Séminaires

(k)eV sterile neutrinos: the reactor anomaly-that-was to the BeEST

par Leendert Hayen (NCSU)

Europe/Paris
Amphi Besse

Amphi Besse

Description

While the Standard Model is our most successful particle physics theory to date, the non-zero masses of its active neutrinos discovered in oscillation experiments are a clear signature of its deficiencies. With their masses at least 10^5 times smaller than other fermions, however, its underlying mechanism is not at all clear and many candidate theories propose the existence of sterile neutrinos: fermions that couple to their active partners only through oscillation. These are typically good dark matter candidates, and a reanalysis of the antineutrino flux emerging from nuclear reactors in 2011 pointed towards eV-scale sterile neutrino(s) coined the ‘reactor antineutrino anomaly’. Since then, significant progress in experimental yield determinations and nuclear theory have generated a more nuanced picture, and we will discuss ongoing efforts of combining sophisticated yield databases with detailed nuclear structure calculations. Additionally, we will touch upon current keV-scale sterile neutrino searches with superconducting quantum sensors in beta decay.