Perturbativity in the seesaw mechanism

Abstract

We consider the Standard Model extended by right-handed neutrinos to explain massive neutrinos through the seesaw mechanism. The new fermion can be observed when it has a sufficiently small mass and large mixings to left-handed neutrinos. If such a particle is the lightest right-handed neutrino, its contribution to the mass matrix of active neutrinos needs to be canceled by that of a heavier one. Yukawa couplings of the heavier one are then larger than those of the lightest one. We show that the perturbativity condition gives a severe upper bound on the mixing of the lightest right-handed neutrino, depending on the masses of heavier ones. Models of high energy phenomena, such as leptogenesis, can be constrained by low energy experiments.

Comments: v3: 7 pages, published version, v2: 6 pages, references added, v1: 5 pages, 3 figures