Can R-parity violating supersymmetry be seen in long baseline beta-beam experiments?

Abstract

Long baseline oscillation experiments may well emerge as test beds for neutrino interactions as are present in R-parity violating supersymmetry. We show that flavour diagonal (FDNC) and flavour changing (FCNC) neutral currents arising therefrom prominently impact a neutrino β-beam experiment with the source at CERN and the detector at the proposed India-based Neutrino Observatory. These interactions may preclude any improvement of the present limit on θ₁₃ and cloud the hierarchy determination unless the upper bounds on R/ couplings, particularly λ', become significantly tighter. If R/ interactions are independently established then from the event rate a lower bound on θ₁₃ may be set. We show that there is scope to see a clear signal of non-standard FCNC and FDNC interactions, particularly in the inverted hierarchy scenario and also sometimes for the normal hierarchy. In favourable cases, it may be possible to set lower and upper bounds on λ' couplings. FCNC and FDNC interactions due to λ type R/ couplings are unimportant.