Neutrino mass variability due to nonminimal coupling to spacetime curvature in neutrinophilic two-Higgs-doublet models

In neutrinophilic two-Higgs-doublet models, neutrinos acquire mass due to a Higgs field with vacuum expectation value of the order of ’ 102 eV, corresponding to a Compton wavelength in the 10 m range. This creates a situation in which nonminimal couplings between Higgs fields and spacetime curvature may lead to novel observable effects. Among these, we discuss the possibility of variable neutrino masses, with implications for the dependence of the neutrino oscillation frequency on the spacetime curvature, a further source of dispersion of the neutrino arrival times from supernovae events, and possibly also a mechanism leading to gravitationally-induced neutrino superluminality. Finally, we propose laboratoryscale experiments in which properly designed electroweak cavities may be used to change neutrino masses, which should be observable through time of flight experiments.