Sensitivity to oscillation with a sterile fourth generation neutrino from ultralow threshold neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering

Abstract

We discuss prospects for probing short-range sterile neutrino oscillation using neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering with ultra-low energy (∼ 10 eV -100 eV) recoil threshold cryogenic Ge detectors. The analysis is performed in the context of a specific and contemporary reactor-based experimental proposal, developed in cooperation with the Nuclear Science Center at Texas A&M University, and references developing technology based upon economical and scalable detector arrays. The baseline of the experiment is substantially shorter than existing measurements, as near as about 2 meters from the reactor core, and is moreover variable, extending continuously up to a range of about 10 meters. This proximity and variety combine to provide extraordinary sensitivity to a wide spectrum of oscillation scales, while facilitating the tidy cancellation of leading systematic uncertainties in the reactor source and environment. With 100 eV sensitivity, for exposures on the order of 200 kg·y, we project an estimated sensitivity to first/fourth neutrino oscillation with a mass gap ∆m 2 ∼ 1 eV 2 at an amplitude sin 2 2θ ∼ 10 −1 , or ∆m 2 ∼ 0.2 eV 2 at unit amplitude. Larger exposures, around 5,000 kg·y, together with 10 eV sensitivity are capable of probing more than an additional order of magnitude in amplitude.

Constraining sterile neutrino interpretations of the LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies with coherent neutrino scattering experiments

“…This interaction, which has recently been observed for the first time by the COHERENT Collaboration [22], using a CsI target [23], is universal across all three active neutrino flavors, and thus can provide a measurement of the total (all flavor) active neutrino flux [24,25] (see also Refs. [26][27][28]). Furthermore, by taking data on two different baselines, we can substantially reduce the systematic uncertainties associated with the detector efficiency, as well as with the overall flux and cross section.…”

Constraining sterile neutrino cosmology with terrestrial oscillation experiments

“…The focus will be on accelerator and reactor (anti)neutrino experiments. Additionally, the observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) by the COHERENT collaboration [25] has opened a new means by which to study neutrinos and their interactions [26][27][28][29][30]. We will consider the sensitivities of several proposed experiments that rely on this process which exist to test the sterile-neutrino interpretation of reactor antineutrino anomalies.…”

Probing light mediators at ultralow threshold energies with coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering

“…Low temperature solid state germanium and silicon detectors, using technology similar to that currently developed for direct dark matter searches like SuperCDMS, will be installed at very near proximity (∼ 1 − 3m) to the reactor core. More specifics on the reactor, its properties, and the MINER program may be found in recent works which have highlighted its physics potential for TeV scale mass Z models, sensitivity for neutrino magnetic moment searches, and sterile neutrino searches [10,11].…”

“…These experiments will be sensitive to BSM physics such as NSI and the neutrino magnetic moment [22]. More recently, the MINER experiment at Texas A&M University has been developed to measure to measure CEνNS using a MW reactor neutrino source, with sensitivity to sterile neutrinos, NSI, and the neutrino magnetic moment [10,11].…”

“…Because the CEνNS process is well predicted in the SM [2], a measured deviation from it can provide a test of Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics. These models include non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI) with new weakly coupled particles, electromagnetic properties of neutrinos, and oscillations into sterile neutrinos [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. CEνNS can also shed light onto astrophysical processes occurring in neutron stars and core-collapse supernovae [13][14][15][16][17].…”