Sub-GeV Sterile Neutrino as a Probe of Neutrino Mass Generation in the Minimal Left-Right Symmetric Model

Abstract: The minimal left-right symmetric model (mLRSM) provides an elegant and testable framework for addressing the origin of neutrino masses. We examine the constraints on the sub-GeV sterile neutrino in the type-II seesaw scenario of the mLRSM without left-right mixing, taking limits from collider searches, meson decays, supernovae, neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay and cosmology. Specifically, we derive the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay constraints using the advanced effective field theory approach and up-to-date nuclear matrix element calculations. Besides, we update the SN1987A cooling bound with the state-of-the-art simulations, provide new constraints from the energy deposition in the supernova ejecta, and incorporate the stringent sterile neutrino lifetime upper limit $\tau\lesssim 0.023$ s from the big bang nucleosynthesis. Our results identify the parameter region compatible with all current experimental and observational constraints, where the sterile neutrino mass lies between 700 MeV and 1 GeV and the right-handed $W$ boson mass is slightly below 20 TeV. This region is exclusively probed by the future tonne-scale $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay experiments, providing a unique window to test the mLRSM and the possible origin of neutrino masses.