Probing neutrino mass hierarchy by comparing the charged-current and neutral-current interaction rates of supernova neutrinos

Journal Article · Fri Jul 22 04:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2016/07/039· OSTI ID:22572121

Lai, Kwang-Chang ^[1]; Lee, Fei-Fan ^[2]; Lee, Feng-Shiuh ^[3]; Lin, Guey-Lin ^[4]; Liu, Tsung-Che ^[4]; Yang, Yi ^[3]

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1. Center for General Education, Chang Gung University,Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan (China)
2. Institute of Physics, National Chiao Tung University,Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan (China)
3. Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University,Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan (China)
4. Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (LeCosPA), National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan (China)

The neutrino mass hierarchy is one of the neutrino fundamental properties yet to be determined. We introduce a method to determine neutrino mass hierarchy by comparing the interaction rate of neutral current (NC) interactions, ν(ν-bar)+p→ν(ν-bar)+p, and inverse beta decays (IBD), ν-bar{sub e}+p→n+e{sup +}, of supernova neutrinos in scintillation detectors. Neutrino flavor conversions inside the supernova are sensitive to neutrino mass hierarchy. Due to Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects, the full swapping of ν-bar{sub e} flux with the ν-bar{sub x} (x=μ, τ) one occurs in the inverted hierarchy, while such a swapping does not occur in the normal hierarchy. As a result, more high energy IBD events occur in the detector for the inverted hierarchy than the high energy IBD events in the normal hierarchy. By comparing IBD interaction rate with the mass hierarchy independent NC interaction rate, one can determine the neutrino mass hierarchy.

• Sponsoring Organization: SCOAP3, CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)
• OSTI ID: 22572121
• Journal Information: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Journal Issue: 07 Vol. 2016; ISSN 1475-7516
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CHARGED CURRENTS
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
ELECTRON NEUTRINOS
FLAVOR MODEL
MUON NEUTRINOS
NEUTRAL CURRENTS
NEUTRAL-CURRENT INTERACTIONS
NEUTRINO-PROTON INTERACTIONS
REST MASS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SUPERNOVAE
TAU NEUTRINOS