Abstract
Solar and KamLAND data are in slight tension when interpreted in the standard two-flavor oscillations framework and this may be alleviated allowing for a nonzero value of the mixing angle . Here we show that, likewise, nonstandard flavor-changing interactions (FCI), possibly intervening in the propagation of solar neutrinos, are equally able to alleviate this tension and therefore constitute a potential source of confusion in the determination of . By performing a full three-flavor analysis of solar and KamLAND data in presence of FCI we provide a quantitative description of the degeneracy existing between and the vectorial coupling characterizing the nonstandard transitions between and in the forward scattering process with -type quarks. We find that couplings with magnitude , compatible with the existing bounds, can mimic the nonzero values of indicated by the latest analyses.
- Received 14 September 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.091301
©2009 American Physical Society