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Register a new userOperatorial characterization of Majorana neutrinos
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Kazuo Fujikawa
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The Majorana neutrino $psi_{M}(x)$ when constructed as a superposition of chiral fermions such as $ u_{L} + Coverline{ u_{L}}^{T}$ is characterized by $ ({cal C}{cal P}) psi_{M}(x)({cal C}{cal P})^{dagger} =igamma^{0}psi_{M}(t,-vec{x})$, and the CP symmetry describes the entire physics contents of Majorana neutrinos. Further specifications of C and P separately could lead to difficulties depending on the choice of C and P. The conventional $ {cal C} psi_{M}(x) {cal C}^{dagger} = psi_{M}(x)$ with well-defined P is naturally defined when one constructs the Majorana neutrino from the Dirac-type fermion. In the seesaw model of Type I or Type I+II where the same number of left- and right-handed chiral fermions appear, it is possible to use the generalized Pauli-Gursey transformation to rewrite the seesaw Lagrangian in terms of Dirac-type fermions only; the conventional C symmetry then works to define Majorana neutrinos. In contrast, the pseudo C-symmetry $ u_{L,R}(x)rightarrow Coverline{ u_{L,R}(x)}^{T}$ (and associated pseudo P-symmetry), that has been often used in both the seesaw model and Weinbergs model to describe Majorana neutrinos, attempts to assign a nontrivial charge conjugation transformation rule to each chiral fermion separately. But this common construction is known to be operatorially ill-defined and, for example, the amplitude of the neutrinoless double beta decay vanishes if the vacuum is assumed to be invariant under the pseudo C-symmetry.
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We discuss a generalization of the Pauli-Gursey transformation, which is motivated by the Autonne-Takagi factorization, to an arbitrary $n$ number of generations of neutrinos using $U(2n)$ that defines general canonical transformations and diagonalizes symmetric complex Majorana mass matrices in special cases. The Pauli-Gursey transformation mixes particles and antiparticles and thus changes the definition of the vacuum and C. We define C, P and CP symmetries at each Pauli frame specified by a generalized Pauli-Gursey transformation. The Majorana neutrinos in the C and P violating seesaw model are then naturally defined by a suitable choice of the Pauli frame, where only Dirac-type fermions appear with well-defined C, P and CP, and thus the C symmetry for Majorana neutrinos agrees with the C symmetry for Dirac-type fermions. This fully symmetric setting corresponds to the idea of Majorana neutrinos as Bogoliubov quasi-particles. In contrast, the conventional direct construction of Majorana neutrinos in the seesaw model, where CP is well-defined but C and P are violated, encounters the mismatch of C symmetry for Majorana neutrinos and C symmetry for chiral fermions; this mismatch is recognized as the inevitable appearance of the singlet (trivial) representation of C symmetry for chiral fermions.
The parity transformation law of the fermion field $psi(x)$ is usually defined by the $gamma^{0}$-parity $psi^{p}(t,-vec{x}) = gamma^{0}psi(t,-vec{x})$ with eigenvalues $pm 1$, while the $igamma^{0}$-parity $psi^{p}(t,-vec{x})=igamma^{0}psi(t,-vec{x})$ is required for the Majorana fermion. The compatibility issues of these two parity laws arise in generic fermion number violating theories where a general class of Majorana fermions appear. In the case of Majorana neutrinos constructed from chiral neutrinos in an extension of the Standard Model, the Majorana neutrinos can be characterized by CP symmetry although C and P are separately broken. It is then shown that either choice of the parity operation, $gamma^{0}$ or $igamma^{0}$, in the level of the starting fermions gives rise to the consistent and physically equivalent descriptions of emergent Majorana neutrinos both for Weinbergs model of neutrinos and for a general class of seesaw models. The mechanism of this equivalence is that the Majorana neutrino constructed from a chiral neutrino, which satisfies the classical Majorana condition $psi(x)=Coverline{psi(x)}^{T}$, allows the phase freedom $psi(x)=e^{ialpha} u_{L}(x) + e^{-ialpha}Coverline{ u_{L}(x)}^{T}$ with $alpha=0 {rm or} pi/4$ that accounts for the phase coming from the different definitions of parity for $ u_{L}(x)$ and ensures the consistent definitions of CP symmetry $({cal CP})psi(x)({cal CP})^{dagger}= pm igamma^{0}psi(t,-vec{x})$.
We revisit the time evolution of the lepton family number for a SU(2) doublet consisting of a neutrino and a charged lepton. The lepton family number is defined through the weak basis of the SU(2) doublet, where the charged lepton mass matrix is real and diagonal. The lepton family number carried by the neutrino is defined by the left-handed current of the neutrino family. For this work we assume the neutrinos have Majorana mass. This Majorana mass term is switched on at time $t=0$ and the lepton family number is evolved. Since the operator in the flavor eigenstate is continuously connected to that of the mass eigenstate, the creation and annihilation operators for the two eigenstates are related to each other. We compute the time evolution of all lepton family numbers by choosing a specific initial flavor eigenstate for a neutrino. The evolution is studied for relativistic and nonrelativistic neutrinos. The nonrelativistic region is of particular interest for the Cosmic Neutrino Background predicted from big bang models. In that region we find the lepton family numbers are sensitive to Majorana and Dirac phases, the absolute mass, and mass hierarchy of neutrinos.
In this paper we reply to the comment presented in [1]. In that work the author raises several points about the geometric phase for neutrinos discussed in [2]. He affirms that the calculation is flawed due to incorrect application of the definition of noncyclic geometric phase and the omission of one term in Wolfenstein effective Hamiltonian. He claims that the results are neither gauge invariant nor lepton field rephasing invariant and presents an alternative calculation, solely in order to demonstrate that the Majorana CP-violating phase enters the geometric phase essentially by lepton field rephasing transformation. Finally he claims that the nontrivial dependence of geometric phase on Majorana CP-violating phase presented in [2] is unphysical and thus unmeasurable. We discuss each of the points raised in [1] and show that they are incorrect. In particular, we introduce geometric invariants which are gauge and reparametrization invariants and show that the omitted term in the Wolfenstein effective Hamiltonian has no effect on them. We prove that the appearance of the Majorana phase cannot be ascribed to a lepton field rephasing transformation and thus the incorrectness of the claim of unphysicality and unmeasurability of the geometric phase. In the end we show that the calculation presented in [1] is inconsistent and based on the erroneous assumption and implementation of the wavefunction collapse. We remark that the geometric invariants defined in the present paper show a difference between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos, since they depend on the CP-violating Majorana phase.
We analize the non-cyclic geometric phase for neutrinos. We find that the geometric phase and the total phase associated to the mixing phenomenon provide a tool to distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos. Our results hold for neutrinos propagating in vacuum and through the matter. Future experiments, based on interferometry, could reveal the nature of neutrinos.
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