Neutrino mass ordering obscured by non-standard interactions

Abstract

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$\nu$A and T2K, interpreted in the standard 3-flavor scenario, provide a $\sim 2.4\sigma$ indication 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.

7 pages, 4 figures. Supplemental Material included. Version accepted for publication in PRL