Common origin of superluminal neutrinos and DAMA annual modulation

TL;DR

This paper proposes an environmental explanation linking superluminal neutrino observations and DAMA's annual modulation, predicting a correlated annual variation in neutrino speed detectable at Gran Sasso.

Contribution

It introduces a novel environmental mechanism that accounts for both phenomena without violating Lorentz symmetry, and predicts observable annual modulation in neutrino speed.

Findings

OPERA will observe annual modulation in neutrino speed

The effect is localized to Gran Sasso and not observable elsewhere

Implications for CRESST experiment at Gran Sasso

Abstract

We suggest that the recently observed superluminal neutrino propagation observed by OPERA may have an environmental origin that can simultaneously explain the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation. Our proposal can be unambiguously tested by the prediction that OPERA will also observe an annual modulation in the speed of neutrinos. Experiments geographically distant from Gran Sasso will however not be able to observe these effects. We do not rely upon any violation of Lorentz symmetry except for spontaneous breaking of translational invariance. We discuss implications for the CRESST experiment, also located at Gran Sasso.