Search for signatures of sterile neutrinos with Double Chooz

DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Abstract We present a search for signatures of neutrino mixing of electron anti-neutrinos with additional hypothetical sterile neutrino flavors using the Double Chooz experiment. The search is based on data from 5 years of operation of Double Chooz, including 2 years in the two-detector configuration. The analysis is based on a profile likelihood, i.e. comparing the data to the model prediction of disappearance in a data-to-data comparison of the two respective detectors. The analysis is optimized for a model of three active and one sterile neutrino. It is sensitive in the typical mass range $${5 \times 10^{-3}}\,\mathrm{eV}^2 \lesssim \varDelta m^2_{41} \lesssim {3 \times 10^{-1}}\,\mathrm{eV}^2 $$ 5 × 10 - 3 eV 2 ≲ Δ m 41 2 ≲ 3 × 10 - 1 eV 2 for mixing angles down to $$\sin ^2 2\theta _{14} \gtrsim {0.02} $$ sin 2 2 θ 14 ≳ 0.02 . No significant disappearance additionally to the conventional disappearance related to $$\theta _{13} $$ θ 13 is observed and correspondingly exclusion bounds on the sterile mixing parameter $$\theta _{14} $$ θ 14 as a function of $$ \varDelta m^2_{41} $$ Δ m 41 2 are obtained.

Authors 14

1. Thamys Abrahão

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Laboratoire AstroParticule et Cosmologie

   Affiliation as printed

   APC Université de Paris CNRS Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75006, Paris, France

2. H. Almazán

   Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

3. J. C. dos Anjos

   Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

   Affiliation as printed

   Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-180, Brazil

4. S. Appel

   Technical University of Munich

   Affiliation as printed

   Physik Department, Technische Universität München, 85748, Garching, Germany

5. I. Bekman Aachen III. Physikalisches Institut

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany

6. Leonid B. Bezrukov

   Institute for Nuclear Research · Russian Academy of Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117312, Russia

7. Edward Blucher

   University of Chicago

   Affiliation as printed

   The Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

8. Timothée Goubault de Brugière

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules · Université de Strasbourg · Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

   Affiliation as printed

   IPHC CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Strasbourg, 67037, Strasbourg, France

9. C. Buck

   Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

10. J. Busenitz

    University of Alabama

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

11. M. Cerrada

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas CIEMAT, 28040, Madrid, Spain

12. Jaime Dawson

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Laboratoire AstroParticule et Cosmologie

    Affiliation as printed

    APC Université de Paris CNRS Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75006, Paris, France

13. Z. Djurcic

    Argonne National Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

14. A. Etenko

    Kurchatov Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    NRC Kurchatov Institute, 123182, Moscow, Russia