%0 Generic
%A Bischer, Ingolf Franz
%C Heidelberg
%D 2021
%F heidok:30163
%R 10.11588/heidok.00030163
%T Effective Neutrino Interactions: Origins and Phenomenology
%U https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/30163/
%X We investigate neutrino interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics in a model-independent framework.  Considering general gauge- and Lorentz-invariant operators composed of the known fundamental particles and hypothetical sterile neutrinos, we review the effective field theory descriptions of interactions above and below the weak scale with particular emphasis on neutrino interactions. Furthermore, we identify gauge extensions, leptoquarks, as well as charged and neutral scalars as potential origins of such new interactions which are consistent with our current observations and can be tested through their traces in neutrino experiments or the direct production of mediators at particle colliders.  We survey experimental constraints on effective neutrino interactions at energies below the weak scale, including an analysis of the sensitivity of the DUNE and KATRIN experiments towards new interactions in  neutrino-electron  scattering  and  tritium  beta  decay,  respectively.   We  find  that if the new interactions are generated by gauge-invariant operators above the weak scale, which would be expected if they originate from new physics at high energies, neutrino interactions are more strongly constrained.  The reason is that in this case they are accompanied by additional interactions involving charged leptons which are tested to greater precision.  As an additional application of the framework, we show that sterile neutrinos are phenomenologically viable candidates for dark matter when identified as weakly interacting massive particles interacting through effective operators with Standard Model fermions of the third generation.  As we show for three examples, explicit models generating these effective interactions can be distinguished by producing the mediator particles at the Large Hadron Collider.