minimal hybrid model). After finding general criteria, we identify all the $\mathbb{Z}_N$ symmetries capable of producing such $A_4$-based minimal hybrid models.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. v3: section including sum rules added, accepted by JHE

Novel handheld magnetometer probe based on magnetic tunnelling junction sensors for intraoperative sentinel lymph node identification

Using magnetic tunnelling junction sensors, a novel magnetometer probe for the identification of the sentinel lymph node using magnetic tracers was developed. Probe performance was characterised in vitro and validated in a preclinical swine model. Compared to conventional gamma probes, the magnetometer probe showed excellent spatial resolution of 4.0 mm, and the potential to detect as few as 5 μg of magnetic tracer. Due to the high sensitivity of the magnetometer, all first-tier nodes were identified in the preclinical experiments, and there were no instances of false positive or false negative detection. Furthermore, these preliminary data encourage the application of the magnetometer probe for use in more complex lymphatic environments, such as in gastrointestinal cancers, where the sentinel node is often in close proximity to other non-sentinel nodes, and high spatial resolution detection is required.A Cousins, G.L. Balalis, S.K. Thompson, D. Forero Morales, A. Mohtar, A.B. Wedding, B. Thierr