English

Back to (Mass-)Square(d) One: The Neutrino Mass Ordering in Light of Recent Data

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2021-01-12 v2 High Energy Physics - Experiment

Abstract

We inspect recently updated neutrino oscillation data -- specifically coming from the Tokai to Kamioka and NuMI Off-axis νe\nu_e Appearance experiments -- and how they are analyzed to determine whether the neutrino mass ordering is normal (m1<m2<m3m_1 < m_2 < m_3) or inverted (m3<m1<m2m_3 < m_1 < m_2). We show that, despite previous results giving a strong preference for the normal ordering, with the newest data from T2K and NOvA, this preference has all but vanished. Additionally, we highlight the importance of this result for non-oscillation probes of neutrinos, including neutrinoless double beta decay and cosmology. Future experiments, including JUNO, DUNE, and T2HK will provide valuable information and determine the mass ordering at a high confidence level.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2007.08526,
  title  = {Back to (Mass-)Square(d) One: The Neutrino Mass Ordering in Light of Recent Data},
  author = {Kevin J. Kelly and Pedro A. N. Machado and Stephen J. Parke and Yuber F. Perez-Gonzalez and Renata Zukanovich Funchal},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.08526},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

5 pages, 3 figures + 1 appendix (1 figure). Updated NOvA analysis, matches published version