The discovery channel at the Neutrino Factory: ${\nu }_{\mu }\to {\nu }_{\tau }$ pointing to sterile neutrinos

Abstract

We study the potential of a Neutrino Factory in constraining the parameter space of a scheme with one sterile neutrino separated from three active ones by an O(1) eV^2, mass-squared difference. We present approximated analytic expressions for the oscillation probabilities, showing that the greatest sensitivity to sterile neutrinos at a Neutrino Factory can be achieved using the ν_μ->ν_μand the ν_μ->ν_τoscillations. We have studied two setups: a Neutrino Factory with 50 GeV (20 GeV) stored muons, with two detectors of the Hybrid-MIND type (a magnetized ECC next to a magnetized iron calorimeter), located at L=3000, 7500 km (L=4000, 7500 km) from the source. Four channels have been used: ν_e -> ν_μ,ν_τ; ν_μ-> ν_μ,ν_τ. The relevant backgrounds, efficiencies and systematic errors have been taken into account, and we have discussed dependence of the sensitivities on the systematic errors. We have found that the 50 GeV (20 GeV) setup can constrain \sin^2 2 θ^{(4fam)}_{13} <= 7x10^{-5} (2x10^{-4}); θ_{34} <= 12 deg (14 deg); and θ_{24}<= 7.5 deg (8 deg). Our results hold for any value of Δm^2_{Sbl} >~ 0.1 eV^2. Eventually we have shown that, if a positive signal is found, the proposed setup is able to measure simultaneously θ_{34} and δ_3 with a precision of few degrees and few tens of degrees, respectively, solving the so-called "intrinsic" and "sign degeneracies". Combination of ν_μdisappearance and of the ν_μ->ν_τchannel, that will be called "the discovery channel", at the two baselines is able to measure at 99% CL a new CP-violating phase δ_3 for \sin^2 2 θ_{34} >= 0.06.

[Revised version] 58 pages, 39 figures, uses elsart.cls. Several modifications were made

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Cited by in corpus (22)

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• Imprints of CP violation induced by sterile neutrinos in T2K data
• MiniBooNE and LSND data: non-standard neutrino interactions in a (3+1) scheme versus (3+2) oscillations
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• Capabilities of long-baseline experiments in the presence of a sterile neutrino
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• Lepton-Jets and Low-Mass Sterile Neutrinos at Hadron Colliders
• Implications of sterile neutrinos for medium/long-baseline neutrino experiments and the determination of ${\theta }_{13}$
• Signatures of a Light Sterile Neutrino in T2HK
• Low-scale seesaw models versus $N_{\mathrm{eff}}$
• Common origin of reactor and sterile neutrino mixing
• Physics Potential of ESS$\nu$SB in the presence of a Light Sterile Neutrino
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