Effects of triplet Higgs bosons in long baseline neutrino experiments

The triplet scalars (Delta = Delta(++), Delta(+), Delta(0)) utilized in the so-called type-II seesaw model to explain the lightness of neutrinos, would generate nonstandard interactions (NSI) for a neutrino propagating in matter. We investigate the prospects to probe these interactions in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We analyze the upper bounds that the proposed DUNE experiment might set on the nonstandard parameters and numerically derive upper bounds, as a function of the lightest neutrino mass, on the ratio the mass M-Delta of the triplet scalars, and the strength vertical bar lambda(phi)vertical bar of the coupling phi phi Delta of the triplet Delta and conventional Higgs doublet phi. We also discuss the possible misinterpretation of these effects as effects arising from a nonunitarity of the neutrino mixing matrix and compare the results with the bounds that arise from the charged lepton flavor violating processes.Peer reviewe