Decaying sterile neutrinos at short baselines

Long-standing anomalous experimental results from short-baseline neutrino experiments have persisted for decades. These results, when interpreted with one or more light sterile neutrinos, are inconsistent with numerous null results experimentally. However, if the sterile neutrino decays en route to the detector, this can mimic <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mrow><a:msub><a:mrow><a:mi>ν</a:mi></a:mrow><a:mrow><a:mi>μ</a:mi></a:mrow></a:msub><a:mo stretchy="false">→</a:mo><a:msub><a:mrow><a:mi>ν</a:mi></a:mrow><a:mrow><a:mi>e</a:mi></a:mrow></a:msub></a:mrow></a:math> oscillation signals while avoiding many of these external constraints. We revisit this solution to the MiniBooNE and LSND puzzles in view of new data from the MicroBooNE experiment at Fermilab. Using MicroBooNE’s liquid-argon time-projection chamber search for an excess of <d:math xmlns:d="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><d:msub><d:mi>ν</d:mi><d:mi>e</d:mi></d:msub></d:math> in the Booster beam, we derive new limits in two models’ parameter spaces of interest; where the sterile neutrino decays (I) via mixing with the active neutrinos, or (II) via higher-dimensional operators. We also provide an updated, comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE neutrino- and antineutrino-beam data, including appearance (<f:math xmlns:f="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><f:msub><f:mi>ν</f:mi><f:mi>e</f:mi></f:msub></f:math>) and disappearance (<h:math xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><h:msub><h:mi>ν</h:mi><h:mi>μ</h:mi></h:msub></h:math>) channels. Despite alleviating the tension with muon neutrino disappearance experiments, we find that the latest MicroBooNE analysis rules out the decaying sterile neutrino solution in a large portion of the parameter space at more than 99% CL. Published by the American Physical Society 2024