Neutrino Oscillations

A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2022) | Viewed by 25679

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano and I.N.F.N. Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria, 16-20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: theory and phenomenology of elementary particle physics; neutrino physics

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Guest Editor
1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 16, I-20133 Milano, Italy
2. INFN, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16, I-20133 Milano, Italy
Interests: neutrino physics; ultra high energy cosmic rays; astroparticle physics; undergroud physics; radioactive backgounds

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of neutrino properties has always been a central topic of elementary particle physics and astrophysics, and it offers a unique opportunity of creating a link between these two disciplines. Almost one century after its proposal by Pauli and sixty years after its experimental discovery by Cowan and Reines, we still do not have a clear view of many properties of this elusive and fascinating particle. Which is the exact value of its mass, why it is so light, and which hierarchy did nature choose for its mass eigenvalues? Is it a Dirac or Majorana particle? How big is the CP violation in the leptonic sector?  The answers to these open questions would surely have a great impact on elementary particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, helping us in the search for the right extension of the Standard Model of electroweak interactions and offering a unique insight into the knowledge of fundamental interactions. Moreover, neutrino study will also be fundamental for the promising field of multimessenger astronomy, rapidly growing after the discovery of gravitational waves.

The quantum phenomenon of flavor oscillations played a central role in the study of neutrino properties, offering crystal-clear proof of the fact that neutrinos are massive particles, made even more robust during the last decade with the advent of appearance experiments, which added to the traditional disappearance ones. Fifteen years after 2004, usually denoted as the “annus mirabilis” of neutrino physics, it is worthwhile to analyze the state-of-the-art of neutrino oscillation studies, involving experiments with all the different natural and artificial neutrino sources: Solar, atmospheric, long- and short-baseline reactor and accelerator neutrinos, and neutrinos from supernovae. The aim of this Special Issue is to investigate the different theoretical and experimental aspects involved in these types of research, discussing the more recent results, on the basis of past advancements in this field and with a special attention to its possible future developments. All the contributions from researchers working in this multidisciplinary field are most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Vito Antonelli
Prof. Dr. Lino Miramonti
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Neutrino properties
  • Neutrino mass and oscillations
  • Appearance and disappearance experiments
  • Solar neutrinos
  • Atmospheric neutrinos
  • Long- and short-baseline reactor neutrinos
  • Long- and short-baseline accelerator neutrinos
  • Neutrinos from supernovae
  • Neutrino oscillations and astrophysics
  • Mass models
  • Nonstandard interactions

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 280 KiB  
Article
Histories of Neutrino Oscillation of Consistency Induced by the Presence of Normal Matter
by Fazeel Khan and Jerzy Dajka
Universe 2022, 8(2), 106; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe8020106 - 06 Feb 2022
Viewed by 902
Abstract
Oscillation of two-flavour neutrinos is considered within a quantum mechanical framework of consistent (decoherent) dynamic histories. We investigate how consistency of selected three-time histories is affected by oscillation parameters. We show that the presence of normal matter is crucial to maintain consistency of [...] Read more.
Oscillation of two-flavour neutrinos is considered within a quantum mechanical framework of consistent (decoherent) dynamic histories. We investigate how consistency of selected three-time histories is affected by oscillation parameters. We show that the presence of normal matter is crucial to maintain consistency of certain classes of neutrinos’ dynamic histories and that the consistency does not depend on a Majorana phase and remains insensitive to a potential CP violation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
13 pages, 2328 KiB  
Article
Oscillations of Active Neutrinos at Short Baseline in the Model with Three Decaying Sterile Neutrinos
by Viacheslav Khruschov and Sergey Fomichev
Universe 2022, 8(2), 97; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe8020097 - 03 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1252
Abstract
To study the oscillations of active neutrinos in the framework of the model with three active and three sterile neutrinos, the analytical expressions are obtained for the appearance and survival probabilities of different neutrino flavors taking into account the decaying sterile neutrinos contributions. [...] Read more.
To study the oscillations of active neutrinos in the framework of the model with three active and three sterile neutrinos, the analytical expressions are obtained for the appearance and survival probabilities of different neutrino flavors taking into account the decaying sterile neutrinos contributions. In the framework of the considered phenomenological neutrino model, we make an interpretation of the experimentally detected XENON1T-excess of electronic recoil events in the energy range of 1–7 keV as a result of the radiative decay of a sterile neutrino with a mass of about 7 keV. Estimations of the decay parameters for the radiative decay of Majorana sterile neutrinos due to the magnetic dipole transitions into the active neutrino states are made. The value of the parameter of active and sterile neutrinos mixing has been derived from the Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions (BEST) experimental data. The graphical dependences for the probabilities of appearance and survival of muonic and electron neutrinos at short baseline (SBL) are presented with the use of that gained from the experimental data estimations of the model parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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12 pages, 475 KiB  
Article
Effects of Atomic-Scale Electron Density Profile and a Fast and Efficient Iteration Algorithm for Matter Effect of Neutrino Oscillation
by Mihai Horoi and Adam Zettel
Universe 2020, 6(1), 16; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6010016 - 18 Jan 2020
Viewed by 1972
Abstract
In a recent article, we noticed that the electron density in condensed matter exhibits large spikes close to the atomic nuclei. We showed that the peak magnitude of these spikes in the electron densities, 3–4 orders larger than the average electron plasma density [...] Read more.
In a recent article, we noticed that the electron density in condensed matter exhibits large spikes close to the atomic nuclei. We showed that the peak magnitude of these spikes in the electron densities, 3–4 orders larger than the average electron plasma density in the Sun’s core, have no effect on the neutrino emission and absorption probabilities or on the neutrinoless double beta decay probability. However, it was not clear if the effect of these spikes is equivalent to that of an average constant electron density in matter. We investigated these effects by a direct integration of the coupled Dirac equations describing the propagation of flavor neutrinos into, through, and out of the matter. We proposed a new iteration-based algorithm for computing the neutrino survival/appearance probability in matter, which we found to be at least 20 times faster than some direct integration algorithms under the same accuracy. With this method, we found little evidence that these spikes affect the standard oscillations probabilities. In addition, we show that the new algorithm can explain the equivalence of using average electron densities instead of the spiked electron densities. The new algorithm is further extended to the case of light sterile neutrinos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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Review

