First Constraints on General Neutrino Interactions Based on KATRIN Data
The precision measurement of the tritium β-decay spectrum performed by the KATRIN experiment provides a unique way to search for general neutrino interactions (GNIs). All theoretically allowed GNI terms at dimension 6 involving neutrinos are incorporated into a low-energy effective field theory, and can be identified by specific signatures in the measured tritium β spectrum. In this Letter an effective description of the impact of GNIs on the β spectrum is formulated and the first constraints on the effective GNI parameters are derived based on the 4 ×10 6 electrons collected in the second measurement campaign of KATRIN in 2019. In addition, constraints on selected types of interactions are investigated, thereby exploring the potential of KATRIN to search for more specific new physics cases, including a right-handed W boson, a charged Higgs boson, or leptoquarks.