Speaker
Dr
Vedran Brdar
(MPIK Heidelberg)
Description
We address the 5 MeV event excess in the measured antineutrino
spectrum from nuclear reactors in a beyond the Standard model
framework, a challenge which has not been met to date. We employ
nonstandard neutrino interactions with baryons that can induce the
reaction $^{13}$C$(\overline{\nu}, \overline{\nu}^\prime n)^{12} \text{C}^{*}$
in organic scintillator detectors. The de-excitation of $^{12}\text{C}^{*}$
yields a prompt $4.4$ MeV photon, while the thermalization of the
product neutron causes proton recoils, which in turn yield an
additional prompt energy contribution with finite width such that this
process can mimic neutrinos at around 5 MeV energy. We find that the
minimal viable model that could induce this reaction involves a
sterile neutrino charged under an Abelian symmetry group. Such sterile
neutrinos can simultaneously explain the discrepancy between the
measured and predicted antineutrino fluxes at short-baseline reactor
experiments.
| Session and Location | Wednesday Session, Poster Wall #150 (Hölderlin-Room) |
|---|---|
| Poster included in proceedings: | yes |
Primary authors
Dr
Jeffrey M. Berryman
(Virginia Tech)
Prof.
Patrick Huber
(Virginia Tech)
Dr
Vedran Brdar
(MPIK Heidelberg)
