Limits on muon-neutrino to tau-neutrino oscillations induced by a sterile neutrino state obtained by OPERA at the CNGS beam

Abstract

The OPERA experiment, exposed to the CERN to Gran Sasso $ν_μ$ beam, collected data from 2008 to 2012. Four oscillated $ν_τ$ Charged Current interaction candidates have been detected in appearance mode, which are consistent with $ν_μ\to ν_τ$ oscillations at the atmospheric $Δm^2$ within the "standard" three-neutrino framework. In this paper, the OPERA $ν_τ$ appearance results are used to derive limits on the mixing parameters of a massive sterile neutrino.

11 pages, 4 figures; reference to Planck result updated in the Introduction. Submitted to JHEP