Constraints on neutrino non-standard interactions from COHERENT, PandaX-4T and XENONnT

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how recent direct detection experiments constrain neutrino non-standard interactions, highlighting current limitations and potential sensitivities, especially for tau flavor interactions, through combined experimental data and theoretical modeling.

Contribution

It provides the first combined analysis of COHERENT, PandaX-4T, and XENONnT data to constrain neutrino NSIs within an effective field theory framework, emphasizing the importance of experimental sensitivities.

Findings

PandaX-4T and XENONnT have limited current sensitivity due to statistical uncertainties.

Measurements are more sensitive to NSIs affecting the cross section than propagation.

Future measurements could improve constraints, especially for tau flavor NSIs.

Abstract

We investigate constraints on neutrino non-standard interactions (NSIs) in the effective field theory framework, using data from the first measurement of solar $^8$B neutrinos via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) in the PandaX-4T and XENONnT experiments and data from the COHERENT experiment. The impacts of neutrino NSIs on the CE$\nu$NS cross section and the matter effect in the propagation of solar neutrinos are included, while we obtain that the expected number of CE$\nu$NS events is more sensitive to neutrino NSIs appearing in the cross section. Due to relatively large statistical uncertainties, the sensitivities of the PandaX-4T and XENONnT experiments to the neutrino NSIs are currently limited, compared to the COHERENT experiment. Besides, we find that since the central value of the measured CE$\nu$NS counts significantly differs from the Standard Model prediction, the sensitivity of PandaX-4T experiment is even more restricted compared to XENONnT. However, the measurements of PandaX-4T and XENONnT are uniquely sensitive to the neutrino NSIs for the $\tau$ flavor due to oscillation feature of the solar $^8$B neutrinos. We also assess how the experimental central value, exposure, and systematic uncertainties will affect the constraints on neutrino NSIs from various CE$\nu$NS measurements in the future.