Majorana versus Dirac Constraints on the Neutrino Dipole Moments

TL;DR

This paper compares constraints on neutrino electromagnetic moments assuming neutrinos are either Majorana or Dirac fermions, highlighting differences in bounds and potential for future discoveries based on neutrino nature.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of current bounds on neutrino dipole moments without simplifying assumptions, contrasting Majorana and Dirac neutrino scenarios.

Findings

Dirac neutrinos have weaker upper bounds on dipole moments than Majorana neutrinos.

Next-generation experiments could detect nonzero electromagnetic moments if neutrinos are Dirac.

Majorana neutrinos are constrained by existing solar neutrino data, limiting discovery potential.

Abstract

Massive neutrinos are guaranteed to have nonzero electromagnetic moments and, since there are at least three neutrino species, these dipole moments define a matrix. Here, we estimate the current upper bounds on all independent neutrino electromagnetic moments, concentrating on Earth-bound experiments and measurements with solar neutrinos, including the very recent results reported by XENONnT. We make no simplifying assumptions and compare the hypotheses that neutrinos are Majorana fermions or Dirac fermions. In particular, we fully explore constraints in the Dirac-neutrino parameter space. Majorana and Dirac neutrinos are different; for example, the upper bounds on the magnitudes of the elements of the dipole moment matrix are weaker for Dirac neutrinos, relative to Majorana neutrinos. The potential physics reach of next-generation experiments also depends on the nature of the neutrino. We find that a next-generation experiment two orders of magnitude more sensitive to the neutrino electromagnetic moments via $\nu_{\mu}$ elastic scattering may discover that the neutrino electromagnetic moments are nonzero if the neutrinos are Dirac fermions. Instead, if the neutrinos are Majorana fermions, such a discovery is ruled out by existing solar neutrino data, unless there are more than three light neutrinos.