Deviations in Tribimaximal Mixing From Sterile Neutrino Sector

TL;DR

This paper investigates how adding a light sterile neutrino can cause deviations from tribimaximal mixing, leading to a non-zero reactor angle and altered atmospheric mixing, consistent with current neutrino oscillation data.

Contribution

It introduces a model where sterile neutrinos induce specific deviations in tribimaximal mixing, maintaining the second column unchanged, and analyzes its phenomenological implications.

Findings

Sterile neutrino mixing can generate a non-zero θ13.

The model preserves the second column of tribimaximal mixing.

Phenomenological analysis aligns with current neutrino data.

Abstract

We explore the possibility of generating a non-zero $U_{e3}$ element of the neutrino mixing matrix from tribimaximal neutrino mixing by adding a light sterile neutrino to the active neutrinos. Small active-sterile mixing can provide the necessary deviation from tribimaximal mixing to generate a non-zero $\theta_{13}$ and atmospheric mixing $\theta_{23}$ different from maximal. Assuming no CP-violation, we study the phenomenological impact of sterile neutrinos in the context of current neutrino oscillation data. The tribimaximal pattern is broken in such a manner that the second column of tribimaximal mixing remains intact in the neutrino mixing matrix.