Searching for New Physics in Future Neutrino Factory Experiments

TL;DR

This paper explores how new physics, such as heavy neutrino mixing and lepton flavor violation, could be detected in future neutrino factory experiments through modifications in neutrino oscillation patterns, especially in specific channels and baselines.

Contribution

It provides first-order formulas and numerical analysis for detecting new physics effects in neutrino oscillations at future experiments, considering realistic experimental errors.

Findings

Potential for discovering new physics in channels without electron neutrinos.

Significant effects at baselines of 3000 km and 7500 km.

Enhanced sensitivity with future experimental precision.

Abstract

An extension of the New Standard Model, by introducing a mixing of the low mass ``active'' neutrinos with heavy ones, or by any model with lepton flavor violation, is considered. This leads to non-orthogonal neutrino production and detection states and to modifications of neutrino oscillations in both, vacuum and matter. The possibility of the discovery of such effects in current and future neutrino oscillation experiments is discussed. First order approximation formulas for the flavor transition probabilities in constant density matter, for all experimentally available channels, are given. Numerical calculations of flavor transition probabilities for two sets of New Physics parameters describing a single ``effective'' heavy neutrino state, both satisfying present experimental constraints, have been performed. Two energy ranges and several baselines, assuming both the current ($\pm2\sigma$) and the expected in future ($\pm3%$) errors of the neutrino oscillation parameters are considered, keeping their present central values. It appears that the biggest potential of the discovery of the possible presence of any New Physics is pronounced in oscillation channels in which $\nu_{e}$, $\nu_{\bar{e}}$ are not involved at all, especially for two baselines, $L=3000 km$ and $L=7500 km$, which for other reasons are also called ``magic'' for future $Neutrino Factory$ experiments.