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24 pages, 7273 KiB  
Review
Observation of Atmospheric Neutrinos
by Yusuke Koshio
Universe 2020, 6(6), 80; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6060080 - 05 Jun 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3142
Abstract
In 1998, the Super-Kamiokande discovered neutrino oscillation using atmospheric neutrino anomalies. It was the first direct evidence of neutrino mass and the first phenomenon to be discovered beyond the standard model of particle physics. Recently, more precise measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters using [...] Read more.
In 1998, the Super-Kamiokande discovered neutrino oscillation using atmospheric neutrino anomalies. It was the first direct evidence of neutrino mass and the first phenomenon to be discovered beyond the standard model of particle physics. Recently, more precise measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters using atmospheric neutrinos have been achieved by several detectors, such as Super-Kamiokande, IceCube, and ANTARES. In addition, precise predictions and measurements of atmospheric neutrino flux have been performed. This paper presents the history, current status, and future prospects of the atmospheric neutrino observation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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24 pages, 749 KiB  
Review
Present and Future Contributions of Reactor Experiments to Mass Ordering and Neutrino Oscillation Studies
by Vito Antonelli, Lino Miramonti and Gioacchino Ranucci
Universe 2020, 6(4), 52; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6040052 - 08 Apr 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3665
Abstract
After a long a glorious history, marked by the first direct proofs of neutrino existence and of the mixing between the first and third neutrino generations, the reactor antineutrino experiments are still well alive and will continue to give important contributions to the [...] Read more.
After a long a glorious history, marked by the first direct proofs of neutrino existence and of the mixing between the first and third neutrino generations, the reactor antineutrino experiments are still well alive and will continue to give important contributions to the development of elementary particle physics and astrophysics. In parallel to the SBL (short baseline) experiments, that will be dedicated mainly to the search for sterile neutrinos, a new kind of experiments will start playing an important role: reactor experiments with a “medium” value, around 50 km, of the baseline, somehow in the middle between the SBL and the LBL (long baselines), like KamLAND, which in the recent past gave essential contributions to the developments of neutrino physics. These new medium baseline reactor experiments can be very important, mainly for the study of neutrino mass ordering. The first example of this kind, the liquid scintillator JUNO experiment, characterized by a very high mass and an unprecedented energy resolution, will soon start data collecting in China. Its main aspects are discussed here, together with its potentialities for what concerns the mass ordering investigation and also the other issues that can be studied with this detector, spanning from the accurate oscillation parameter determination to the study of solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos, atmospheric neutrinos and neutrinos emitted by supernovas and to the search for signals of potential Lorentz invariance violation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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23 pages, 2201 KiB  
Review
Exploring Light Sterile Neutrinos at Long Baseline Experiments: A Review
by Antonio Palazzo
Universe 2020, 6(3), 41; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6030041 - 07 Mar 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3041
Abstract
Several anomalies observed in short-baseline neutrino experiments suggest the existence of new light sterile neutrino species. In this review, we describe the potential role of long-baseline experiments in the searches of sterile neutrino properties and, in particular, the new CP-violation phases that appear [...] Read more.
Several anomalies observed in short-baseline neutrino experiments suggest the existence of new light sterile neutrino species. In this review, we describe the potential role of long-baseline experiments in the searches of sterile neutrino properties and, in particular, the new CP-violation phases that appear in the enlarged 3 + 1 scheme. We also assess the impact of light sterile states on the discovery potential of long-baseline experiments of important targets such as the standard 3-flavor CP violation, the neutrino mass hierarchy, and the octant of θ 23 . Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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30 pages, 2985 KiB  
Review
Neutrino Oscillations and Lorentz Invariance Violation
by Marco Danilo Claudio Torri
Universe 2020, 6(3), 37; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6030037 - 27 Feb 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3278
