Solar neutrinos and 1-3 leptonic mixing

Abstract

Effects of the 1-3 leptonic mixing on the solar neutrino observables are studied and the signatures of nonzero θ₁₃ are identified. For this we have rederived the formula for 3ν-survival probability including all relevant corrections and constructed the isocontours of observables in the sin ²θ₁₂−sin ²θ₁₃ plane. Analysis of the solar neutrino data gives sin ²θ₁₃ = 0.007^+0.080_−0.007 (90% C.L.) for Δm² = 8 × 10⁻⁵  eV². The combination of the ratio CC/NC at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and gallium production rate selects ²θ₁₃ = 0.017 ± 0.026 (1σ). The global fit of all oscillation data leads to zero best value of sin ²θ₁₃. The sensitivity (1σ error) of future solar neutrino studies to sin ²θ₁₃ can be improved down to 0.01–0.02 by precise measurements of the pp-neutrino flux and the CC/NC ratio as well as spectrum distortion at high (E > 4  MeV) energies. Combination of experimental results sensitive to the low and high energy parts of the solar neutrino spectrum resolves the degeneracy of angles θ₁₃ and θ₁₂. Comparison of sin ²θ₁₃ as well as sin ²θ₁₂ measured in the solar neutrinos and in the reactor/accelerator experiments may reveal new effects which cannot be seen otherwise.