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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Old neutron stars as a new probe of relic neutrinos and sterile neutrino dark matter

We study the kinetic cooling (heating) of old neutron stars due to coherent scattering with relic neutrinos (sterile neutrino dark matter) via Standard Model neutral-current interactions. We take into account several important physical effects, such as coherent enhancement, gravitational clustering, neutron degeneracy, Pauli blocking and weak potential. We find that the anomalous cooling of neutron stars due to relic neutrino scattering is difficult to observe. However, the anomalous heating of neutron stars due to coherent scattering with keV-scale sterile neutrino dark matter may be observed by current and future telescopes operating in the optical to near-infrared frequency band, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which would probe hitherto unexplored parameter space in the sterile neutrino mass-mixing plane. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The case for mixed dark matter from sterile neutrinos

Sterile neutrinos are SU(2) singlets that mix with active neutrinos via a mass matrix, its diagonalization leads to mass eigenstates that couple via standard model vertices. We study the cosmological production of heavy neutrinos via standard model charged and neutral current vertices under a minimal set of assumptions: i) the mass basis contains a hierarchy of heavy neutrinos , ii) these have very small mixing angles with the active (flavor) neutrinos, iii) standard model particles, including light (active-like) neutrinos are in thermal equilibrium. If kinematically allowed, the same weak interaction processes that produce active-like neutrinos also produce the heavier species. We introduce the quantum kinetic equations that describe their production, freeze out and decay and discuss the various processes that lead to their production in a wide range of temperatures assessing their feasibility as dark matter candidates. The final distribution function at freeze-out is a mixture of the result of the various production processes. We identify processes in which finite temperature collective excitations may lead to the production of the heavy species. As a specific example, we consider the production of heavy neutrinos in the mass range M {sub h} ∼< 140 MeV from pion decay shortly after the QCD crossover including finite temperature corrections to the pion form factors and mass. We consider the different decay channels that allow for the production of heavy neutrinos showing that their frozen distribution functions exhibit effects from ''kinematic entanglement'' and argue for their viability as mixed dark matter candidates. We discuss abundance, phase space density and stability constraints and argue that heavy neutrinos with lifetime τ> 1/ H {sub 0} freeze out of local thermal equilibrium, and conjecture that those with lifetimes τ || 1/ H {sub 0} may undergo cascade decay into lighter DM candidates and/or inject non-LTE neutrinos into the cosmic neutrino background. We provide a comparison with non-resonant production via active-sterile mixing.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Detection of ultra-high-energy neutrinos by IceCube: sterile neutrino scenario

The short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, the excess of radiation from the measurement of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the necessity of the nonbaryonic dark matter candidate, and the depletion of the neutrino flux in IceCube all seem to hint at new physics beyond the standard model. An economical way to address these issues is to invoke the existence of sterile neutrinos. We present simple extensions of the standard model with additionally three sterile neutrinos and discuss the corresponding PMNS like neutrino flavor mixing matrix. The noteworthy features of the sterile neutrino scenario advocated here are that the lightest one is almost degenerate with one of the active neutrinos, the second sterile has mass of order eV, and the heaviest one is in the keV range. In the present scenario, the short-baseline anomaly is explained through Δm 2 ~1eV 2 , the depletion of the muon neutrino flux in IceCube is explained through Δm 2 ~4.0×10 -16 eV 2 , and the dark matter problem is addressed through Δm 2 ~1keV 2 . Our proposed mixing matrix is also compatible with the observed neutrino oscillation data. We show that the high-energy muon and the tau neutrino fluxes from Gamma Ray Bursts can be depleted in IceCube by as much as 38 and 43 %, respectively. These substantial depletions in both muon and tau neutrino fluxes are due to their small but sizable mixing with the sterile neutrinos.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A White Paper on keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter

We present a comprehensive review of keV-scale sterile neutrino Dark Matter, collecting views and insights from all disciplines involved—cosmology, astrophysics, nuclear, and particle physics—in each case viewed from both theoretical and experimental/observational perspectives. After reviewing the role of active neutrinos in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, we focus on sterile neutrinos in the context of the Dark Matter puzzle. Here, we first review the physics motivation for sterile neutrino Dark Matter, based on challenges and tensions in purely cold Dark Matter scenarios. We then round out the discussion by critically summarizing all known constraints on sterile neutrino Dark Matter arising from astrophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical considerations. In this context, we provide a balanced discourse on the possibly positive signal from X-ray observations. Another focus of the paper concerns the construction of particle physics models, aiming to explain how sterile neutrinos of keV-scale masses could arise in concrete settings beyond the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. The paper ends with an extensive review of current and future astrophysical and laboratory searches, highlighting new ideas and their experimental challenges, as well as future perspectives for the discovery of sterile neutrinos.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Sterile neutrinos with secret interactions — lasting friendship with cosmology

Sterile neutrinos with mass ≃1 eV and order 10% mixing with active neutrinos have been proposed as a solution to anomalies in neutrino oscillation data, but are tightly constrained by cosmological limits. It was recently shown that these constraints are avoided if sterile neutrinos couple to a new MeV-scale gauge boson A{sup ′}. However, even this scenario is restricted by structure formation constraints when A{sup ′}-mediated collisional processes lead to efficient active-to-sterile neutrino conversion after neutrinos have decoupled. In view of this, we reevaluate in this paper the viability of sterile neutrinos with such “secret” interactions. We carefully dissect their evolution in the early Universe, including the various production channels and the expected modifications to large scale structure formation. We argue that there are two regions in parameter space — one at very small A{sup ′} coupling, one at relatively large A{sup ′} coupling — where all constraints from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and large scale structure (LSS) data are satisfied. Interestingly, the large A{sup ′} coupling region is precisely the region that was previously shown to have potentially important consequences for the small scale structure of dark matter halos if the A{sup ′} boson couples also to the dark matter in the Universe.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Axion-assisted production of sterile neutrino dark matter

Sterile neutrinos can be generated in the early universe through oscillations with active neutrinos and represent a popular and well-studied candidate for our Universe’s dark matter. Stringent constraints from X-ray and gamma-ray line searches, however, have excluded the simplest of such models. Here in this paper, we propose a novel alternative to the standard scenario in which the mixing angle between the sterile and active neutrinos is a dynamical quantity, induced through interactions with a light axionlike field. As the energy density of the axionlike particles is diluted by Hubble expansion, the degree of mixing is reduced at late times, suppressing the decay rate and easily alleviating any tension with X-ray or gamma-ray constraints. Lastly, we present a simple model which illustrates the phenomenology of this scenario, and also describe a framework in which the QCD axion is responsible for the production of sterile neutrinos in the early universe.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Probing secret interactions of eV-scale sterile neutrinos with the diffuse supernova neutrino background

Sterile neutrinos with mass in the eV-scale and large mixings of order θ 0 ≃ 0.1 could explain some anomalies found in short-baseline neutrino oscillation data. Here, we revisit a neutrino portal scenario in which eV-scale sterile neutrinos have self-interactions via a new gauge vector boson φ. Their production in the early Universe via mixing with active neutrinos can be suppressed by the induced effective potential in the sterile sector. We study how different cosmological observations can constrain this model, in terms of the mass of the new gauge boson, M φ , and its coupling to sterile neutrinos, g s . Next, we explore how to probe part of the allowed parameter space of this particular model with future observations of the diffuse supernova neutrino background by the Hyper-Kamiokande and DUNE detectors. For M φ ~ 5-10 keV and g s ~ 10 -4 -10 -2 , as allowed by cosmological constraints, here we find that interactions of diffuse supernova neutrinos with relic sterile neutrinos on their way to the Earth would result in significant dips in the neutrino spectrum which would produce unique features in the event spectra observed in these detectors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Cosmic microwave background constraints on secret interactions among sterile neutrinos

Secret contact interactions among eV sterile neutrinos, mediated by a massive gauge boson X (with M X &NestedLessLess; M W ), and characterized by a gauge coupling gX, have been proposed as a mean to reconcile cosmological observations and short-baseline laboratory anomalies. We constrain this scenario using the latest Planck data on Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies, and measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). We consistently include the effect of secret interactions on cosmological perturbations, namely the increased density and pressure fluctuations in the neutrino fluid, and still find a severe tension between the secret interaction framework and cosmology. In fact, taking into account neutrino scattering via secret interactions, we derive our own mass bound on sterile neutrinos and find (at 95 % CL) m s < 0.82 eV or m s < 0.29 eV from Planck alone or in combination with BAO, respectively. These limits confirm the discrepancy with the laboratory anomalies. Moreover, we constrain, in the limit of contact interaction, the effective strength G X to be < 2.8 (2.0) × 10 10 G F from Planck (Planck+BAO). This result, together with the mass bound, strongly disfavours the region with M X ~ 0.1 MeV and relatively large coupling g X ~ 10 -1 , previously indicated as a possible solution to the small scale dark matter problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Contributions to the BeEST sterile neutrino search

Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical right-handed leptons that have been postulated as extensions to the Standard Model to help explain the origin of neutrino masses and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. Sterile neutrinos with keV-scale masses are also a promising candidate for dark matter. LLNL and the Colorado School of Mines are developing an experiment to search for sterile neutrinos by measuring the \Beryllium-7 Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (STJs)" (the \BeEST" Experiment). When 7 Be implanted into STJ radiation detectors decays by electron capture, the neutrino escapes and the energy of the recoiling 7 Li nucleus can be measured with high accuracy. Using conservation of energy and momentum, the mass of the emitted neutrino can then be found. Sterile keV neutrinos would generate additional peaks in the spectrum, and the experiment uses high-resolution STJs to observe such a potential signal. During my internship, I contributed to different aspects of the BeEST experiment. I designed a UHV setup for X-ray spectroscopy analysis with STJs. It will allow high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of different materials to examine the broadening in the BeEST spectra, the origins of which are unknown but may be related to material effects inside the STJ detectors. The design accounts for the specific demands of the BeEST project, but provides a degree of flexibility that makes it useful for other potential STJ projects. Additionally, to test the accuracy of the electronics and data analysis routine, an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) will be used to generate simulated spectra that contain sterile neutrino signals of a specified mass and admixture. For this I programmed an AWG to output random STJ signals whose amplitudes follow the appropriate user-de ned probability distribution. The AWG signals can be input into the 32-channel preamplifier to simulate any spectrum of interest and test the uniformity of the amplifier chain, as well as the sensitivity of the data analysis.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Cosmological imprints of frozen-in light sterile neutrinos

We investigate observable cosmological aspects of sterile neutrino dark matter produced via the freeze-in mechanism. The study is performed in a framework that admits many cosmologically interesting variations: high temperature production via annihilation processes from higher dimensional operators or low temperature production from decays of a scalar, with the decaying scalar in or out of equilibrium with the thermal bath, in supersymmetric or non-supersymmetric setups, thus allowing us to both extract generic properties and highlight features unique to particular variations. We find that while such sterile neutrinos are generally compatible with all cosmological constraints, interesting scenarios can arise where dark matter is cold, warm, or hot, has nontrivial momentum distributions, or provides contributions to the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom N {sub eff} during Big Bang nucleosynthesis large enough to be probed by future measurements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Active-sterile neutrino oscillations in the early Universe with full collision terms

Sterile neutrinos are thermalised in the early Universe via oscillations with the active neutrinos for certain mixing parameters. The most detailed calculation of this thermalisation process involves the solution of the momentum-dependent quantum kinetic equations, which track the evolution of the neutrino phase space distributions. Until now the collision terms in the quantum kinetic equations have always been approximated using equilibrium distributions, but this approximation has never been checked numerically. In this work we revisit the sterile neutrino thermalisation calculation using the full collision term, and compare the results with various existing approximations in the literature. We find a better agreement than would naively be expected, but also identify some issues with these approximations that have not been appreciated previously. These include an unphysical production of neutrinos via scattering and the importance of redistributing momentum through scattering, as well as details of Pauli blocking. Finally, we devise a new approximation scheme, which improves upon some of the shortcomings of previous schemes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A new type of Neutrino Detector for Sterile Neutrino Search at Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Nonproliferation Applications

