Neutrino masses in an $$SU(4)\otimes U(1)$$-electroweak model with a scalar decuplet

Abstract

Abstract A neutrino mass model is suggested within an $$SU(4)\otimes U(1)$$SU(4)⊗U(1)-electroweak theory. The smallness of neutrino masses can be guaranteed by a seesaw mechanism realized through Yukawa couplings to a scalar SU(4)-decuplet. In this scheme the light active neutrinos are accompanied by heavy neutrinos, which may have masses at different scales, including those within eV–MeV scales investigated quite intensively in both particle physics and astrophysics/cosmology. The flavour neutrinos are superpositions of light neutrinos and a small fraction of heavy neutrinos with the mixing to be determined by the model’s parameters (Yukawa coupling coefficients or symmetry breaking scales). The distribution shape of the Yukawa couplings can be visualized via a model-independent distribution of the neutrino mass matrix elements derived by using the current experimental data. The absolute values of these Yukawa couplings are able to be determined if the symmetry breaking scales are known, and vice versa. With reference to several current and near future experiments, detectable bounds of these heavy neutrinos at different mass scales are discussed and estimated.