Neutrino Oscillations and Superluminal Propagation,in OPERA or Otherwise

We digress on the implications of recent claims of superluminal neutrino propagation. No matter how we turn it around such behaviour is very odd and sits uncomfortably even within “far-fetched” theories. In the context of non-linear realizations of the Lorentz group (where superluminal misbehaviour is run of the mill) one has to accept rather contrived constructions to predict superluminal properties for the neutrino. The simplest explanation is to require that at least one of the mass states be tachyonic. We show that due to neutrino mixing, the flavor energy does not suffer from the usual runaway pathologies of tachyons. For non-tachyonic mass states the theories become more speculative. A neutrino specific dispersion relation is exhibited, rendering the amplitude of the effect reasonable for a standard Planck energy. This uses the fact that the beam energy is close to the geometrical average of the neutrino and Planck mass;or, seen in another way, the beam energy is unexceptional but its gamma factor is very large. A dispersion relation crossing over from a low energy bradyonic branch to a high energy tachyonic one is also considered. We comment on consistency with SN 1987Awithin these models.

Phase Velocity and Rest Energy of Schrödinger Equation Seen from Neutrino Oscillations

The phase velocity is discussed using de Broglie relations and Schrödinger equation. We argue that in non-relativistic quantum mechanics the Hamiltonian should be added by a rest-energy term when Schrödinger equation is used to study the interference between particles of different masses. From neutrino oscillation experiments, we find that the phase velocity can be related to a measurable quantity (the flavor transition probability), therefore, the phase factor originated from the rest energy can’t be omitted. Correspondingly, the energy in de Broglie relations should always be total energy rather than kinetic energy, contrary to some textbooks of quantum mechanics.

Neutrino oscillations in the Non-Kerr black hole with quantum phenomenon

In this study,we have investigated the mathematical components of the Dirac equation in curved spacetime and how they can be applied to the analysis of neutrino oscillations.More specifically,we have developed a method for calculating the phase shift in flavor neutrino oscillations by utilizing a Taylor series expansion of the action that takes into account△m^(4) orders.In addition,we have used this method to assess how the phase difference in neutrino mass eigenstates changes according to the gravitational field described by the Johannsen spacetime.

Effects of a reverse shock wave on neutrino oscillations in a new supernova model

It is known that in supernova explosions, there might be a reverse shock wave in addition to the forward shock wave during the explosion phase, when the mass of supernova is in a certain range. In this paper, we propose to add the reverse shock wave to the previous supernova model, in which only the forward shock wave was included, and thus obtain a new model. By analyzing the resonance condition as well as the density jump in the new model and using the Landau-Zener method, an expression for the crossing probability in high density matter （PH） is given. We proceed to study how PH varies with time and with neutrino energy when both the reverse shock wave and the forward shock wave are considered. From comparison with the previous results, where only the effects of the forward shock wave were considered, it is clear that the reverse shock wave brings significant changes to PH.

Matter Effects on Neutrino Oscillations in Different Supernova Models

In recent years,with the development of simulations about supernova explosion,we have a better understanding about the density profiles and the shock waves in supernovae than before.There might be a reverse shock wave,another sudden change of density except the forward shock wave,or even no shock wave,emerging in the supernova.Instead of using the expression of the crossing probability at the high resonance,PH,we have studied the matter effects on neutrino oscillations in different supernova models.In detail,we have calculated the survival probability of νe(P_s)and the conversion probability of ν_x(P_c) in the Schrodinger equation within a simplified two-flavor framework for a certain case,in which the neutrino transfers through the supernova matter from an initial flavor eigenstate located at the core of the supernova.Our calculations was based on the data of density in three different supernova models obtained from simulations.In our work,we do not steepen the density gradient around the border of the shock wave,which differs to what was done in most of the other simulations.It is found that the mass and the density distribution of the supernova do make a difference on the behavior of P_s and P_c.With the results of P_s and P_c,we can estimate the number of νe(and ν_x) remained in the beam after they go through the matter in the supernova.

