Magneto-Optical Trapping of a Heavy Polyatomic Molecule for Precision Measurement

We report a magneto-optical trap of strontium monohydroxide (SrOH) containing 2000(600) molecules at a temperature of 1.2(3) mK. The lifetime is 91(9) ms, which is limited by decay to optically unaddressed vibrational states. This provides the foundation for future sub-Doppler cooling and optical trapping of SrOH, a polyatomic molecule suited for precision searches for physics beyond the standard model including new CP violating particles and ultralight dark matter. We also identify important features in this system that guide cooling and trapping of complex and heavy polyatomic molecules into the ultracold regime.

Time- and Space-Varying Neutrino Mass Matrix from Soft Topological Defects

We study the formation and evolution of topological defects that arise in the postrecombination phase transition predicted by the gravitational neutrino mass model in Dvali and Funcke [Phys. Rev. D 93, 113002 (2016)PRVDAQ2470-001010.1103/PhysRevD.93.113002]. In the transition, global skyrmions, monopoles, strings, and domain walls form due to the spontaneous breaking of the neutrino flavor symmetry. These defects are unique in their softness and origin; as they appear at a very low energy scale, they only require standard model particle content, and they differ fundamentally depending on the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrinos. One of the observational signatures is the time dependence and space dependence of the neutrino mass matrix, which could be observable in future neutrino experiments. Already existing data rule out parts of the parameter space in the Majorana case. The detection of this effect could shed light onto the open question of the Dirac versus Majorana neutrino nature.

New Opportunities at the Next-Generation Neutrino Experiments (Part 1: BSM Neutrino Physics and Dark Matter

With the advent of a new generation of neutrino experiments which leverage high-intensity neutrino beams for precision neutrino oscillation parameter and for CP violation phase measurements, it is timely to explore physics topics beyond the standard neutrino-related physics. Given that beyond the standard model (BSM) physics phenomena have been mostly sought at high-energy regimes, such as the LHC at CERN, the exploration of BSM physics in neutrino experiments will enable complementary measurements at the energy regimes that balance that of the LHC. This is in concert with new ideas for high-intensity beams for fixed target and beam-dump experiments world-wide. The combination of the high intensity beam facilities and large mass detectors with highly precise track and energy measurements, excellent timing resolution, and low energy thresholds will help make BSM physics reachable even in low energy regimes in accelerator-based experiments and searches for BSM phenomena from cosmogenic origin. Therefore, it is conceivable that BSM topics could be the dominant physics topics in the foreseeable future. In this spirit, this paper provides a review of the current theory landscape theory in neutrino experiments in two selected areas of the BSM topics - dark matter and neutrino related BSM - and summarizes the current results from existing neutrino experiments for benchmark. This paper then provides a review of upcoming neutrino experiments and their capabilities to set the foundation for potential reach in BSM physics in the two themes. One of the most important outcomes of this paper is to ensure theoretical and simulation tools exist to perform studies of these new areas of physics from the first day of the experiments, such as DUNE and Hyper-K. Tasks to accomplish this goal, and the time line for them to be completed and tested to become reliable tools in a timely fashion are also discussed.

Scalar Nonstandard Interactions in Neutrino Oscillation

The scalar nonstandard interactions (NSI) can also introduce matter effect for neutrino oscillation in a medium. Especially the recent Borexino data prefer nonzero scalar NSI, η_{ee}=-0.16. In contrast to the conventional vector NSI, the scalar type contributes as a correction to the neutrino mass matrix rather than the matter potential. Consequently, the scalar matter effect is energy independent while the vector one scales linearly with neutrino energy. This leads to significantly different phenomenological consequences in reactor, solar, atmospheric, and accelerator neutrino oscillations. A synergy of different types of experiments, especially those with matter density variation, is necessary to identify the scalar NSI and guarantee the measurement of CP violation at accelerator experiments.