Neutrino mixing contribution to the cosmological constant

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that neutrino mixing's non-perturbative vacuum structure contributes a non-zero amount to the cosmological constant, offering a novel perspective on dark energy.

Contribution

It introduces a new mechanism linking neutrino mixing to the cosmological constant, distinct from traditional massive field contributions.

Findings

Neutrino mixing induces a non-zero vacuum energy contribution.

The contribution is estimated using a natural quantum field theory cutoff.

This mechanism provides a potential explanation for dark energy.

Abstract

We show that the non-perturbative vacuum structure associated with neutrino mixing leads to a non-zero contribution to the value of the cosmological constant. Such a contribution comes from the specific nature of the mixing phenomenon. Its origin is completely different from the one of the ordinary contribution of a massive spinor field. We estimate this neutrino mixing contribution by using the natural cut--off appearing in the quantum field theory formalism for neutrino mixing and oscillation.