European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields (Aug 2021)

Search for signatures of sterile neutrinos with Double Chooz

  • T. Abrahão,
  • H. Almazan,
  • J. C. dos Anjos,
  • S. Appel,
  • J. C. Barriere,
  • I. Bekman,
  • T. J. C. Bezerra,
  • L. Bezrukov,
  • E. Blucher,
  • T. Brugière,
  • C. Buck,
  • J. Busenitz,
  • A. Cabrera,
  • M. Cerrada,
  • E. Chauveau,
  • P. Chimenti,
  • O. Corpace,
  • J. V. Dawson,
  • Z. Djurcic,
  • A. Etenko,
  • H. Furuta,
  • I. Gil-Botella,
  • A. Givaudan,
  • H. Gomez,
  • L. F. G. Gonzalez,
  • M. C. Goodman,
  • T. Hara,
  • J. Haser,
  • D. Hellwig,
  • L. Heuermann,
  • A. Hourlier,
  • M. Ishitsuka,
  • J. Jochum,
  • C. Jollet,
  • K. Kale,
  • M. Kaneda,
  • M. Karakac,
  • T. Kawasaki,
  • E. Kemp,
  • H. de Kerret,
  • D. Kryn,
  • M. Kuze,
  • T. Lachenmaier,
  • C. E. Lane,
  • T. Lasserre,
  • C. Lastoria,
  • D. Lhuillier,
  • H. P. Lima Jr,
  • M. Lindner,
  • J. M. López-Casta no,
  • J. M. LoSecco,
  • B. Lubsandorzhiev,
  • J. Maeda,
  • C. Mariani,
  • J. Maricic,
  • J. Martino,
  • T. Matsubara,
  • G. Mention,
  • A. Meregaglia,
  • T. Miletic,
  • R. Milincic,
  • A. Minotti,
  • D. Navas-Nicolás,
  • P. Novella,
  • L. Oberauer,
  • M. Obolensky,
  • A. Onillon,
  • A. Oralbaev,
  • C. Palomares,
  • I. M. Pepe,
  • G. Pronost,
  • J. Reichenbacher,
  • B. Reinhold,
  • S. Schönert,
  • S. Schoppmann,
  • L. Scola,
  • R. Sharankova,
  • V. Sibille,
  • V. Sinev,
  • M. Skorokhvatov,
  • P. Soldin,
  • A. Stahl,
  • I. Stancu,
  • L. F. F. Stokes,
  • F. Suekane,
  • S. Sukhotin,
  • T. Sumiyoshi,
  • Y. Sun,
  • C. Veyssiere,
  • B. Viaud,
  • M. Vivier,
  • S. Wagner,
  • C. Wiebusch,
  • G. Yang,
  • F. Yermia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09459-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 81, no. 8
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Abstract We present a search for signatures of neutrino mixing of electron anti-neutrinos with additional hypothetical sterile neutrino flavors using the Double Chooz experiment. The search is based on data from 5 years of operation of Double Chooz, including 2 years in the two-detector configuration. The analysis is based on a profile likelihood, i.e. comparing the data to the model prediction of disappearance in a data-to-data comparison of the two respective detectors. The analysis is optimized for a model of three active and one sterile neutrino. It is sensitive in the typical mass range $${5 \times 10^{-3}}\,\mathrm{eV}^2 \lesssim \varDelta m^2_{41} \lesssim {3 \times 10^{-1}}\,\mathrm{eV}^2 $$ 5 × 10 - 3 eV 2 ≲ Δ m 41 2 ≲ 3 × 10 - 1 eV 2 for mixing angles down to $$\sin ^2 2\theta _{14} \gtrsim {0.02} $$ sin 2 2 θ 14 ≳ 0.02 . No significant disappearance additionally to the conventional disappearance related to $$\theta _{13} $$ θ 13 is observed and correspondingly exclusion bounds on the sterile mixing parameter $$\theta _{14} $$ θ 14 as a function of $$ \varDelta m^2_{41} $$ Δ m 41 2 are obtained.