Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing
Abstract Sterile neutrinos are a compelling candidate for generating neutrino masses and for elucidating the nature of dark matter. Astrophysical X-ray constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter decays, however, largely exclude the active-sterile mixing required to produce simultaneously the correc...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP02(2025)213 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849733425903173632 |
|---|---|
| author | Florian Goertz Maya Hager Giorgio Laverda Javier Rubio |
| author_facet | Florian Goertz Maya Hager Giorgio Laverda Javier Rubio |
| author_sort | Florian Goertz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Sterile neutrinos are a compelling candidate for generating neutrino masses and for elucidating the nature of dark matter. Astrophysical X-ray constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter decays, however, largely exclude the active-sterile mixing required to produce simultaneously the correct left-handed neutrino spectrum and keV-scale right-handed neutrino dark matter within a type-I seesaw framework. In this study, we demonstrate how these X-ray constraints can be circumvented through a time-dependent approach, thereby reviving a broad range of active-sterile mixing scenarios. Our minimal model incorporates two right-handed neutrinos, which form a two-component dark matter candidate, and an auxiliary scalar field that experiences a very late and still ongoing phase transition, leading to the spontaneous breaking of a global U(1) N symmetry. Prior to this phase transition, only the right-handed neutrinos are massive, while the left-handed neutrinos remain massless because of the scalar field’s vanishing expectation value. As the phase transition develops, the growing expectation value of the scalar field increases the active-sterile mixing, thereby opening dark matter decay channels and inducing neutrino masses. The time dependence allows the scenario to be consistent with X-ray constraints as well as current measurements of left-handed neutrino masses. The anticipated level of active-sterile mixing today is within the detection capabilities of the forthcoming TRISTAN (KATRIN) tritium-beta decay project. Additionally, cosmological surveys such as DESI or EUCLID and supernova neutrino observations can test the prediction of massless left-handed neutrinos prior to the phase transition. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5f79a7de00d24d219393f909bfd6b55f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1029-8479 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| spelling | doaj-art-5f79a7de00d24d219393f909bfd6b55f2025-08-20T03:08:02ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792025-02-012025212710.1007/JHEP02(2025)213Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixingFlorian Goertz0Maya Hager1Giorgio Laverda2Javier Rubio3Max-Planck-Institut für KernphysikMax-Planck-Institut für KernphysikCentro de Astrofísica e Gravitação — CENTRA, Departamento de Física, Instituto Superior Técnico — IST, Universidade de Lisboa — ULDepartamento de Física Teórica and Instituto de Física de Partículas y del Cosmos (IPARCOS-UCM), Universidad Complutense de MadridAbstract Sterile neutrinos are a compelling candidate for generating neutrino masses and for elucidating the nature of dark matter. Astrophysical X-ray constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter decays, however, largely exclude the active-sterile mixing required to produce simultaneously the correct left-handed neutrino spectrum and keV-scale right-handed neutrino dark matter within a type-I seesaw framework. In this study, we demonstrate how these X-ray constraints can be circumvented through a time-dependent approach, thereby reviving a broad range of active-sterile mixing scenarios. Our minimal model incorporates two right-handed neutrinos, which form a two-component dark matter candidate, and an auxiliary scalar field that experiences a very late and still ongoing phase transition, leading to the spontaneous breaking of a global U(1) N symmetry. Prior to this phase transition, only the right-handed neutrinos are massive, while the left-handed neutrinos remain massless because of the scalar field’s vanishing expectation value. As the phase transition develops, the growing expectation value of the scalar field increases the active-sterile mixing, thereby opening dark matter decay channels and inducing neutrino masses. The time dependence allows the scenario to be consistent with X-ray constraints as well as current measurements of left-handed neutrino masses. The anticipated level of active-sterile mixing today is within the detection capabilities of the forthcoming TRISTAN (KATRIN) tritium-beta decay project. Additionally, cosmological surveys such as DESI or EUCLID and supernova neutrino observations can test the prediction of massless left-handed neutrinos prior to the phase transition.https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP02(2025)213Cosmology of Theories BSMSterile or Heavy NeutrinosModels for Dark MatterNon-Standard Neutrino Properties |
| spellingShingle | Florian Goertz Maya Hager Giorgio Laverda Javier Rubio Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing Journal of High Energy Physics Cosmology of Theories BSM Sterile or Heavy Neutrinos Models for Dark Matter Non-Standard Neutrino Properties |
| title | Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing |
| title_full | Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing |
| title_fullStr | Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing |
| title_short | Phasing out of darkness: from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time-dependent mixing |
| title_sort | phasing out of darkness from sterile neutrino dark matter to neutrino masses via time dependent mixing |
| topic | Cosmology of Theories BSM Sterile or Heavy Neutrinos Models for Dark Matter Non-Standard Neutrino Properties |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP02(2025)213 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT floriangoertz phasingoutofdarknessfromsterileneutrinodarkmattertoneutrinomassesviatimedependentmixing AT mayahager phasingoutofdarknessfromsterileneutrinodarkmattertoneutrinomassesviatimedependentmixing AT giorgiolaverda phasingoutofdarknessfromsterileneutrinodarkmattertoneutrinomassesviatimedependentmixing AT javierrubio phasingoutofdarknessfromsterileneutrinodarkmattertoneutrinomassesviatimedependentmixing |