Probing Planck scale effects on absolute mass limit in neutrino flavor evolution

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum gravity-inspired modifications to the uncertainty principle could influence neutrino flavor oscillations, potentially observable in current experiments and simulatable in laboratory analogs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model incorporating the generalized uncertainty principle into neutrino oscillations and employs PT-symmetric quantum mechanics to analyze non-Hermitian effects.

Findings

Modified oscillation probabilities depend on neutrino mass square roots.

Predicted effects may be detectable in existing neutrino experiments.

Analog quantum simulations could test these quantum gravity effects.

Abstract

This work explores how the generalized uncertainty principle, a theoretical modification of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle inspired by quantum gravity, affects neutrino flavor oscillations. By extending the standard two-flavor neutrino model, we show that the oscillation probability acquires an additional phase term that depends on the {square roots of the individual neutrino masses}, introducing new features beyond the conventional mass-squared differences. To account for the non-Hermitian nature of the resulting dynamics, we employ parity-time ($PT$) symmetric quantum mechanics, which allows for consistent descriptions of systems with {balanced gain and loss mechanisms}. We analyze the feasibility of observing these effects in current and future neutrino experiments, such as DUNE, JUNO, IceCube, ORCA--KM3NeT, MINOS, Daya Bay, Hyper-Kamiokande, and KATRIN, and find that the predicted modifications could fall within the sensitivity of current experiments. Moreover, we propose that analog quantum simulation platforms, such as cold atoms, trapped ions, and photonic systems, offer a promising route to test these predictions under controlled conditions. Our findings suggest that neutrino oscillations may serve as an effective probe of quantum gravity effects, providing a novel connection between fundamental theory and experimental observables.