Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay

Heavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs) are a popular extension of the Standard Model to explain the lightness of neutrino masses and the matter-antimatter asymmetry through leptogenesis. Future direct searches, such as fixed target setups like DUNE, and neutrinoless double beta decay are both expected to prob...

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Main Authors: Patrick D. Bolton, Frank F. Deppisch, Mudit Rai, Zhong Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Nuclear Physics B
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0550321324003511
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author Patrick D. Bolton
Frank F. Deppisch
Mudit Rai
Zhong Zhang
author_facet Patrick D. Bolton
Frank F. Deppisch
Mudit Rai
Zhong Zhang
author_sort Patrick D. Bolton
collection DOAJ
description Heavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs) are a popular extension of the Standard Model to explain the lightness of neutrino masses and the matter-antimatter asymmetry through leptogenesis. Future direct searches, such as fixed target setups like DUNE, and neutrinoless double beta decay are both expected to probe the regime of active-sterile neutrino mixing in a standard Seesaw scenario of neutrino mass generation for HNL masses around mN≲1 GeV. Motivated by this, we analyse the complementarity between future direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay to probe the nature of HNLs, i.e., whether they are Majorana or quasi-Dirac states, and CP-violating phases in the sterile neutrino sector. Following an analytic discussion of the complementarity, we implement a generic fixed target experiment modelling DUNE. We perform a statistical study in how a combined search for HNLs in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay, using DUNE and LEGEND-1000 as representative examples, can probe the nature of sterile neutrinos.
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spelling doaj-art-45a1f8ef75904b83bcef6ccaf589b1bd2025-08-20T02:46:47ZengElsevierNuclear Physics B0550-32132025-01-01101011678510.1016/j.nuclphysb.2024.116785Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decayPatrick D. Bolton0Frank F. Deppisch1Mudit Rai2Zhong Zhang3SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies, INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Via Bonomea 265, Trieste, I-34136, Italy; Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, 1000, SloveniaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom; Corresponding author.Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, 15260, USA; Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United KingdomHeavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs) are a popular extension of the Standard Model to explain the lightness of neutrino masses and the matter-antimatter asymmetry through leptogenesis. Future direct searches, such as fixed target setups like DUNE, and neutrinoless double beta decay are both expected to probe the regime of active-sterile neutrino mixing in a standard Seesaw scenario of neutrino mass generation for HNL masses around mN≲1 GeV. Motivated by this, we analyse the complementarity between future direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay to probe the nature of HNLs, i.e., whether they are Majorana or quasi-Dirac states, and CP-violating phases in the sterile neutrino sector. Following an analytic discussion of the complementarity, we implement a generic fixed target experiment modelling DUNE. We perform a statistical study in how a combined search for HNLs in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay, using DUNE and LEGEND-1000 as representative examples, can probe the nature of sterile neutrinos.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0550321324003511
spellingShingle Patrick D. Bolton
Frank F. Deppisch
Mudit Rai
Zhong Zhang
Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
Nuclear Physics B
title Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
title_full Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
title_fullStr Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
title_full_unstemmed Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
title_short Probing the nature of Heavy Neutral Leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
title_sort probing the nature of heavy neutral leptons in direct searches and neutrinoless double beta decay
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0550321324003511
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AT muditrai probingthenatureofheavyneutralleptonsindirectsearchesandneutrinolessdoublebetadecay
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