Quantifying the tension between cosmological and terrestrial constraints on neutrino masses

Understand

The sensitivity of cosmology to the total neutrino mass scale $\Sigma m_\nu$ is approaching the minimal values required by oscillation data.

• We study quantitatively possible tensions between current and forecasted cosmological and terrestrial neutrino mass limits by applying suitable statistical tests such as Bayesian suspiciousness, parameter goodness-of-fit tests, or a parameter difference test.
• In particular, the tension will depend on whether the normal or the inverted neutrino mass ordering is assumed.
• We argue, that it makes sense to reject inverted ordering from the cosmology/oscillation comparison only if data are consistent with normal ordering.