Testing the Dark Origin of Neutrino Masses with Oscillation Experiments

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Cosmology
• Astrophysics

Background:

• The origin of neutrino masses is a fundamental unsolved problem in physics.
• Ultralight dark matter, with masses m_{ϕ}≪10 eV, is a potential candidate for explaining neutrino masses through field interactions.
• These interactions can induce spacetime interference effects in neutrino oscillations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the implications of neutrino interactions with ultralight dark matter on neutrino oscillation experiments.
• To constrain the mass range of ultralight dark matter based on experimental data.
• To test the hypothesis of a dark origin for neutrino masses.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing neutrino oscillation data from the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Antineutrino Detector (KamLAND).
• Developing a model-independent approach to assess the impact of dark matter density fluctuations.
• Comparing experimental results with theoretical predictions for different dark matter mass ranges.

Main Results:

• Dark matter density fluctuations suppress oscillatory behavior in flavor-changing probabilities for m_{ϕ}≫10^-14 eV, ruling out this regime.
• KamLAND data disfavors the dark origin of neutrino masses for m_{ϕ}≪10^-14 eV at >4σ.
• The mass range 10^-17 eV≲m_{ϕ}≲10^-14 eV remains testable through time variation searches in oscillation experiments.

Conclusions:

• The hypothesis of ultralight dark matter as the origin of neutrino masses is disfavored within a significant parameter space.
• Experimental constraints from neutrino oscillation data provide crucial insights into the nature of dark matter.
• Future oscillation experiments can further probe the remaining allowed parameter space for ultralight dark matter.