We investigate the impact of light ($sim$ eV) sterile neutrinos in the long-baseline experiment T2K. We show that, within the 3+1 scheme, for mass-mixing parameters suggested by the short-baseline anomalies, the interference among the sterile and the
atmospheric oscillation frequencies induces a new term in the $ u_mu to u_e$ transition probability, which has the same order of magnitude of the standard 3-flavor solar-atmospheric interference term. We show, for the first time, that current T2K data, taken together with the results of the $theta_{13}$-dedicated reactor experiments, are sensitive to two of the three CP-violating phases involved in the 3+1 scheme. Both the standard CP-phase and the new one ($delta_{13} equiv delta$ and $delta_{14}$ in our parameterization choice) tend to have a common best fit value $delta_{13} simeq delta_{14} simeq -pi/2$. Quite intriguingly, the inclusion of sterile neutrino effects leads to better agreement between the two estimates of $theta_{13}$ obtained, respectively, from reactors and T2K, which in the 3-flavor framework are slightly different.
The KamLAND and Borexino experiments have detected electron antineutrinos produced in the decay chains of natural thorium and uranium (Th and U geoneutrinos). We analyze the energy spectra of current geoneutrino data in combination with solar and lon
g-baseline reactor neutrino data, with marginalized three-neutrino oscillation parameters. We consider the case with unconstrained Th and U event rates in KamLAND and Borexino, as well as cases with fewer degrees of freedom, as obtained by successively assuming for both experiments a common Th/U ratio, a common scaling of Th+U event rates, and a chondritic Th/U value. In combination, KamLAND and Borexino can reject the null hypothesis (no geoneutrino signal) at 5 sigma. Interesting bounds or indications emerge on the Th+U geoneutrino rates and on the Th/U ratio, in broad agreement with typical Earth model expectations. Conversely, the results disfavor the hypothesis of a georeactor in the Earths core, if its power exceeds a few TW. The interplay of KamLAND and Borexino geoneutrino data is highlighted.
Solar and KamLAND data are in slight tension when interpreted in the standard two-flavor oscillations framework and this may be alleviated allowing for a non-zero value of the mixing angle theta_13. Here we show that, likewise, non-standard flavor-ch
anging interactions (FCI), possibly intervening in the propagation of solar neutrinos, are equally able to alleviate this tension and therefore constitute a potential source of confusion in the determination of theta_13. By performing a full three-flavor analysis of solar and KamLAND data in presence of FCI we provide a quantitative description of the degeneracy existing between theta_13 and the vectorial coupling eps_etau^dV characterizing the non-standard transitions between nu_e and nu_tau in the forward scattering process with d-type quarks. We find that couplings with magnitude eps_etau^dV ~ 10%, compatible with the existing bounds, can mimic the non-zero values of theta_13 indicated by the latest analyses.
Most neutrino mass extensions of the standard electroweak model entail non-standard interactions which, in the low energy limit, can be parametrized in term of effective four-fermion operators $ u_alpha u_beta bar f f $. Typically of sub-weak streng
th, $epsilon_{alpha beta} G_F$, these are characterized by dimensionless coupling parameters, $epsilon_{alpha beta}$, which may be relatively sizeable in a wide class of schemes. Here we focus on non-universal (NU) flavor conserving couplings ($alpha = beta$) with electrons ($f = e$) and analyse their impact on the phenomenology of solar neutrinos. We consistently take into account their effect both at the level of propagation where they modify the standard MSW behavior, and at the level of detection, where they affect the cross section of neutrino elastic scattering on electrons. We find limits which are comparable to other existing model-independent constraints.
In light of recent findings which seem to disfavor a scenario with (warm) dark matter entirely constituted of sterile neutrinos produced via the Dodelson-Widrow (DW) mechanism, we investigate the constraints attainable for this mechanism by relaxing
the usual hypothesis that the relic neutrino abundance must necessarily account for all of the dark matter. We first study how to reinterpret the limits attainable from X-ray non-detection and Lyman-alpha forest measurements in the case that sterile neutrinos constitute only a fraction fs of the total amount of dark matter. Then, assuming that sterile neutrinos are generated in the early universe solely through the DW mechanism, we show how the X-ray and Lyman-alpha results jointly constrain the mass-mixing parameters governing their production. Furthermore, we show how the same data allow us to set a robust upper limit fs < 0.7 at the 2 sigma level, rejecting the case of dominant dark matter (fs = 1) at the ~ 3 sigma level.
