Neutrino interactions with matter and the MiniBooNE anomaly

Alvarez‐Ruso, L.; Saul-Sala, Eduardo

doi:10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00293-9

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…A simple BSM model including one sterile neutrino species in addition to the three active species (the 'vanilla' 3+1 model) can provide a good fit to the LSND excess, the MiniBooNE excess in antineutrino mode, and the MiniBooNE excess in neutrino mode for the energy range E ν 400 MeV. However, an excess of ν e appearance events with lower energies E ν ∼ 150 − 300 MeV still persists in the MiniBooNE data which cannot be satisfactorily explained by any '3+n' sterile neutrino model 1 [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. This challenge has led to numerous attempts to explain the MiniBooNE low energy excess by invoking new physics of a dark sector.…”

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confidence: 96%

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Quasi-Sterile Neutrinos from Dark Sectors I. BSM matter effects in neutrino oscillations and the short-baseline anomalies

Alves,

Louis,

deNiverville

2022

Preprint

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Quasi-sterile neutrinos are a natural consequence of dark sectors interacting with the Standard Model (SM) sector via neutrino-and vector-portals. Essentially, quasisterile neutrinos are light dark sector fermions with two generic properties: (i) they mix with the active neutrinos of the SM, and (ii) they are charged under a vector mediator that couples feebly to SM matter. Various interesting phenomenological consequences result from this class of particles. In this article, we investigate one such consequence: new, beyond the SM matter effects that can alter in-medium neutrino oscillations. In particular, for special windows of energy and matter densities, active neutrinos can resonantly oscillate into sterile neutrinos. We take advantage of this feature to build a quasi-sterile neutrino model that can explain the MiniBooNE and LSND anomalies, while remaining compatible with observations from long-baseline reactor-and accelerator-based neutrino experiments. This model is also likely compatible with the recent results reported by the MicroBooNE collaboration (albeit we cannot precisely quantify this claim due to a lack of information in MicroBooNE's public data releases to date). Implications for solar neutrinos and ν e disappearance searches are also briefly discussed.

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confidence: 96%

“…Recent results from the MicroBooNE collaboration[23] further disfavor the interpretation of the Mini-BooNE low energy excess as due to single photon backgrounds from radiative ∆ decays[24][25][26][27][28].…”

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confidence: 99%

Quasi-Sterile Neutrinos from Dark Sectors I. BSM matter effects in neutrino oscillations and the short-baseline anomalies

Alves,

Louis,

deNiverville

2022

Preprint

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“…An oft-repeated statement in the literature is that the only physics discovery beyond the SM, since its inception over fifty years ago is that neutrinos are massive. While the theoretical, phenomenological and experimental consequences of neutrino mass have been profound, altering our approach to and understanding of neutrino physics, cosmology, stellar evolution, dark matter, leptogenesis and CP violation, it is also true that the structural change in the SM necessary to accommodate it is relatively benign, requiring the addition of right-handed neutrinos only10 . If indeed, the present results that are the subject of this paper do herald new physics, this is likely not to be the case.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…All of the proposals for the three possible final states (single electrons, an e + e − pair or a photon) require non-trivial new physics. In particular, those giving an e + e − pair do not have a known SM background, and appear to call for new particles and interactions, as well as some portal10 This is true irrespective of whether they are Majorana or Dirac particles, albeit the mass scales at which these neutrinos enter the theory can be very different for the two.…”

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confidence: 99%

Requirements on common solutions to the LSND and MiniBooNE excesses: a post-MicroBooNE study

Abdallah,

Gandhi,

Roy

2022

Preprint

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The strong statistical significance of an observed electron-like event excess in the MiniBooNE (MB) experiment, along with an earlier similar excess seen in the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND), when interpreted in conjunction with recent MicroBooNE results may have brought us to the cusp of new physics discoveries. This has led to many attempts to understand these observations, both for each experiment individually and in conjunction, via physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). We provide an overview of the current situation, and discuss three major categories under which the many proposals for new physics fall. The possibility that the same new, non-oscillation physics explains both anomalies leads to new restrictions and requirements. An important class of such common solutions, which we focus on in this work, consists of a heavy O(MeV−sub-GeV) sterile neutral fermion produced in the detectors, (via up-scattering of the incoming muon neutrinos), and subsequently decaying to photons or e + e − pairs which mimic the observed signals. Such solutions are subject to strong demands from a) cross section requirements which would yield a sufficient number of total events in both LSND and MB, b) requirements imposed by the measured energy and angular distributions in both experiments and finally, c) consistency and compatibility of the new physics model and its particle content with other bounds from a diverse swathe of particle physics experiments. We find that these criteria often pull proposed solutions in different directions, and stringently limit the viable set of proposals which could resolve both anomalies. Our conclusions are relevant for both the general search for new physics and for the ongoing observations and analyses of the MicroBooNE experiment.

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“…Martini et al [33] describe the neutrino-nucleus scattering cross section for a CCQE process using response functions and spectral functions, and highlight the dependence of multinucleon correlation effects in the different models. Alvarez-Ruso et al [34] discuss neutrino interactions with matter, with a particular emphasis on the Mini-BooNE anomaly. Fatima et al [35] highlight the importance of νμ -induced quasielastic production of hyperons leading to pions (the reaction which is forbidden for neutrino-induced processes due to the ΔS = ΔQ rule).…”

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confidence: 99%