Enrique Fernandez-Martinez

Unitarity of the Leptonic Mixing Matrix

We determine the elements of the leptonic mixing matrix, without assuming unitarity, combining data from neutrino oscillation experiments and weak decays. To that end, we first develop a formalism for studying neutrino oscillations in vacuum and matter when the leptonic mixing matrix is not unitary. To be conservative, only three light neutrino species are considered, whose propagation is generically affected by non-unitary effects. Precision improvements within future facilities are discussed as well.

Non-Standard Neutrino Interactions with Matter from Physics Beyond the Standard Model

Abstract We investigate how non-standard neutrino interactions (NSIs) with matter can be generated by new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) and analyse the constraints on the NSIs in these SM extensions. We focus on tree-level realisations of lepton number conserving dimension 6 and 8 operators which do not induce new interactions of four charged fermions (since these are already quite constrained) and discard the possibility of cancellations between diagrams with different messenger particles to circumvent experimental constraints. The cases studied include classes of dimension 8 operators which are often referred to as examples for ways to generate large NSIs with matter. We find that, in the considered scenarios, the NSIs with matter are considerably more constrained than often assumed in phenomenological studies, at least O ( 10 −2 ) . The constraints on the flavour-conserving NSIs turn out to be even stronger than the ones for operators which also produce interactions of four charged fermions at the same level. Furthermore, we find that in all studied cases the generation of NSIs with matter also gives rise to NSIs at the source and/or detector of a possible future Neutrino Factory.

General bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We derive model-independent bounds on production and detection non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI). We find that the constraints for NSI parameters are around O(10 −2 ) to O(10 −1 ). Furthermore, we review and update the constraints on matter NSI. We conclude that the bounds on production and detection NSI are generally one order of magnitude stronger than their matter counterparts.

CP-violation from non-unitary leptonic mixing

Abstract A low-energy non-unitary leptonic mixing matrix is a generic effect of a large class of theories accounting for neutrino masses. It is shown how the extra CP-odd phases of a general non-unitary matrix allow for sizeable CP-asymmetries in channels other than those dominant in the standard unitary case. The ν μ → ν τ channel turns out to be an excellent tool to further constrain moduli and phases. Furthermore, we clarify the relationship between our approach and the so-called “non-standard neutrino interactions” schemes: the sensitivities explored here apply as well to such constructions.

Neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models

We study the general phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models. In particular, we focus on the dependence of the neutrinoless double beta decay rate on the mass of the extra states introduced to account for the Majorana masses of light neutrinos. For this purpose, we compute the nuclear matrix elements as functions of the mass of the mediating fermions and estimate the associated uncertainties. We then discuss what can be inferred on the seesaw model parameters in the different mass regimes and clarify how the contribution of the light neutrinos should always be taken into account when deriving bounds on the extra parameters. Conversely, the extra states can also have a significant impact, canceling the Standard Model neutrino contribution for masses lighter than the nuclear scale and leading to unobservable neutrinoless double beta decay amplitudes even if neutrinos are Majorana particles. In particular, the decay rate is reduced by at least six orders of magnitude for masses of the extra states below 1 MeV in absence of extra contributions. We also discuss how seesaw models could reconcile large rates of neutrinoless double beta decay with more stringent cosmological bounds on neutrino masses.

Probing non-unitary mixing and CP-violation at a Neutrino Factory

A low-energy nonunitary leptonic mixing matrix is a generic feature of many extensions of the standard model. In such a case, the task of future precision neutrino oscillation experiments is more ambitious than measuring the three mixing angles and the leptonic (Dirac) CP phase, i.e., the accessible parameters of a unitary leptonic mixing matrix. A nonunitary mixing matrix has 13 parameters that affect neutrino oscillations, out of which four are CP violating. In the scheme of minimal unitarity violation we analyze the potential of a neutrino factory for determining or constraining the parameters of the nonunitary leptonic mixing matrix, thereby testing the origin of CP violation in the lepton sector.

Study of the eightfold degeneracy with a standard β-beam and a super-beam facility

Abstract The study of the eightfold degeneracy at a neutrino complex that includes a standard β -beam and a super-beam facility is presented for the first time in this paper. The scenario where the neutrinos are sent toward a megaton water Cerenkov detector located at the Frejus laboratory (baseline 130 km) is exploited. The performance in terms of sensitivity for measuring the continuous ( θ 13 and δ ) and discrete ( sign [ Δ m 23 2 ] and sign [ tan ( 2 θ 23 ) ] ) oscillation parameters for the β -beam and super-beam alone, and for their combination has been studied. A brief review of the present uncertainties on the neutrino and antineutrino cross-sections is also reported and their impact on the discovery potential discussed.

Aidnogenesis via leptogenesis and dark sphalerons

We discuss aidnogenesis,1 i.e. the generation of a dark matter asymmetry, via new sphaleron processes associated to an extra non-abelian gauge symmetry common to both the visible and the dark sectors. Such a theory can naturally produce an abundance of asymmetric dark matter which is of the same size as the lepton and baryon asymmetries, as suggested by the similar sizes of the observed baryonic and dark matter energy content, and provide a definite prediction for the mass of the dark matter particle. We discuss in detail a minimal realization in which the Standard Model is only extended by dark matter fermions which form “dark baryons” through an SU(3) interaction, and a (broken) horizontal symmetry that induces the new sphalerons. The dark matter mass is predicted to be ∼ 6 GeV, close to the region favored by DAMA and CoGeNT. Furthermore, a remnant of the horizontal symmetry should be broken at a lower scale and can also explain the Tevatron dimuon anomaly.

Global constraints on heavy neutrino mixing

A bstractWe derive general constraints on the mixing of heavy Seesaw neutrinos with the SM fields from a global fit to present flavour and electroweak precision data. We explore and compare both a completely general scenario, where the heavy neutrinos are integrated out without any further assumption, and the more constrained case were only 3 additional heavy states are considered. The latter assumption implies non-trivial correlations in order to reproduce the correct neutrino masses and mixings as observed by oscillation data and thus some qualitative differences can be found with the more general scenario. The relevant processes analyzed in the global fit include searches for Lepton Flavour Violating (LFV) decays, probes of the universality of weak interactions, CKM unitarity bounds and electroweak precision data. In particular, a comparative and detailed study of the present and future sensitivity of the different LFV experiments is performed. We find a mild 1-2σ preference for non-zero heavy neutrino mixing of order 0.03-0.04 in the electron and tau sectors. At the 2σ level we derive bounds on all mixings ranging from 0.1 to 0.01 with the notable exception of the e − μ sector with a more stringent bound of 0.005 from the μ → eγ process.

Loop bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We reconsider the bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions with matter which can be derived by constraining the four-charged-lepton operators induced at the loop level. We find that these bound ...