Related papers: Laboratory tests for the cosmic neutrino backgroun…
The current experimental status of neutrino physics is reviewed. It contains the evidences for a non-vanishing neutrino rest mass from neutrino oscillation searches. In addition an outlook is given on determining the various mixing matrix…
We investigate numerically how accurately one could constrain the strengths of different short-range contributions to neutrino-less double beta decay in effective field theory. Depending on the outcome of near-future experiments yielding…
We explore the implications of the existence of heavy neutral fermions (i.e., sterile neutrinos) for the thermal history of the early universe. In particular, we consider sterile neutrinos with rest masses in the 100 MeV to 500 MeV range,…
When three Majorana neutrinos describe the solar and atmospheric neutrino data via oscillations, a nonzero measurement of neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay can determine the sum of neutrino masses $\sum m_\nu$ if the solar…
Neutrinoless double beta decay, which is a very old and yet elusive process, is reviewed. Its observation will signal that lepton number is not conserved and the neutrinos are Majorana particles. More importantly it is our best hope for…
Solar neutrinos interact within double-beta decay (\BB) detectors and contribute to backgrounds for \BB\ experiments. Background contributions due to solar neutrino interactions with \BB\ nuclei of $^{82}$Se, $^{100}$Mo, and $^{150}$Nd are…
We derive general constraints on the relic abundances of a long-lived particle which mainly decays into a neutrino (and something else) at cosmological time scales. Such an exotic particle may show up in various particle-physics models…
The discovery of neutrino mass establishes the need for physics beyond the Standard Model. I summarize the status of two- and three-neutrino oscillation parameters from current solar, atmospheric, reactor and accelerator data. Future…
Sterile neutrinos are one of the most promising Warm Dark Matter candidates. By considering their radiative- and pion-decay channels, we derive the allowed contribution of sterile neutrinos to the X-ray, optical and near-infrared cosmic…
The Cosmic Neutrino Background (C$\nu$B) constitutes the last observable prediction of the standard cosmological model, which has yet to be detected directly. In this work, we show how the coherent scattering of neutrinos off dense neutron…
The theoretical and experimental issues relevant to neutrinoless double-beta decay are reviewed. The impact that a direct observation of this exotic process would have on elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and…
We present a calculation of a neutrino decay scenario in the early Universe. The specific decay is \nu_{2} \to \nu_{1} + \phi, where \phi is a boson. If there is a neutrino mass hierarchy, m_{\nu_{e}} < m_{\nu_{\mu}} < m_{\nu_{\tau}}, we…
We review recent developments in double-beta decay, focusing on what can be learned about the three light neutrinos in future experiments. We examine the effects of uncertainties in already measured neutrino parameters and in calculated…
The various mechanisms for neutrinoless double beta decay in gauge theories are reviewed and the present experimental data is used to set limits on physics scenarios beyond the standard model. The positive indications for nonzero neutrino…
The presence of light (m_a ~ 10^-6 ev) scalar fields in the early universe can modify the cosmology of neutrinos considerably by allowing their masses to vary on cosmological times. In this paper, we consider the effect of Planck-suppressed…
Massive neutrinos were the first proposed, and remain the most natural, particle candidate for the dark matter. In the absence of firm laboratory evidence for neutrino mass, considerations of the formation of large scale structure in the…
We investigate in detail the possibility of constraining neutrino decays with data from the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). Two generic decays are considered \nu_H -> \nu_L \phi and \nu_H -> \nu_L \nu_L_bar \nu_L. We have…
Neutrinoless double beta decay experiments constrain one combination of neutrino parameters, while cosmic surveys constrain another. This complementarity opens up an exciting range of possibilities. If neutrinos are Majorana particles, and…
Neutrinoless double beta decay is a very important process both from the particle and nuclear physics point of view. From the elementary particle point of view it pops up in almost every model. giving rise, among others, to the following…
High-energy neutrinos may resonate with relic background neutralinos to form short-lived sneutrinos. In some circumstances, the decay chain that leads back to the lightest supersymmetric particle would yield few-GeV gamma rays or…