53625892
Lepton number and lepton flavor violation through color octet states
A bstractWe discuss neutrinoless double beta decay and lepton flavor violating decays such as μ → eγ in the colored seesaw scenario. In this mechanism, neutrino masses are generated at one-loop via the exchange of TeV-scale fermionic and scalar color octets. The same particles mediate lepton number and flavor violating processes. We show that within this framework a dominant color octet contribution to neutrinoless double beta decay is possible without being in conflict with constraints from lepton flavor violating processes. We furthermore compare the “direct” color octet contribution to neutrinoless double beta decay with the “indirect” contribution, namely the usual standard light Majorana neutrino exchange. For degenerate color octet fermionic states both contributions are proportional to the usual effective mass, while for non-degenerate octet fermions this feature is not present. Depending on the model parameters, either of the contributions can be dominant.
13711200
Consistency Test of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay with one Isotope
We discuss a consistency test which makes it possible to discriminate unknown nuclear background lines from neutrinoless double beta decay with only one isotope. By considering both the transition to the ground state and to the first excited 0{sup +} state, a sufficiently large detector can reveal if neutrinoless double beta decay or some other nuclear physics process is at work. Such a detector could therefore simultaneously provide a consistency test for a certain range of Majorana masses and be sensitive to lower values of the effective Majorana mass .
119117884
Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Flavor Symmetries and Consequences in Accelerators and Cosmology (FLASY12)
Although existing theoretical models generally prefer extremely heavy right-handed neutrinos to generate light neutrino masses via the seesaw mechanism, there are several observed phenomena that point to the existence of both keVand eV-scale sterile neutrinos. We present two A4 flavor symmetry models that can accommodate light sterile neutrinos and remain compatible with neutrino data. Higher order seesaw terms and higher-dimensional operators are studied, and the phenomenological implications of light sterile neutrinos on neutrinoless double beta decay are discussed. 1.
118615583
On the quantitative impact of the Schechter-Valle theorem
We evaluate the Schechter-Valle (Black Box) theorem quantitatively by considering the most general Lorentz invariant Lagrangian consisting of point-like operators for neutrinoless double beta decay. It is well known that the Black Box operators induce Majorana neutrino masses at four-loop level. This warrants the statement that an observation of neutrinoless double beta decay guarantees the Majorana nature of neutrinos. We calculate these radiatively generated masses and find that they are many orders of magnitude smaller than the observed neutrino masses and splittings. Thus, some lepton number violating New Physics (which may at tree-level not be related to neutrino masses) may induce Black Box operators which can explain an observed rate of neutrinoless double beta decay. Although these operators guarantee finite Majorana neutrino masses, the smallness of the Black Box contributions implies that other neutrino mass terms (Dirac or Majorana) must exist. If neutrino masses have a significant Majorana contribution then this will become the dominant part of the Black Box operator. However, neutrinos might also be predominantly Dirac particles, while other lepton number violating New Physics dominates neutrinoless double beta decay. Translating an observed rate of neutrinoless double beta decay into neutrino masses would then be completely misleading. Although the principal statement of the Schechter-Valle theorem remains valid, we conclude that the Black Box diagram itself generates radiatively only mass terms which are many orders of magnitude too small to explain neutrino masses. Therefore, other operators must give the leading contributions to neutrino masses, which could be of Dirac or Majorana nature.
121064984
Development of a RICH detector for electron identification in CBM
Abstract The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the future FAIR accelerator at Darmstadt, Germany, will investigate baryonic matter at highest net-baryon densities but moderate temperatures by colliding nuclei at beam energies from 8 to 45  A GeV. One of the key observables are low-mass vector mesons and charmonium decaying into lepton pairs. For electron identification a RICH detector is foreseen. In this contribution detector simulations, feasibility studies and first steps in the detector development are discussed.
122852002
Development of a RICH detector for CBM: simulations and experimental tests
The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt will be a dedicated heavy-ion experiment for the investigation of baryonic matter at highest net-baryon densities. A RICH detector with CO2 as radiator gas is being developed for clean and efficient electron identification which will be necessary for the measurement of some of the key observables of the physics program of CBM. The status of the development of this RICH detector and results on R&D activities concerning self-triggered readout electronics for PMTs, studies on the usage of wavelength-shifting films, as well as the evaluation of glass mirrors from industrial providers will be presented.