Sterile Neutrinos in a 6x6 Matrix Approach

TL;DR

This paper explores how sterile neutrinos can be integrated into a 6x6 matrix framework, revealing their potential impact on neutrino oscillations and mixing parameters through a Weyl spinor approach and reduced see-saw mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analytic and numerical approach to incorporate sterile neutrinos into neutrino mixing models using a 6x6 matrix and reduced rank see-saw mechanisms.

Findings

Sterile neutrinos can significantly influence neutrino oscillation patterns.

Large neutrino mixing amplitudes can arise from small intrinsic mixings.

Active-sterile mixing affects the interpretation of neutrino oscillation data.

Abstract

Quark-lepton symmetry invites consideration of the existence of sterile neutrinos. Long ago, we showed that this approach predicts large neutrino mixing amplitudes. Using a Weyl spinor approach, we show, in an analytic example, how this, and pseudo-Dirac pairing, can develop within a reduced rank version of the conventional see-saw mechanism, from small intrinsic mixing strengths. We show by numerical examples that mixing of active and sterile neutrinos can affect the structure of oscillations relevant to extraction of neutrino mixing parameters from neutrino oscillation data.