Resolution of puzzles from the LSND, KARMEN, and MiniBooNE experiments
- Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow 117312 (Russian Federation)
This work has attempted to reconcile puzzling neutrino oscillation results from the LSND, KARMEN, and MiniBooNE experiments. We show that the LSND evidence for {nu}{sub {mu}}{yields}{nu}e oscillations, its long-standing disagreement with the results from KARMEN, and the anomalous event excess observed by MiniBooNE in {nu}{sub {mu}} and {nu}{sub {mu}} data could all be explained by the existence of a heavy sterile neutrino ({nu}{sub h}). All these results are found to be consistent with each other, assuming that the {nu}{sub h} is created in {nu}{sub {mu}} neutral-current interactions and decays radiatively into a photon and a light neutrino. Assuming the {nu}{sub h} is produced through mixing with {nu}{sub {mu}}, the combined analysis of the LSND and MiniBooNe excess events suggests that the {nu}{sub h} mass is in the range from 40 to 80 MeV, the mixing strength is |U{sub {mu}h}|{sup 2{approx_equal}}10{sup -3}-10{sup -2}, and the lifetime is {tau}{sub {nu}{sub h}} < or approx. 10{sup -9} s. Surprisingly, this LSND-MiniBooNE parameter window is found to be unconstrained by the results from the most sensitive experiments. We set new limits on |U{sub {mu}h}|{sup 2} for the favorable mass region from the precision measurements of the Michel spectrum by the TWIST experiment. The results obtained provide a strong motivation for a sensitive search for the {nu}{sub h} in a near future K decay or neutrino experiments, which fit well in the existing and planned experimental programs at CERN or FNAL. The question of whether the heavy neutrino is a Dirac or Majorana particle is briefly discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 21503903
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 83, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.015015; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0556-2821
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ACCURACY
ELECTRON NEUTRINOS
LIFETIME
MAJORANA THEORY
MASS
MEV RANGE 10-100
MIXING
MUON NEUTRINOS
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NEUTRINO OSCILLATION
OSCILLATIONS
PARTICLE DECAY
PHOTONS
RESOLUTION
SPECTRA
BOSONS
DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
FERMIONS
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MEV RANGE
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