Primordial black holes (PBHs) hypothetically generated in the first instants of life of the Universe are potential dark matter (DM) candidates. Focusing on PBHs masses in the range $[5 times10^{14} - 5 times 10^{15}]$g, we point out that the neutrino
s emitted by PBHs evaporation can interact through the coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CE$ u$NS) producing an observable signal in multi-ton DM direct detection experiments. We show that with the high exposures envisaged for the next-generation facilities, it will be possible to set bounds on the fraction of DM composed by PBHs improving the existing neutrino limits obtained with Super-Kamiokande. We also quantify to what extent a signal originating from a small fraction of DM in the form of PBHs would modify the so-called neutrino floor, the well-known barrier towards detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) as the dominant DM component.
We study in detail the impact of a light sterile neutrino in the interpretation of the latest data of the long baseline experiments NO$ u$A and T2K, assessing the robustness/fragility of the estimates of the standard 3-flavor parameters with respect
to the perturbations induced in the 3+1 scheme. We find that all the basic features of the 3-flavor analysis, including the weak indication ($sim$1.4$sigma$) in favor of the inverted neutrino mass ordering, the preference for values of the CP-phase $delta_{13} sim 1.2pi$, and the substantial degeneracy of the two octants of $theta_{23}$, all remain basically unaltered in the 4-flavor scheme. Our analysis also demonstrates that it is possible to attain some constraints on the new CP-phase $delta_{14}$. Finally, we point out that, differently from non-standard neutrino interactions, light sterile neutrinos are not capable to alleviate the tension recently emerged between NO$ u$A and T2K in the appearance channel.
ESS$ u$SB is a proposed neutrino super-beam project at the ESS facility. We study the performance of this setup in the presence of a light eV-scale sterile neutrino, considering 540 km baseline with 2 years (8 years) of $ u$ ($bar u$) run-plan. This
baseline offers the possibility to work around the second oscillation maximum, providing high sensitivity towards CP-violation (CPV). We explore in detail its capability in resolving CPV generated by the standard CP phase $delta_{13}$, the new CP phase $delta_{14}$, and the octant of $theta_{23}$. We find that the sensitivity to CPV induced by $delta_{13}$ deteriorates noticeably when going from $3 u$ to 4$ u$ case. The two phases $delta_{13}$ and $delta_{14}$ can be reconstructed with a 1$sigma$ uncertainty of $sim15^0$ and $ sim35^0$ respectively. Concerning the octant of $theta_{23}$, we find poor sensitivity in both $3 u$ and $4 u$ schemes. Our results show that a setup like ESS$ u$SB working around the second oscillation maximum with a baseline of 540 km, performs quite well to explore CPV in 3$ u$ scheme, but it is not optimal for studying CP properties in 3+1 scheme.
One of the major open questions in particle physics is the issue of the neutrino mass ordering (NMO). The current data of the two long-baseline experiments NO$ u$A and T2K, interpreted in the standard 3-flavor scenario, provide a $sim2.4sigma$ indica
tion in favor of the normal neutrino mass ordering. We show that such an indication is completely washed out if one assumes the existence of neutral-current non-standard interactions (NSI) of the flavor changing type involving the $e-tau$ flavors. This implies that the claim for a discovery of the NMO will require a careful consideration of the impact of hypothetical NSI.
We investigate the performance of T2HK in the presence of a light eV scale sterile neutrino. We study in detail its influence in resolving fundamental issues like mass hierarchy, CP-violation (CPV) induced by the standard CP-phase $delta_{13}$ and ne
w CP-phase $delta_{14}$, and the octant ambiguity of $theta_{23}$. We show for the first time in detail that due to the impressive energy reconstruction capabilities of T2HK, the available spectral information plays an important role to enhance the mass hierarchy discovery reach of this experiment in 3$ u$ framework and also to keep it almost intact even in $4 u$ scheme. This feature is also of the utmost importance in establishing the CPV due to $delta_{14}$. As far as the sensitivity to CPV due to $delta_{13}$ is concerned, it does not change much going from $3 u$ to 4$ u$ case. We also examine the reconstruction capability of the two phases $delta_{13}$ and $delta_{14}$, and find that the typical 1$sigma$ uncertainty on $delta_{13}$ ($delta_{14}$) in T2HK is $sim15^0$ ($30^0$). While determining the octant of $theta_{23}$, we face a complete loss of sensitivity for unfavorable combinations of unknown $delta_{13}$ and $delta_{14}$.
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 $th
eta_{23}$ 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 investigate the implications of one light eV scale sterile neutrino on the physics potential of the proposed long-baseline experiment DUNE. If the future short-baseline experiments confirm the existence of sterile neutrinos, then it can affect the
mass hierarchy (MH) and CP-violation (CPV) searches at DUNE. The MH sensitivity still remains above 5$sigma$ if the three new mixing angles ($theta_{14}, theta_{24}, theta_{34}$) are all close to $theta_{13}$. In contrast, it can decrease to 4$sigma$ if the least constrained mixing angle $theta_{34}$ is close to its upper limit $sim 30^0$. We also assess the sensitivity to the CPV induced both by the standard CP-phase $delta_{13} equiv delta$, and the new CP-phases $delta_{14}$ and $delta_{34}$. In the 3+1 scheme, the discovery potential of CPV induced by $delta_{13}$ gets deteriorated compared to the 3$ u$ case. In particular, the maximal sensitivity (reached around $delta_{13}$ $sim$ $pm$ $90^0$) decreases from $5sigma$ to $4sigma$ if all the three new mixing angles are close to $theta_{13}$. It can further diminish to almost $3sigma$ if $theta_{34}$ is large ($sim 30^0$). The sensitivity to the CPV due to $delta_{14}$ can reach 3$sigma$ for an appreciable fraction of its true values. Interestingly, $theta_{34}$ and its associated phase $delta_{34}$ can influence both the $ u_e$ appearance and $ u_mu$ disappearance channels via matter effects, which in DUNE are pronounced. Hence, DUNE can also probe CPV induced by $delta_{34}$ provided $theta_{34}$ is large. We also reconstruct the two phases $delta_{13}$ and $delta_{14}$. The typical 1$sigma$ uncertainty on $delta_{13}$ ($delta_{14}$) is $sim20^0$ ($30^0$) if $theta_{34} =0$. The reconstruction of $delta_{14}$ (but not that of $delta_{13}$) degrades if $theta_{34}$ is large.
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.
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.
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.
