Neutrino Oscillations as a Probe of Light Scalar Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper explores how ultra-light scalar dark matter interacting with neutrinos can cause observable periodic variations in neutrino oscillations, providing a novel way to probe dark matter properties.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking light scalar dark matter to neutrino oscillations and constrains the interaction strength using solar neutrino data.

Findings

Dark matter-neutrino coupling is constrained to be very weak.

Periodic variations in neutrino flux are strongly limited by solar neutrino observations.

Current limits surpass those from cosmic microwave background measurements.

Abstract

We consider a class of models involving interactions between ultra-light scalar dark matter and Standard Model neutrinos. Such couplings modify the neutrino mass splittings and mixing angles to include additional components that vary in time periodically with a frequency and amplitude set by the mass and energy density of the dark matter. Null results from recent searches for anomalous periodicities in the solar neutrino flux strongly constrain the dark matter-neutrino coupling to be orders of magnitude below current and projected limits derived from observations of the cosmic microwave background.