Meter-baseline tests of sterile neutrinos at Daya Bay

TL;DR

This study assesses the potential of a short-baseline experiment at Daya Bay to detect or exclude sterile neutrinos in the eV mass range, promising significant constraints within a year.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a simple, short-baseline setup at Daya Bay can effectively test and distinguish between various sterile neutrino models within a year.

Findings

Can exclude 3+2 and 1+3+1 models at 3σ within a year

Potential to distinguish 3+1 and 3+2 scenarios if a sterile neutrino is lighter than 0.5 eV

Provides a practical experimental approach for sterile neutrino searches

Abstract

We explore the sensitivity of an experiment at the Daya Bay site, with a point radioactive source and a few meter baseline, to neutrino oscillations involving one or more eV mass sterile neutrinos. We find that within a year, the entire 3+2 and 1+3+1 parameter space preferred by global fits can be excluded at the 3\sigma level, and if an oscillation signal is found, the 3+1 and 3+2 scenarios can be distinguished from each other at more than the 3\sigma level provided one of the sterile neutrinos is lighter than 0.5 eV.