Evidence for two neutrino mass eigenstates from SN 1987A and the possibility of superluminal neutrinos

Abstract

This paper reports a new phenomenological analysis of the neutrino burst detected from SN 1987 A, and it reveals the presence of two mass eigenstates. The heavier mass eigenstate has $m_H=21.4\pm 1.2eV/c^2$, while the lighter one has $m_L=4.0\pm 0.5eV/c^2$. It is not the first paper to make such a claim, but it expands on a 1988 conditional analysis by Cowsik, and it attempts to make the evidence more robust through an improved statistical analysis, and through providing reasons why alternative explanations are unlikely. It also shows how the result can be made consistent with existing smaller electron neutrino mass limits with the existence of a third tachyonic (superluminal) mass eigenstate.

11 pages, 2 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Measurement of the neutrino velocity with the OPERA detector in the CNGS beam
• Improved analysis of SN1987A antineutrino events
• Some light on "Measurement of the neutrino velocity with the OPERA detector in the CNGS beam"
• Cosmological bounds on tachyonic neutrinos

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Tachyonic neutrinos and the neutrino masses
• From Generalized Dirac Equations to a Candidate for Dark Energy
• Six observations consistent with the electron neutrino being a tachyon with mass: $m_{{\nu }_e}^2=-0.11\pm 0.016e{V}^2$
• Ultrarelativistic Decoupling Transformation for Generalized Dirac Equations
• Lepton-pair Cerenkov radiation emitted by tachyonic neutrinos: Lorentz-covariant approach and IceCube data
• Sterile neutrino fits to dark matter mass profiles in the Milky Way and in galaxy clusters
• Dispersion of Ultra-Relativistic Tardyonic and Tachyonic Wave Packets on Cosmic Scales
• The Mont Blanc neutrinos from SN 1987A: Could they have been monochromatic (8 MeV) tachyons with $m^2=-0.38$ keV${}^2$?
• 3 neutrino mass experiments fit a strange 3 + 3 model, but will KATRIN reveal the model's unique 3-part signature?
• Could a reported 2007 analysis of Super-Kamiokande data have missed a detectable supernova signal from Andromeda?