Neutrino Mass Differences and Nonunitarity of Neutrino Mixing Matrix from Interfering Recoil Ions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that time-modulated weak decays of heavy ions reveal neutrino mass differences and suggest nonunitarity in the neutrino mixing matrix, providing new insights into neutrino properties.

Contribution

It introduces a method to extract neutrino mass differences from decay modulation patterns and indicates potential nonunitarity in the neutrino mixing matrix.

Findings

Measured neutrino mass squared difference: ~22.5×10^{-5} eV^2

Neutrino mixing matrix appears nonunitary by about 10%

Results are compatible with certain KamLAND data regimes

Abstract

We show that the recent observation of the time modulation of two-body weak decays of heavy ions reveals the mass content of the electron neutrinos via interference patterns in the recoiling ion wave function. From the modulation period we derive the difference of the square masses $ \Delta m^2\approx 22.5\times 10^{-5}$ eV${}^2$, which is about 2.8 times larger than that derived from a combined analysis of KamLAND and solar neutrino oscillation experiments. It is, however, compatible with a data regime to which the KamLAND analysis attributes a smaller probability. The experimental results imply that the neutrino mixing matrix violates unitarity by about 10%.