Prospects for Measurement of the Neutrino Mass Hierarchy

Understand

The unknown neutrino mass hierarchy -- whether the $\nu_3$ mass eigenstate is the heaviest or the lightest -- represents a major gap in our knowledge of neutrino properties.

• Determining the hierarchy is a critical step toward further precision measurements in the neutrino sector.
• The hierarchy is also central to interpreting the next generation of neutrinoless double beta decay results, plays a role in numerous cosmological and astrophysical questions, and serves as a powerful model discriminant for theories of neutrino mass generation and unification.
• Various current and planned experiments claim sensitivity for establishing the neutrino mass hierarchy.