Abstract
This work explores the possibility of resorting to neutrino phenomenology to detect evidence of new physics, caused by the residual signals of the supposed quantum structure of spacetime. In particular, this work investigates the effects on neutrino oscillations and mass hierarchy detection, predicted [...] Read more.
This work explores the possibility of resorting to neutrino phenomenology to detect evidence of new physics, caused by the residual signals of the supposed quantum structure of spacetime. In particular, this work investigates the effects on neutrino oscillations and mass hierarchy detection, predicted by models that violate Lorentz invariance, preserving the spacetime isotropy and homogeneity. Neutrino physics is the ideal environment where conducting the search for new “exotic” physics, since the oscillation phenomenon is not included in the original formulation of the minimal Standard Model (SM) of particles. The confirmed observation of the neutrino oscillation phenomenon is, therefore, the first example of physics beyond the SM and can indicate the necessity to resort to new theoretical models. In this work, the hypothesis that the supposed Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) perturbations can influence the oscillation pattern is investigated. LIV theories are indeed constructed assuming modified kinematics, caused by the interaction of massive particles with the spacetime background. This means that the dispersion relations are modified, so it appears natural to search for effects caused by LIV in physical phenomena governed by masses, as in the case of neutrino oscillations. In addition, the neutrino oscillation phenomenon is interesting since there are three different mass eigenstates and in a LIV scenario, which preserves isotropy, at least two different species of particle must interact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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30 pages, 3620 KiB  
Review
Three-Flavor Oscillations with Accelerator Neutrino Beams
by Mauro Mezzetto and Francesco Terranova
Universe 2020, 6(2), 32; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6020032 - 11 Feb 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2863
Abstract
The three-flavor neutrino oscillation paradigm is well established in particle physics thanks to the crucial contribution of accelerator neutrino beam experiments. In this paper, we review the most important contributions of these experiments to the physics of massive neutrinos after the discovery of [...] Read more.
The three-flavor neutrino oscillation paradigm is well established in particle physics thanks to the crucial contribution of accelerator neutrino beam experiments. In this paper, we review the most important contributions of these experiments to the physics of massive neutrinos after the discovery of θ 13 and future perspectives in such a lively field of research. Special emphasis is given to the technical challenges of high power beams and the oscillation results of T2K, OPERA, ICARUS, and NO ν A. We discuss in detail the role of accelerator neutrino experiments in the precision era of neutrino physics in view of DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande, the program of systematic uncertainty reduction and the development of new beam facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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32 pages, 2983 KiB  
Review
Neutrino Telescopes and High-Energy Cosmic Neutrinos
by Andrea Palladino, Maurizio Spurio and Francesco Vissani
Universe 2020, 6(2), 30; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/universe6020030 - 10 Feb 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4253
Abstract
In this review paper, we present the main aspects of high-energy cosmic neutrino astrophysics. We begin by describing the generic expectations for cosmic neutrinos, including the effects of propagation from their sources to the detectors. Then we introduce the operating principles of current [...] Read more.
In this review paper, we present the main aspects of high-energy cosmic neutrino astrophysics. We begin by describing the generic expectations for cosmic neutrinos, including the effects of propagation from their sources to the detectors. Then we introduce the operating principles of current neutrino telescopes, and examine the main features (topologies) of the observable events. After a discussion of the main background processes, due to the concomitant presence of secondary particles produced in the terrestrial atmosphere by cosmic rays, we summarize the current status of the observations with astrophysical relevance that have been greatly contributed by IceCube detector. Then, we examine various interpretations of these findings, trying to assess the best candidate sources of cosmic neutrinos. We conclude with a brief perspective on how the field could evolve within a few years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutrino Oscillations)
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