Raman stimulated neutrino pair emission

Abstract

A new scheme using macroscopic coherence is proposed from a theoretical point to experimentally determine the neutrino mass matrix, in particular the absolute value of neutrino masses, and the mass type, Majorana or Dirac. The proposed process is a collective, coherent Raman scattering followed by neutrino-pair emission from an excited state $|e\rangle$ of a long lifetime to a lower energy state $|g\rangle$; $γ_0 + | e\rangle \rightarrow γ+ \sum_{ij} ν_i \bar{ν_j} + | g\rangle $ with $ ν_i \bar{ν_j}$ consisting of six massive neutrino-pairs. Calculated angular distribution has six $(ij)$ thresholds of massive neutrino-pair emission which show up as steps at different angles in the distribution. Angular locations of thresholds and event rates of the angular distribution make it possible to experimentally determine the smallest neutrino mass to the level of less than 1 meV (accordingly all three masses using neutrino oscillation data) , the mass ordering pattern , normal or inverted, and to distinguish whether neutrinos are of Majorana or Dirac type. Event rates of neutrino-pair emission, when the mechanism of macroscopic coherence amplification works, may become large enough for realistic experiments by carefully selecting certain types of target atoms or ions doped in crystals. The problem to be overcome is macro-coherently amplified quantum electrodynamic background of the process, $γ_0 + | e\rangle \rightarrow γ+γ_2 + γ_3+ | g\rangle $, when two extra photons, $γ_2\,, γ_3$, escape detection. We illustrate our idea using neutral Xe and trivalent Ho ion doped in dielectric crystals.