No Arabic abstract
We study the possibility of determining the octant of the neutrino mixing angle $theta_{23}$, that is, whether $theta_{23}> 45^circ$ or $theta_{23}<45^circ$, in long baseline neutrino experiments. Here we numerically derived the sensitivity limits within which these experiments can determine, by measuring the probability of the $ u_{mu}to u_{e}$ transitions, the octant of $theta_{23}$ with a $5sigma$ certainty. The interference of the CP violation angle $delta$ with these limits, as well as the effects of the baseline length and the run-time ratio of neutrino and antineutrino modes of the beam have been analyzed.
The recent data indicate that the neutrino mixing angle $theta_{23}$ deviates from the maximal-mixing value of 45$^circ$, showing two nearly degenerate solutions, one in the lower octant (LO) ($theta_{23}<45^circ$) and one in the higher octant (HO) ($theta_{23}>45^circ$). We investigate, using numerical simulations, the prospects for determining the octant of $theta_{23}$ in the future long baseline oscillation experiments. We present our results as contour plots on the ($theta_{23}-45^circ$, $delta$)--plane, where $delta$ is the $CP$ phase, showing the true values of $theta_{23}$ for which the octant can be experimentally determined at 3$,sigma$, 2$,sigma$ and 1$,sigma$ confidence level. In particular, we study the impact of the possible nonunitarity of neutrino mixing on the experimental determination of $theta_{23}$ in those experiments.
Present global fits of world neutrino data hint towards non-maximal $theta_{23}$ with two nearly degenerate solutions, one in the lower octant ($theta_{23} <pi/4$), and the other in the higher octant ($theta_{23} >pi/4$). This octant ambiguity of $theta_{23}$ is one of the fundamental issues in the neutrino sector, and its resolution is a crucial goal of next-generation long-baseline (LBL) experiments. In this letter, we address for the first time, the impact of a light eV-scale sterile neutrino towards such a measurement, taking the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) as a case study. In the so-called 3+1 scheme involving three active and one sterile neutrino, the $ u_mu to u_e$ transition probability probed in the LBL experiments acquires a new interference term via active-sterile oscillations. We find that this novel interference term can mimic a swap of the $theta_{23}$ octant, even if one uses the information from both neutrino and antineutrino channels. As a consequence, the sensitivity to the octant of $theta_{23}$ can be completely lost and this may have serious implications in our understanding of neutrinos from both the experimental and theoretical perspectives.
We point out that leptonic weak-basis invariants are an important tool for the study of the properties of lepton flavour models. In particular, we show that appropriately chosen invariants can give a clear indication of whether a particular lepton flavour model favours normal or inverted hierarchy for neutrino masses and what is the octant of $theta_{23}$. These invariants can be evaluated in any conveniently chosen weak-basis and can also be expressed in terms of neutrino masses, charged lepton masses, mixing angles and CP violation phases.
One of the unknown parameters in neutrino oscillations is the octant of the mixing angle theta_{23}. In this paper, we discuss the possibility of determining the octant of theta_{23} in the long baseline experiments T2K and NOvA in conjunction with future atmospheric neutrino detectors, in light of non-zero value of theta_{13} measured by reactor experiments. We consider two detector technologies for atmospheric neutrinos - magnetized iron calorimeter and non-magnetized Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber. We present the octant sensitivity for T2K/NOvA and atmospheric neutrino experiments separately as well as combined. For the long baseline experiments, a precise measurement of theta_{13}, which can exclude degenerate solutions in the wrong octant, increases the sensitivity drastically. For theta_{23} = 39^o and sin^2 2 theta_{13} = 0.1, at least ~2 sigma sensitivity can be achieved by T2K+NOvA for all values of delta_{CP} for both normal and inverted hierarchy. For atmospheric neutrinos, the moderately large value of theta_{13} measured in the reactor experiments is conducive to octant sensitivity because of enhanced matter effects. A magnetized iron detector can give a 2 sigma octant sensitivity for 500 kT yr exposure for theta_{23} = 39^o, delta_{CP} = 0 and normal hierarchy. This increases to 3 sigma for both hierarchies by combining with T2K+NOvA. This is due to a preference of different theta_{23} values at the minimum chi^2 by T2K/NOvA and atmospheric neutrino experiments. A Liquid Argon detector for atmospheric neutrinos with the same exposure can give higher octant sensitivity, due to the interplay of muon and electron contributions and superior resolutions. We obtain a ~3 sigma sensitivity for theta_{23} = 39^o for normal hierarchy. This increases to > ~4 sigma for all values of delta_{CP} if combined with T2K+NOvA. For inverted hierarchy the combined sensitivity is ~3 sigma.
In a recent work by us, we have studied, how CP violation discovery potential can be improved at long baseline neutrino experiments (LBNE/DUNE), by combining with its ND (near detector) and reactor experiments. In this work, we discuss how this study can be further analysed to resolve entanglement of the quadrant of leptonic CPV phase and Octant of atmospheric mixing angle $ theta_{23} $, at LBNEs. The study is done for both NH (Normal hierarchy) and IH (Inverted hierarchy), HO (Higher Octant) and LO (Lower Octant). We show how baryogenesis can enhance the effect of resolving this entanglement, and how possible values of the leptonic CP-violating phase $ delta_{CP} $ can be predicted in this context. With respect to the latest global fit data of neutrino mixing angles, we predict the values of $ delta_{CP} $ for different cases. In this context we present favoured values of $ delta_{CP} $ ($ delta_{CP} $ range at $ geq $ 2$ sigma $ ) constrained by the latest updated BAU range and also confront our predictions of $ delta_{CP} $ with an up-to-date global analysis of neutrino oscillation data. We find that some region of the favoured $ delta_{CP} $ parameter space lies within the best fit values around $ delta_{CP} simeq 1.3pi-1.4 pi $. A detailed analytic and numerical study of baryogenesis through leptogenesis is performed in this framework in a model independent way.