Here, we describe a new detector, called NuLat, to study electron anti-neutrinos a few meters from a nuclear reactor, and search for anomalous neutrino oscillations. Such os- cillations could be caused by sterile neutrinos, and might explain the "Reactor Antineu- trino Anomaly". NuLat, is made possible by a natural synergy between the miniTime- Cube and mini-LENS programs described in this paper. It features a "Raghavan Optical Lattice" (ROL) consisting of 3375 boron or 6 Li loaded plastic scintillator cubical cells 6.3 cm (2.500") on a side. Cell boundaries have a 0.127mm (0.005") air gap, resulting in total internal re ection guiding most of the light down the 3 cardinal directions. The ROL detector technology for NuLat gives excellent spatial and energy resolution and al- lows for in-depth event topology studies. These features allow us to discern inverse beta decay (IBD) signals and the putative oscillation pattern, even in the presence of other backgrounds. We discuss here test venues, e ciency, sensitivity and project status.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Teaching sterile neutrinos in an undergrad laboratory: a sterile-neutrino search using data from the MicroBooNE liquid-argon time projection chamber performed in an undergraduate teaching laboratory

Dataset associated with "A sterile-neutrino search using data from the MicroBooNE liquid-argon time projection chamber performed in an undergraduate teaching laboratory" an educational paper to teach data analisys within particle physics for 3-4 yr physics major undergrads. Data format are csv, h5 and pkl

Gramellini, Elena [Manchester U.] (ORCID:000000031↗
DOE OSTI2025

A package for renormalization group running in the SMEFT with sterile neutrinos

Abstract Sterile neutrinos are well-motivated beyond the Standard Model (BSM) particles. The Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) augmented with these new fields is known as the $$\nu $$ ν SMEFT. We present the first code for solving the renormalization group equations (RGEs) of the $$\nu $$ ν SMEFT in an automated way. For this purpose, we have implemented the $$\nu $$ ν SMEFT as a new effective field theory (EFT) in the Wilson coefficient exchange format . Furthermore, we included anomalous dimensions depending on the gauge couplings and Yukawas in the python package . This novel version of allows a consistent inclusion of $$\nu $$ ν SMEFT renormalization group (RG) running effects above the electroweak (EW) scale in phenomenological studies involving sterile neutrinos. Moreover, this new release allows us to study EW, strong, and Yukawa running effects separately within the SMEFT.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

keV sterile neutrino dark matter from singlet scalar decays: basic concepts and subtle features

We perform a detailed and illustrative study of the production of keV sterile neutrino Dark Matter (DM) by decays of singlet scalars in the early Universe. In the current study we focus on providing a clear and general overview of this production mechanism. For the first time we study all regimes possible on the level of momentum distribution functions, which we obtain by solving a system of Boltzmann equations. These quantities contain the full information about the production process, which allows us to not only track the evolution of the DM generation but to also take into account all bounds related to the spectrum, such as constraints from structure formation or from avoiding too much dark radiation. In particular we show that this simple production mechanism can, depending on the regime, lead to strongly non-thermal DM spectra which may even feature more than one peak in the momentum distribution. These cases could have particularly interesting consequences for cosmological structure formation, as their analysis requires more refined tools than the simplistic estimate using the free-streaming horizon. Here we present the mechanism including all concepts and subtleties involved, for now using the assumption that the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom is constant during DM production, which is applicable in a significant fraction of the parameter space. This allows us to derive analytical results to back up our detailed numerical computations, thus leading to the most comprehensive picture of keV sterile neutrino DM production by singlet scalar decays that exists up to now.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing BSM Oscillatory Signals with the DUNE Detectors and the LBNF Neutrino Beam: NSI and Sterile Neutrino Sensitivities

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a flagship long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiment under construction in the U.S. With a 1,300 km distance between its Near Detector (ND) and Far Detector (FD), the world’s most intense LBNF (Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility) neutrino beam, and high-resolution LArTPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) detectors, DUNE will measure the neutrino oscillation parameters with unprecedented precision. In addition to the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the potential discovery of Charge-Parity violation in the leptonic sector, DUNE's capabilities present a unique opportunity for probing Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics signals with neutrinos. Examples of BSM physics manifestations include the presence of Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) of neutrinos with matter, or the existence of sterile neutrinos that mix with 3-Flavor neutrinos. In this study, we present a joint ND+FD fit to simulated data assessing DUNE's sensitivity to probing neutrino NSI, as well as scenarios including sterile neutrino mixing.

Prais, Luiz [Cincinnati U.] (ORCID:000000018224947↗
DOE OSTI2015

Neutrino oscillations and sterile neutrino

We review the status of three-neutrino mixing and the results of global analyses of short-baseline neutrino oscillation data in 3 + 1, 3 + 2 and 3 + 1 + 1 neutrino mixing schemes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