Neutrino decay as a possible interpretation to the MiniBooNE observation with unparticle scenario

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether neutrino decay via unparticle interactions can explain the MiniBooNE low-energy excess, concluding that it cannot account for the observed phenomenon despite being a plausible mechanism.

Contribution

The study applies the unparticle scenario to neutrino decay models and evaluates their ability to explain MiniBooNE observations, finding them insufficient.

Findings

Neutrino decay via unparticles produces too few events to explain MiniBooNE excess.

Results align with cosmological constraints on neutrino lifetime.

Other mechanisms are likely responsible for the observed low-energy excess.

Abstract

In a new measurement on neutrino oscillation $\nu_{\mu}\to\nu_e$, the MiniBooNE Collaboration observes an excess of electron-like events at low energy and the phenomenon may demand an explanation which obviously is beyond the oscillation picuture. We propose that heavier neutrino $\nu_2$ decaying into a lighter one $\nu_1$ via the transition process $\nu_{\mu}\to \nu_e+X$ where $X$ denotes any light products, could be a natural mechanism. The theoretical model we employ here is the unparticle scenario established by Georgi. We have studied two particular modes $\nu_\mu\to \nu_e+\Un$ and $\nu_\mu\to \nu_e+\bar\nu_e+\nu_e$. Unfortunately, the number coming out from the computation is too small to explain the observation. Moreover, our results are consistent with the cosmology constraint on the neutrino lifetime and the theoretical estimation made by other groups, therefore we can conclude that even though neutrino decay seems plausible in this case, it indeed cannot be the source of the peak at lower energy observed by the MiniBooNE collaboration and there should be other mechanisms responsible for the phenomenon.