Future of the electron neutrino mass limits

In summary, the conversation highlights the various experiments and measurements being conducted to determine the mass of electron neutrinos. The experiments target different combinations of the masses of neutrino mass eigenstates, and the exact combination depends on the type of experiment. Neutrino telescopes like IceCube are only sensitive to high-energy neutrinos, where the masses are negligible. The upper bound of the electron neutrino mass has been calculated to be 0.086 eV, but this is not the same as the mass of the electron neutrino. The author of the paper mentioned does not claim to calculate the mass of the electron neutrino, and in fact, the words "electron neutrino" do not appear. It is important to note that the effective
  • #1
exponent137
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TL;DR Summary
Upper bound of the electron neutrino mass was calculated, 0,086 eV. https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.02578 This team also plans to calculate the lower bound of the electron neutrino mass. It is interesting what is the future of these calculations and measurements.
In five years also experiment KATRIN will give either the upper bound of electron neutrino mass (0,2 eV) or even the mass of the electron neutrino. https://www.katrin.kit.edu/

My question is, what we can expect from the astronomical and non-astronomical measurements to improve these data? I suppose that measurements of gravitational waves will give new data, LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, LISA? I suppose that James Webb telescope will give new data, useful for neutrino mass? Then, IceCube neutrino observatory is useful? There are also neutrino oscillations measurements, as NOvA and Hyper-Kamiokande.

Which measurements are the most promising and which are less promising, according to neutrinos rest masses?
 
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There is no such thing as the "mass of an electron neutrino". The electron neutrino is not a mass eigenstate. Instead what these experiments measure is an effective neutrino mass, which is a particular combination of the masses of the neutrino mass eigenstates. The exact combination depends on the type of experiment performed. For example, cosmology is typically sensitive to the sum of neutrino masses, whereas beta decay experiments target a particular combination involving the lepton mixing matrix. Neutrino oscillations are only sensitive to the mass squared differences, not to the masses themselves. Neutrinoless double beta decay experiments target yet another combination of the masses.

Neutrino telescopes such as IceCube are sensitive mainly to high-energy neutrinos, where the masses are negligible for kinematical purposes.

Edit: grammar
 
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Likes jim mcnamara and exponent137
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exponent137 said:
\Upper bound of the electron neutrino mass was calculated, 0,086 eV. https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.02578

You are misrepresenting what they wrote. Orodruin is right, there is no such thing as the "mass of an electron neutrino". Furthermore, the author of that paper never claim that is what they are calculating, and indeed, the words "electron neutrino" don't even appear.
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
You are misrepresenting what they wrote. Orodruin is right, there is no such thing as the "mass of an electron neutrino". Furthermore, the author of that paper never claim that is what they are calculating, and indeed, the words "electron neutrino" don't even appear.
As I look now, does ##m^\nu_0## mean either ##m^\nu_1## or ##m^\nu_3##, dependent on normal hierarchy (NH) or inverted hierarchy (IH)?
 
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Itr is defined on page 2, line 8.

You simply have to put more effort. I don't think it's PF's job to read the paper for you.
 
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Thread closed.
 
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1. What is the current understanding of the electron neutrino's mass?

The current understanding is that the electron neutrino is a massless particle. This is based on experimental evidence and theoretical predictions from the Standard Model of particle physics.

2. Why is it important to study the mass of the electron neutrino?

The mass of the electron neutrino is important because it can provide insight into the fundamental properties of the neutrino and the nature of the universe. It also has implications for cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics theories.

3. What are the current limits on the electron neutrino's mass?

The current limits on the electron neutrino's mass come from a variety of experiments, including cosmological observations, beta decay experiments, and neutrino oscillation experiments. These limits range from less than 1 eV to less than 0.1 eV, depending on the method used.

4. How are scientists trying to improve the precision of the electron neutrino mass limits?

Scientists are using a combination of experimental techniques and theoretical calculations to improve the precision of the electron neutrino mass limits. These include new experiments, such as the KATRIN experiment, and advancements in theoretical models and data analysis techniques.

5. What are the potential implications if the electron neutrino is found to have a non-zero mass?

If the electron neutrino is found to have a non-zero mass, it could challenge the current understanding of the Standard Model and require new theories to explain its properties. It could also have implications for the evolution and structure of the universe and the behavior of other particles, such as dark matter.

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