Neutrino masses from dark matter interactions?

Many articles have recently discussed the role of dark matter interactions as the origin of neutrino masses. This hypothesis can be practically tested in view of data from baseline and solar neutrino experiments, such as KamLAND. With Hong-Yi Zhang and Andrew Cheek, two postdocs at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI), we have proceeded in this direction and carefully assessed the hypothesis. We found that current neutrino data strongly disfavors this scenario, especially when accounting for both temporal and spatial modulations of the dark matter field. Our work, recently published in Physical Review Letters, sets new bounds on this class of models and helps sharpen the search for the true origin of neutrino mass.

The preprint has recently received attention from Phys.org, which has covered the article in a popular science blog which is available at https://phys.org/news/2025-07-neutrino-masses-interactions-dark.html. See also the press released by TDLI here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nCmDFHN5hIirzIvGPKIwNg.