Lorentz violation constrained by triplicity of lepton families and neutrino oscillations

In this paper we postulate an algebraic model to relate the triplet characteristic of lepton families to Lorentz violation. Inspired by the two-to-one mapping between the group SL（2, C） and the Lorentz group via the Pauli grading （the elements of SL（2, C） expressed by direct sum of unit matrix and generators of SU（2） group）, we grade the SL（3,C） group with the generators of SU（3）, i. e. the Gell-Mann matrices, then express the SU（3） group in terms of three SU（2） subgroups, each of which stands for a lepton species and is mapped into the proper Lorentz group as in the case of the group SL（2,C）. If the mapping from group SL（3,C） to the Lorentz group is constructed by choosing one SU（2） subgroup as basis, then the other two subgroups display their impact only by one more additional generator to that of the original Lorentz group. Applying the mapping result to the Dirac equation, it is found that only when the kinetic vertex -γμθ^μ is extended to encompass γ5γμθ^μ can the Dirac-equation-form be conserved. The generalized vertex is useful in producing neutrino oscillations and mass differences.

Detecting dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillations

In this paper, we discuss a possibility of studying properties of dark energy in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We consider two types of models of neutrino dark energy. For one type of models the scalar field is taken to be quintessence-like and for the other phantom-like. In these models the scalar fields couple to the neutrinos to give rise to spatially varying neutrino masses. We will show that the two types of models predict different behaviors of the spatial variation of the neutrino masses inside the Earth and consequently result in different signals in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.

Neutrino spin-flavor oscillations in solar environment

We study the phenomenon of neutrino spin-flavor oscillations due to solar magnetic fields.This allows us to examine how significantly the electron neutrinos produced in the solar interior undergo a resonant spin-flavor conversion.We construct analytical models for the solar magnetic field in all the three regions of the Sun.Neutrino spin-flavor oscillations in this magnetic field are examined by studying the level crossing phenomenon and comparing the two cases of zero and non-zero vacuum mixing respectively.Results from the Borexino experiment are used to place an upper limit on the magnetic field in the solar core.Related phenomena such as effects of matter on neutrino spin transitions and differences between Dirac and Majorana transitions in the solar magnetic fields are also discussed.

The Radioactivity of Nuclei &Solar Oscillations: New Experiments

The experimental detection of the hidden periodicities in the activity of various radioactive sources which were observed by different instruments and which coincided with the period of the free oscillations of the Sun gave an impetus to the further research. The simultaneous recording of gamma rays from two radioactive sources revealed the elements of synchronism and the periods of solar oscillations as well as the phase delay for the different sources in the obtained time series. A neutrino detector has been designed and tested, the advanced schemes for neutrino detection are developed, and the impact of the neutrino source on the radioactive matter is explored. The search for the new principles for creating the emitters of neutrino beams is conducted.

A New Type of Accessible Environmental Influences on Neutrino Oscillation

Considering a new type of environment influences, we use a two-energy-level quantum system to investigate neutrino oscillations in medium. Besides the matter effects derived by Wolfenstein, there may exist extra terms due to a unitary evolution of the system between pure and mixed states, so the evolution equation is modified obviously. We show that the extra terms may play some role and induce observable effects in solar neutrino problem, especially, in the long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments which are under serious consideration recently, if the parameters fall into a suitable region.

