Effect of Sterile Neutrinos on Degeneracy Resolution Capacities of NOvA and DUNE

Abstract

We investigate the implications ofsterile neutrinos on the physics potential of the proposed experiment DUNE and future runs of NOvA using the latest NOvA results. Using a combined analysis of the disappearance and appearance data, NOvA reported three degenerate best-fit solutions where two are of normal hierarchy (NH) and one inverted hierarchy (IH). These degeneracies are expected to be resolved after an anti-neutrino run of NOvA. But in the presence of sterile neutrino, the degeneracy resolution capacity is reduced due to the new degrees of freedom. We study the chances of resolving parameter degeneracies with future runs of NOvA and DUNE in the light of this degraded degeneracy resolution power.