Can lepton flavor violating interactions explain the atmospheric neutrino problem?

Damien M. Pierce; Sven Bergmann; Yuval Grossman

RECORD

Can lepton flavor violating interactions explain the atmospheric neutrino problem?

Sven Bergmann, Yuval Grossman, Damien M. Pierce

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Submitted 15 Sep 1999

abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review

The authors' main claim We conclude that the FCNI solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem is ruled out.

how it is stated · asserted 1.00 read the record →

Comment (0) Read on arXiv ↗

Cite ▾

arXiv IDhep-ph/9909390 (version 1)

Pith IDFF2HLCU4, Pith's permanent record of this paper and its review

CitationDamien M. Pierce, Sven Bergmann, Yuval Grossman. "Can lepton flavor violating interactions explain the atmospheric neutrino problem?." arXiv:hep-ph/9909390 (1999). https://pith.science/paper/FF2HLCU4

Claim paper

The compiled record

The paper's own sentences, arranged. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.

Open the compiled record

Compiled by classifier-1.13-20260917 via OpenRouter, question bank abstract-p1-20260923, 2026-09-23: 1 request, 4,370 input tokens, $0.0002 reported.

What the abstract itself states, as probabilities: claims first 0.02 · states limitation 0.28 · human participants 0.02 · controlled comparison 0.06 · randomized assignment 0.01 · states quantitative result 0.08 · compares with prior results 0.22 · mentions code or data availability 0.01.

The abstract, sentence by sentence

arXiv listing abstract v1. Results and the main claim are underlined; show every role.

We investigate whether flavor changing neutrino interactions (FCNIs) can be sufficiently large to provide a viable solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem. Effective operators induced by heavy boson exchange that allow for flavor changing neutrino scattering off quarks or electrons are related by an $SU(2)_L$ rotation to operators that induce anomalous tau decays. Since $SU(2)_L$ violation is small for New Physics at or above the weak scale, one can use the upper bounds on lepton flavor violating tau decays or on lepton universality violation to put severe, model-independent bounds on the relevant non-standard neutrino interactions. Also $Z$-induced flavor changing neutral currents, due to heavy singlet neutrinos, are too small to be relevant for the atmospheric neutrino anomaly. We conclude that the FCNI solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem is ruled out.

background contribution method result interpretation main claim

What the classifier reports for each sentence. The number is the probability it gave the label.
#	sentence	role	the authors' own work	states the main conclusion	strength
s0	We investigate whether flavor changing neutrino interactions (FCNIs) can be sufficiently large to provide a viable solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem.	contribution 0.95	0.78	0.03	hedged possibility 0.61
s1	Effective operators induced by heavy boson exchange that allow for flavor changing neutrino scattering off quarks or electrons are related by an $SU(2)_L$ rotation to operators that induce anomalous tau decays.	method 0.57	0.26	0.02	asserted 1.00
s2	Since $SU(2)_L$ violation is small for New Physics at or above the weak scale, one can use the upper bounds on lepton flavor violating tau decays or on lepton universality violation to put severe, model-independent bounds on the relevant non-standard neutrino interactions.	method 0.73	0.23	0.04	asserted 0.80
s3	Also $Z$-induced flavor changing neutral currents, due to heavy singlet neutrinos, are too small to be relevant for the atmospheric neutrino anomaly.	result 1.00	0.61	0.03	asserted 1.00
s4	We conclude that the FCNI solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem is ruled out.	result 0.79	0.84	0.98	asserted 1.00

What kind of paper the classifier reports this is: theoretical result 0.98 · evidence from argument 0.73.

What was examined, and what was not

sources read

arXiv listing abstract v1

not examined

full text
figures and tables
references and citing sentences
relations to other papers

levels run

P abstract

not run

S sections
T body sentences
C citations
R cross-paper relations

Every quoted sentence on this record is the authors'. Every label is from Pith's closed vocabulary, with the probability shown beside it. Every number in the measurements table is the authors', checked by code. Record as JSON

The paper

Original abstract

We investigate whether flavor changing neutrino interactions (FCNIs) can be sufficiently large to provide a viable solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem. Effective operators induced by heavy boson exchange that allow for flavor changing neutrino scattering off quarks or electrons are related by an $SU(2)_L$ rotation to operators that induce anomalous tau decays. Since $SU(2)_L$ violation is small for New Physics at or above the weak scale, one can use the upper bounds on lepton flavor violating tau decays or on lepton universality violation to put severe, model-independent bounds on the relevant non-standard neutrino interactions. Also $Z$-induced flavor changing neutral currents, due to heavy singlet neutrinos, are too small to be relevant for the atmospheric neutrino anomaly. We conclude that the FCNI solution to the atmospheric neutrino problem is ruled out.