Neutrino Temporal Oscillation

We conjecture the existence of massless neutrinos that are in the line of Standard Model (unable to account for the neutrino mass) but have characteristics that are not accounted for the Standard Model: they use a shorter radial path than the photon and possess bosonic flavors, considered like bosons instead of fermions. We call this theory “neutrino temporal oscillation”. Faced with some experimental comparisons solar neutrinos, neutrinos from SN 1987A, cosmological neutrinos, the theory gives better results, explanations and sense than the complicated theory of neutrino oscillations (transformism). The deficit of detection of solar neutrinos would have been blindly attributed to the “neutrino oscillation” by physicists who quickly concluded that the neutrino and the photon follow the same transverse path. The “OPERA” experiment which measured the speed of neutrinos in 2011 resulted, after a “superluminal” saga, in neutrino speeds consistent with the speed of light, in data that the three existing types of neutrinos cannot explain, with the final outcome of a fourth “sterile” neutrino with non-standard interaction. OPERA findings aren’t just in conflict with existing theory, but other measurements as well. For example, a study from the Kamiokande II experiment in Japan of the supernova SN1987A found that light and neutrinos that departed this exploded star arrived at Earth within hours of each other. Even though measurements of the neutrinos emitted by this supernova strongly suggest that their speeds differ from light by less than one part in a billion, the fact remains that two types of data were collected, and that only one was retained to be consistent with the existing theory. Thus, the OPERA observation is in conflicts with the result of SN1987A, which itself is highly doubtful. And what about the neutrinos and antineutrinos born during the big bang, except that they were never detected and there is nothing to indicate that their speed could be other than that of light. Neutrino physics seems sick, belief is transformed into evidence. The theory of “Neutrino temporal oscillation” shows hint that massless neutrinos can take a shortcut through the three spatial dimensions of the space-time that we know. It represents within the Standard Model an open window on a “new physics” that has a connection with physical reality.

Improved measurement of electron antineutrino disappearance at Daya Bay

We report an improved measurement of the neutrino mixing angle θ13 from the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment. We exclude a zero value for sin22θ13 with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations. Electron antineutrinos from six reactors of 2.9 GWm th were detected in six antineutrino detectors deployed in two near （flux-weighted baselines of 470 m and 576 m） and one far （1648 m） underground experimental halls. Using 139 days of data, 28909 （205308） electron antineutrino candidates were detected at the far hall （near halls）. The ratio of the observed to the expected number of antineutrinos assuming no oscillations at the far hall is 0.944± 0.007（stat.） ± 0.003（syst.）. An analysis of the relative rates in six detectors finds sin22θ13=0.089± 0.010（stat.）±0.005（syst.） in a three-neutrino framework.

Post-acceleration study for neutrino super-beam at CSNS

A post-acceleration system based on the accelerators at CSNS （China Spallation Neutron Source） is pro- posed to build a super-beam facility for neutrino physics. Two post-acceleration schemes, one using superconducting dipole magnets in the main ring and the other using room temperature magnets, have been studied, both to achieve the final proton energy of 128 GeV and the beam power of 4 MW by taking 10% of the CSNS beam from the neutron source. The main design features and the comparison for the two schemes are presented. The CSNS super-beam facility will be very competitive in long-baseline neutrino physics studies, compared with other super-beam facilities proposed in the world.

Feasibility and physics potential of detecting ^(8)B solar neutrinos at JUNO

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory(JUNO)features a 20 kt multi-purpose underground liquid scintillator sphere as its main detector.Some of JUNO's features make it an excellent location for^8B solar neutrino measurements,such as its low-energy threshold,high energy resolution compared with water Cherenkov detectors,and much larger target mass compared with previous liquid scintillator detectors.In this paper,we present a comprehensive assessment of JUNO's potential for detecting^8B solar neutrinos via the neutrino-electron elastic scattering process.A reduced 2 MeV threshold for the recoil electron energy is found to be achievable,assuming that the intrinsic radioactive background^(238)U and^(232)Th in the liquid scintillator can be controlled to 10^(-17)g/g.With ten years of data acquisition,approximately 60,000 signal and 30,000 background events are expected.This large sample will enable an examination of the distortion of the recoil electron spectrum that is dominated by the neutrino flavor transformation in the dense solar matter,which will shed new light on the inconsistency between the measured electron spectra and the predictions of the standard three-flavor neutrino oscillation framework.IfDelta m^(2)_(21)=4.8times10^(-5);(7.5times10^(-5))eV^(2),JUNO can provide evidence of neutrino oscillation in the Earth at approximately the 3sigma(2sigma)level by measuring the non-zero signal rate variation with respect to the solar zenith angle.Moreover,JUNO can simultaneously measureDelta m^2_(21)using^8B solar neutrinos to a precision of 20% or better,depending on the central value,and to sub-percent precision using reactor antineutrinos.A comparison of these two measurements from the same detector will help understand the current mild inconsistency between the value of Delta m^2_(21)reported by solar neutrino experiments and the KamLAND experiment.

