Intrinsic Deviation from the Tri-bimaximal Neutrino Mixing in a Class of A_4 Flavor Models

TL;DR

This paper investigates small inherent corrections in A_4 flavor models that slightly deviate the neutrino mixing matrix from the tri-bimaximal pattern, without introducing new CP violation or  angle, and constrains model parameters using experimental data.

Contribution

It highlights the overlooked corrections in A_4 models that cause non-unitary deviations in neutrino mixing, refining previous theoretical predictions.

Findings

Corrections lead to non-unitary deviations from tri-bimaximal mixing.

Such corrections do not generate nonzero  or new CP phases.

Experimental data constrains the model parameters.

Abstract

It is well known that the tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing pattern V_0 can be derived from a class of flavor models with the non-Abelian A_4 symmetry. We point out that small corrections to V_0, which are inherent in the A_4 models and arise from both the charged-lepton and neutrino sectors, have been omitted in the previous works. We show that such corrections may lead the 3 \times 3 neutrino mixing matrix V to a non-unitary deviation from V_0, but they cannot result in a nonzero value of \theta_13 or any new CP-violating phases. Current experimental constraints on the unitarity of V allow us to constrain the model parameters to some extent.