Human review

How Pith checks papers → · Full audit of this paper →

References

Forward citations

Cited by 10 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

New effects of non-standard self-interactions of neutrinos in a supernova
hep-ph 2017-05 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

Flavor-violating non-standard neutrino self-interactions break flavor lepton number conservation, allowing collective flavor conversions and spectral splits during the supernova neutronization burst in both mass hierarchies.
Probing Nonstandard Standard Model Backgrounds with LHC Monojets
hep-ph 2011-11 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

Monojet plus missing-energy searches at the LHC and Tevatron constrain neutrino-quark nonstandard interactions to the few-percent to few-tenths level, approaching the range favored by solar neutrino data.
Large gauge invariant non-standard neutrino interactions
hep-ph 2008-09 accept novelty 6.0 of 10

Large non-standard neutrino interactions from dimension-eight operators require at least two new mediator fields and specific coupling cancellations to avoid four-charged-lepton constraints.
Non-Standard Neutrino Interactions with Matter from Physics Beyond the Standard Model
hep-ph 2008-07 accept novelty 6.0 of 10

In the studied classes of new physics, non-standard neutrino interactions with matter are bounded to be at most O(10^-2), and they always come with non-standard interactions at the neutrino source or detector.
Non-standard neutrino interactions in reactor and superbeam experiments
hep-ph 2007-08 accept novelty 6.0 of 10

Approximate analytic formulas plus GLoBES simulations show that non-standard neutrino interactions can bias or fake theta-13 measurements in reactor and superbeam experiments, and that combining the two can reveal the effect.

Show 5 more citing papers

From DUNE Sensitivities to UV Models: Implications of Flavour Constraints
hep-ph 2026-06 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

Simple weakly-coupled BSM models cannot produce a DUNE-visible e-tau semileptonic NSI: flavour constraints cap C_lq,1311 at about 1e-2 TeV^-2, nearly an order below DUNE's reach.
Non-standard Neutrino Interactions at DUNE
hep-ph 2015-11 accept novelty 5.0 of 10

Simulated DUNE data would exclude non-standard neutrino-matter couplings larger than roughly 0.1 times the Fermi constant, and would measure them if present, though a sterile neutrino could often mimic the same effect.
Present and Future Bounds on Non-Standard Neutrino Interactions
hep-ph 2003-02 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

Current and projected experimental bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions are catalogued, showing that near-detector measurements at a neutrino factory would be more sensitive than far-detector oscillations for ...
Neutrino Anomalies and Tensions: Experimental Status and Theoretical Interpretations
hep-ph 2026-10 accept novelty 2.0 of 10

A comprehensive review of neutrino oscillation anomalies and the theoretical interpretations that attempt to explain them, concluding that three-flavor oscillations remain the leading description.
Light Sterile Neutrinos: A White Paper
hep-ph 2012-04 accept novelty 2.0 of 10

Three neutrino anomalies are each consistent with an eV-scale sterile neutrino but sit in 2-3 sigma tension with disappearance data, so the paper argues for a dedicated new short-baseline program rather than a discove...

How the literature uses it

16 arXiv papers cite this in 20 sentences

Each citing sentence is taken from the citing paper's LaTeX source and typed by Pith's classifier. A label appears at probability 0.8 or more (0.95 for support), a contest at 0.7 or more; the quoted words are the citing authors'. How each label was checked · JSON

Papers whose main result relates to this one's

Found among the papers closest to this one by title and main claim. Pith's classifier compared each pair's main results and a second model family confirmed the relation; checked against two further families, shown conflicts agreed 118 times in 120 and shown same results 218 times in 239. The quoted sentence is the other paper's main claim.

States a conflicting result 1 paper

Our results show that the FC mechanism can describe the full data sample with a chi^2_{min}=44/(33 d.o.f) which is acceptable at the 90% confidence level.

On the Interpretation of the Atmospheric Neutrino Data in Terms of Flavor Changing Neutrino Interactions · 0.98

Papers citing it · 11 sentences without a confident label

Compares with it 1 paper

While the COHERENT constraints are weaker than those, we note that direct comparison with the other bounds from branching ratios and kinematics is not always straightforward, because those often involve charged leptons in contrast to neutrinos [ref] .

CP-Violating and Charged Current Neutrino Non-standard Interactions in CE$\nu$NS · Constraints on CC NSI parameters from COHERENT data · 0.89

Cites it as background 8 papers

In the BSM scenarios NSI can arise when the heavier messenger fields are integrated out which can generate the dimension-6 [ref] and dimension-8 [ref] effective operators.

Non-Standard Neutrino Interactions in a Modified $\nu$2HDM · Introduction · 0.89
From the low energy point of view, when these fields are integrated out NSIs can be generated in the form of dimension-6 [ref] and/or -8 [ref] effective operators (for further details see [ref] ).

Charged Higgs effects in IceCube: PeV events and NSIs · Introduction · 0.83
Analyses discussing the connection between NSI and EFT previously to the definition of the Warsaw basis were presented, for instance, in [ref] while more recent analyses can be found, for instance, in [ref] .

DUNE potential as a New Physics probe · Introduction · 1.00

Discussion

Know something about this paper? Leave a comment, or highlight any passage above to comment on it.