Probing Quantum Nonlinearities through Neutrino Oscillations

TL;DR

This paper explores potential quantum nonlinear corrections to neutrino oscillations, analyzing their detectability and implications for future experiments, with some models predicting energy-dependent effective masses.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for testing quantum nonlinearities in neutrino oscillations, considering Lorentz violation and current experimental constraints.

Findings

Certain nonlinearities could be detectable at higher energies.

Models predict an energy-dependent effective mass-squared.

Most nonlinearities are constrained by existing data.

Abstract

We investigate potential quantum nonlinear corrections to Dirac's equation through its sub-leading effect on neutrino oscillation probabilities. Working in the plane-wave approximation and in the $\mu-\tau$ sector, we explore various classes of nonlinearities, with or without an accompanying Lorentz violation. The parameters in our models are first delimited by current experimental data before they are used to estimate corrections to oscillation probabilities. We find that only a small subset of the considered nonlinearities have the potential to be relevant at higher energies and thus possibly detectable in future experiments. A falsifiable prediction of our models is an energy dependent effective mass-squared, generically involving fractional powers of the energy.