Searching for sterile neutrinos with radioactive levitated nanoparticles

Thomas Penny; Jiaxiang Wang; Yu-Han Tseng; Benjamin Siegel; Cecily Lowe; David Moore; Molly Watts

doi:10.1117/12.3012334

13 March 2024 Searching for sterile neutrinos with radioactive levitated nanoparticles

Thomas Penny, Jiaxiang Wang, Yu-Han Tseng, Benjamin Siegel, Cecily Lowe, David Moore, Molly Watts

Proceedings Volume PC12912, Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology II; PC129121Y (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3012334
Event: SPIE Quantum West, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The repeated measurements of neutrino oscillations over the last few decades confirm that neutrinos have non-zero masses which are not accounted for in the Standard Model. The observed small neturino masses can be explained by introducing a massive right-handed "sterile neutrino" that does not interact through the weak force. One class of experiments searching for sterile neutrinos utilise radioactive decays to generate neutrinos and search for deviations in the recoil energy spectra of the daughter nucleus that would suggest mixing between Standard Model neutrinos and a sterile neutrino. We present a new experiment that is currently being realised that utilises levitated nanoparticles doped with a radioactive isotope to measure the momentum of the recoiling daughter nucleus and reconstruct the momentum of the emitted neutrino. Measuring momentum rather than energy significantly reduces the impact of low or zero mass backgrounds and secondary emissions. This search will improve sensitivity to sterile neutrinos in the mass range 100 keV - 2 MeV compared to previous experiments.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Thomas Penny, Jiaxiang Wang, Yu-Han Tseng, Benjamin Siegel, Cecily Lowe, David Moore, and Molly Watts "Searching for sterile neutrinos with radioactive levitated nanoparticles", Proc. SPIE PC12912, Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology II, PC129121Y (13 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3012334

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available