Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2009 APS April Meeting
Volume 54, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, May 2–5, 2009; Denver, Colorado
Session Q2: Recent Progress at the Neutrino Frontier |
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Sponsoring Units: DNP DPF Chair: Boris Kayser, Fermilab Room: Plaza D |
Monday, May 4, 2009 10:45AM - 11:21AM |
Q2.00001: Recent Solar Neutrino Results and Future Prospects Invited Speaker: The original solar neutrino problem was solved when measurements were made by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory that revealed that the flux of solar electron neutrinos was lower than the flux of solar neutrinos of all flavors. This demonstrated that neutrino flavor mixing, consistent with matter-enhanced neutrino oscillations, takes place. Though SNO has completed collecting data there is still much that can be learned from solar neutrinos, particularly at lower energies. Recent results from the Borexino experiment are the measured rate of $^{7}$Be solar neutrinos and lower energy $^{8}$B solar neutrinos. The most recent data analysis by SNO has also lowered the threshold for the detection of $^{8}$B solar neutrinos using charged-current reactions of neutrinos on deuterium. Future measurements of the pep and CNO solar neutrinos are a goal of the SNO+ experiment. By looking at lower energy solar neutrinos, precision studies of neutrino oscillations can be continued. The original intent of solar neutrino experiments -- using neutrinos to study solar physics -- will also be revisited by future experiments. Neutrinos will help in understanding the metallicity in the solar core that appears to clash with recent interpretations of solar surface chemical abundances. This talk will present recent solar neutrino results and future prospects. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 4, 2009 11:21AM - 11:57AM |
Q2.00002: Determining the Reach of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Invited Speaker: The rate of neutrinoless double beta decay depends not only on a linear combination of neutrino masses, but also on the structure of the initial and final nuclear states. To determine the sensitivity of an experiment to neutrino physics, one must calculate the matrix element between those states of a nuclear two-body decay operator. In the last few years, theorists have worked to increase the accuracy of these calculations --- and hence to reduce the uncertainty in experimental sensitivity --- in a number of important nuclei. I discuss recent progress and remaining challenges. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 4, 2009 11:57AM - 12:33PM |
Q2.00003: Neutrino Mass and the Origin of Matter Invited Speaker: Discovery of neutrino masses and the possibility that the neutrinos are their own anti-particles has provided a new way to resolve a long standing puzzle of cosmology i.e. why the universe consists only of matter and no anti-matter. In this talk, I explore this connection between neutrino mass and matter-anti-matter asymmetry. At the heart of this approach is the so-called ``seesaw mechanism'' which provides a way to understand why neutrino masses are so much smaller than the masses of other standard model particles by postulating the existence of heavy right handed (RH) neutrinos. The decay of these heavy RH neutrinos in the early universe can provide the seed for the observed matter-anti-matter asymmetry. I discuss possible tests of this idea in upcoming neutrino experiments. Since the masses of the right handed neutrinos are not known, it is quite possible that they are light enough to be produced at the Large Hadron Collider; in this case, they instead of being ``creators'' can be ``destroyers'' of matter-anti-matter asymmetry pointing to other ways for understanding this asymmetry. Their search at LHC can therefore throw light on the moment of matter creation. [Preview Abstract] |
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