Messy Nuclear Physics To A Greater Extent Than Probable Than Sterile Neutrinos

I was asked close my views concerning the repeatedly reported neutrino anomalies.

The anomalies accept been unopen to from mid 2014 only the recent moving ridge of penetration of this gospel was in all likelihood ignited on Feb twelfth yesteryear the Symmetry Magazine jointly published yesteryear SLAC as well as Fermilab.

Backreaction.




The Daya Bay reactor (which is 35 miles from Hong Kong) has measured some neutrino flux as well as they saw a rather strong, 4-sigma excess of neutrinos unopen to \(5\MeV\). The same bump was previously seen yesteryear Double Chooz (France) as well as RENO (Korea) experiments every bit 3+ sigma excesses inward the same liberate energy range.




I accept virtually no uncertainty that the departure from the model is existent as well as non a statistical fluke. The combination of 4, 3, 3-sigma exceeses is almost half dozen sigma. But I don't run across how this excess straightaway supports a bold hypothesis close the 4th neutrino flavour – a sterile neutrino is normally discussed.

Don't teach me wrong. It would hold upwardly cool if a novel neutrino species were constitute as well as a sterile neutrino would fifty-fifty hold upwardly "somewhat qualitatively different" from the neutrinos nosotros know. But a wishful thinking is non valid evidence.

I discovery it much to a greater extent than probable that the theoretical prediction is neglecting some of import effect – peradventure some interference of neutrinos resulting from unlike points of a nucleus. This may demeanour on both the production of neutrinos – they're neutrinos coming from some various messy reactions inward a nuclear reactor – every bit good every bit the detection side – all 3 experiments purpose an isotope of gadolinium as well as a liquid scintillator to discovery the ghostly particles.

The neglected interference effect looks peculiarly sensible to me because the Daya Bay experiment also sees a deficit of the neutrino flux inward the balance of the interval betwixt \(1\MeV\) as well as \(7\MeV\). So what is added inward \(4-6\MeV\) is subtracted inward the intervals \(1-4\MeV\) as well as \(6-7\MeV\).

Maybe nosotros volition run across inward the future.

If in that place were novel neutrinos species, it would accept of import technical consequences for the model edifice inward particle physics. But I would for certain disagree alongside a Nobel prize for some departure from a messy nuclear model. These models are complicated as well as non peculiarly good tested as well as such deviations are saltation to occur.