An SU(3) symmetry for light neutrinos

Abstract

It is proposed that light neutrinos form a triplet in a global SU(3) symmetry in mass eigenstate basis. Assuming that the SU(3)symmetry is broken in the direction (-alambda_{3}+frac{b}/{sqrt{3}}lambda_{8}), and after going to the flavor basis we predict atmospheric mixing angle, sin ^{2}theta_{23}=0.5 and sin theta_{13}=0 if nu_{mu}-nu_{tau} symmetry is assumed. In the flavor basis the diagonal part of matrix coefficient of b (dominant part) is found to transform like (lambda_{3}+frac{1}/{sqrt{3}}lambda_{8}). Imposing the same on matrix coefficient of $a$ fixes solar mixing angle,sin ^{2}theta _{12}=frac{1}{3}. Implications for neutrinoless double beta-decay are discussed.