Search for sterile neutrinos as another research objective of θ₁₃ experiments at reactors

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Searches for mass-3 component in the electron neutrino flavor state θ₁₃ and for sterile neutrinos can be carried out in the same small mixing angle antineutrino oscillation experiment at a reactor. As an example we consider a layout, which involves several movable antineutrino spectrometers, stationed at distances 1700 m - 50 m from a reactor. The experiment can scan neutrino mass parameter interval (0.5-0.001) eV² and have there typical sensitivity to ²2θ at a level of 0.015-0.02. The signature for sterile neutrino is disappearance observed at mass parameter Δm²new different from Δm²atm ≈ 2× 10⁻³ eV². In any case existing constraints both on θ₁₃ and on sterile neutrinos can considerably be improved.