Neutrino Oscillations

A Simplified Overview

Neutrinos, the elusive particles of the universe, exhibit a fascinating quantum phenomenon called neutrino oscillations. These oscillations occur because neutrinos exist in three flavors—electron, muon, and tau—and can change from one flavor to another as they travel through space.

This behavior arises due to the interplay between their flavor and mass states, governed by the principles of quantum mechanics. Neutrino oscillations provide crucial insights into the fundamental properties of neutrinos, such as their masses and mixing angles, and challenge the Standard Model of particle physics, hinting at physics beyond it.

Neutrino oscillations have profound implications for physics, as they confirm that neutrinos have mass, contradicting the original prediction of the Standard Model. This discovery has opened pathways to explore new physics beyond the Standard Model, including the role of neutrinos in the evolution of the universe and the nature of matter-antimatter asymmetry.

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

DUNE

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an ambitious international effort designed to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the universe. Hosted by Fermilab in the United States, DUNE seeks to unlock the secrets of neutrinos—mysterious, nearly massless particles that are key to understanding the structure and evolution of the cosmos. By studying how neutrinos change, or oscillate, as they travel, DUNE aims to explore why the universe is dominated by matter rather than antimatter, shedding light on the mechanisms that shaped the universe after the Big Bang.

At the heart of the experiment is a high-intensity neutrino beam generated at Fermilab and sent 1,300 kilometers through the Earth to a far detector located deep underground in the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota. This immense distance provides the ideal baseline to study neutrino behavior.

Probability Plots

The following plots showcase the oscillation probabilities of muon neutrinos transforming into electron neutrinos, meticulously analyzed under diverse scenarios with and without the inclusion of matter effects. By extending the analysis to both neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, this exploration delves deeper into the nuances of their behavior in various environments, offering insights into the fundamental symmetries and interactions of nature.

Without Matter Effects

With Matter Effects

Neutrino oscillations have revolutionized our understanding of fundamental particle physics, providing compelling evidence for neutrino masses and mixing. These oscillations, as described by the standard three-flavor framework, have been instrumental in probing the properties of neutrinos. However, the possibility of Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) opens a new dimension in neutrino physics, challenging the completeness of the standard paradigm and offering insights into potential new physics beyond the Standard Model

Non-Standard Interactions (NSI)

NSIs are theoretical extensions to the Standard Model that introduce additional interactions between neutrinos and other particles, mediated by unknown heavy fields. These interactions can modify neutrino propagation through matter or alter their production and detection processes.

Theoretical models incorporating NSIs are often inspired by grand unified theories, supersymmetry, or other frameworks proposing new particles and symmetries. NSIs can arise naturally in scenarios involving additional gauge bosons, scalar mediators, or higher-dimensional operators. These extensions aim to address unresolved questions in particle physics, such as the origin of neutrino masses, the matter-antimatter asymmetry, and the nature of dark matter.

In the presence of NSIs, the effective Hamiltonian governing neutrino oscillations gains additional terms.

These terms can lead to significant changes in the oscillation probabilities, particularly in experiments involving neutrino propagation through dense matter, such as those using atmospheric neutrinos or long-baseline setups. NSI effects can manifest as shifts in measured mixing angles, changes in mass-squared differences, or entirely new signatures in experimental data.

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