Kavli Affiliate: Gordan Krnjaic
| First 5 Authors: Claudia Cornella, David Curtin, Gordan Krnjaic, Micah Mellors,
| Summary:
The Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism offers an elegant explanation for the
observed masses and mixings of Standard Model fermions. In this work, we
systematically study FN models in the lepton sector, identifying a broad range
of charge assignments ("textures") that naturally yield viable masses and
mixings for various neutrino mass generation mechanisms. Using these textures,
we consider higher-dimensional operators consistent with a FN origin and find
that natural realizations predict distinct patterns in lepton flavor- and
number-violating observables. For Dirac and Majorana neutrinos, FN-related
correlations can lead to detectable rates of charged lepton flavor violation at
next-generation low-energy experiments. Majorana and type-I seesaw models
predict measurable rates of neutrinoless double beta decay. Determination of
inverted neutrino mass ordering would exclude the Dirac neutrino FN scenario.
Only a small minority of purely leptonic FN models predict detectable flavor
violation at future muon colliders, though it is possible that a combined
analysis with the quark sector will reveal motivated signals. These findings
highlight the power of the FN mechanism to link neutrino mass generation to
testable leptonic observables, offering new pathways for the experimental
exploration of lepton number and underscoring the importance of next-generation
low-energy probes.
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