Sub-percent precision measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters with JUNO

JUNO is a multi-purpose neutrino observatory under construction in the south of China.This publication presents new sensitivity estimates for the measurement of the △m_(31)^(2),△m_(21)^(2),sin^(2)θ_(12),and sin^(2)θ_(13) oscillation parameters using reactor antineutrinos,which is one of the primary physics goals of the experiment.The sensitivities are obtained using the best knowledge available to date on the location and overburden of the experimental site,the nuclear reactors in the surrounding area and beyond,the detector response uncertainties,and the reactor antineutrino spectral shape constraints expected from the TAO satellite detector.It is found that the △m_(21)^(2) and sin^(2)θ_(12) oscillation parameters will be determined to 0.5%precision or better in six years of data collection.In the same period,the △m_(31)^(2) parameter will be determined to about 0.2%precision for each mass ordering hypothesis.The new precision represents approximately an order of magnitude improvement over existing constraints for these three parameters.

Precision measurements and tau neutrino physics in a future accelerator neutrino experiment

We investigate prospects of building a future accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiment in China,including site selection,beam optimization and tau neutrino physics aspects.CP violation,non-unitary mixing and non-standard neutrino interactions are discussed.We simulate neutrino beam setups based on muon and beta decay techniques and compare Chinese laboratory sites by their expected sensitivities.A case study on the Super Proton-Proton Collider and the China JinPing Laboratory is also presented.It is shown that the muon-decay-based beam setup can measure the Dirac CP phase by about 14.2°precision at 1σCL,whereas non-unitarity can be probed down to |α_(ij)|≲0.37(i≠j=1,2,3)and non-standard interactions to|ϵ_(ℓℓ′)^(m)|≲0.11(ℓ≠ℓ′=e,μ,τ)at 90% CL,respectively.

Overview on neutrinos and the Daya Bay experiment

Neutrinos are elementary particles in the Standard Model. Neutrino oscillation is a quantum mechanical phenomenon beyond the Standard Model. Neutrino oscillation can be described by two independent mass-squared differences △m21^2, △m31^2 （or △m32^2） and a 3× 3 unitary matrix, containing three mixing angles θ12, θ23, θ13, and one charge-parity （CP） phase. θ12 is about 34° and determined by solar neutrino experiments and the reactor neutrino experiment KamLAND. θ23 is about 45° and determined by atmospheric neutrino experiments and accelerator neutrino experiments. 013 can be measured by either accelerator or reactor neutrino experiments. On Mar. 8, 2012, the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment reported the first observation of non-zero 013 with 5.2 standard deviations. In June, with 2.5× previous data, Daya Bay improved the measurement of sin2 2013 = 0.089 ± 0.010（stat）± 0.005（syst）.

A compact analytical approximation for a light sterile neutrino oscillation in matter

The existence of light sterile neutrinos is a long-standing question in particle physics.Several experimental“anomalies”might be explained by introducing eV mass scaled light sterile neutrinos.Many experiments are actively searching for such light sterile neutrinos through neutrino oscillation.For long baseline experiments,the matter effect should be treated carefully for precise calculation of the neutrino oscillation probabilities.However,this is usually time-consuming or analytically complex.In this manuscript,we adopt a Jacobi-like method to diagonalize the Hermitian Hamiltonian matrix and derive analytically simplified neutrino oscillation probabilities for 3(active)+1(sterile)-neutrino mixing for a constant matter density.These approximations can reach a considerably high numerical accuracy while retaining their analytical simplicity and fast computing speed.This would be useful for current and future long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.

Current status of neutrino physics

A summary of the current status of neutrino oscillations is given. We also include a brief description of the earlier development of neutrino physics and illustrate the roles that neutrinos play in several areas other than particle physics.