Implications of the first <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>CONUS</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering
Valentina De Romeri, Dimitrios K. Papoulias, G. Sanchez Garcia
Abstract
The <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mrow> <a:mi>CONUS</a:mi> <a:mo>+</a:mo> </a:mrow> </a:math> collaboration has reported their first observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering ( <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <c:mrow> <c:mi>CE</c:mi> <c:mrow> <c:mi>ν</c:mi> </c:mrow> <c:mi>NS</c:mi> </c:mrow> </c:math> ). The experiment uses reactor electron antineutrinos and germanium detectors with recoil thresholds as low as <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mn>160</e:mn> <e:mtext> </e:mtext> <e:mtext> </e:mtext> <e:mrow> <e:msub> <e:mi>eV</e:mi> <e:mi>ee</e:mi> </e:msub> </e:mrow> </e:math> . With an exposure of <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <g:mrow> <g:mn>327</g:mn> <g:mtext> </g:mtext> <g:mtext> </g:mtext> <g:mi>kg</g:mi> <g:mo>×</g:mo> <g:mi mathvariant="normal">d</g:mi> </g:mrow> </g:math> , the measurement was made with a statistical significance of <j:math xmlns:j="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <j:mn>3.7</j:mn> <j:mi>σ</j:mi> </j:math> . We explore several physics implications of this observation, both within the standard model and in the context of new physics. We focus on a determination of the weak mixing angle, nonstandard and generalized neutrino interactions both with heavy and light mediators, neutrino magnetic moments, and the up-scattering of neutrinos into sterile fermions through the sterile dipole portal and new mediators. Our results highlight the role of reactor-based <l:math xmlns:l="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <l:mrow> <l:mi>CE</l:mi> <l:mrow> <l:mi>ν</l:mi> </l:mrow> <l:mi>NS</l:mi> </l:mrow> </l:math> experiments in probing a vast array of neutrino properties and new physics models.