Neutrino oscillations: what is magic about the "magic" baseline?

Abstract

Physics interpretation of the ``magic'' baseline, $L_{magic}$, that can play important role in future oscillation experiments is given. The ``magic'' baseline coincides with the refraction length, $l_0$. The latter, in turn, approximately equals the oscillation length in matter at high energies. Therefore at the baseline $L=l_0$ the oscillation phase is $2\pi$, and consequently, the ``solar'' amplitude of oscillations driven by ${\theta }_{12}$ and $\Delta m_{21}^2$ vanishes. As a result, in the lowest order (i) the interference of amplitudes in the ${\nu }_e-{\nu }_{\mu }$ $({\nu }_{\tau })$ transition probability is absent; (ii) dependence of the probability on the CP-phase, $\delta$, as well as on ${\theta }_{12}$ and $\Delta m_{21}^2$ disappears. Corrections to the equality $L_{magic}=l_0$ are estimated. Effect of changing density is considered and two new magic trajectories are identified for neutrinos that cross the core of the Earth. Other magic baselines associated with zeros of the atmospheric amplitude are discussed.

LaTeX, 12 pages, no figures; discussions of 1-3 mixing corrections and effects in non-uniform medium are substantially expanded; typos corrected

References in corpus (6)

• Neutrino Factories and the "Magic" Baseline
• Optimization of a neutrino factory oscillation experiment
• Earth Matter Effects at Very Long Baselines and the Neutrino Mass Hierarchy
• ${\nu }_{\mu }$ disappearance at the SPL, T2K-I, NO$\nu$A and the Neutrino Factory
• Direct test of the MSW effect by the solar appearance term in beam experiments
• CP, T and CPT violation in future long baseline experiments

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Neutrino Propagation in Matter
• Analytical Approximation of the Neutrino Oscillation Matter Effects at large ${\theta }_{13}$
• Neutrino mass hierarchy and ${\theta }_{13}$ with a magic baseline beta-beam experiment
• Detectors and flux instrumentation for future neutrino facilities
• Optimizing the greenfield Beta-beam
• Unraveling neutrino parameters with a magical beta-beam experiment at INO
• Optimized Two-Baseline Beta-Beam Experiment
• Exceptional Sensitivity to Neutrino Parameters with a Two Baseline Beta-Beam Set-up
• Neutrino amplitude decomposition in matter
• Some aspects of neutrino mixing and oscillations