Self-consistent approach to neutral-current processes in supernova cores
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, D-80805 Muenchen (Germany)
- Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716 (United States)
The problem of neutral-current processes (neutrino scattering, pair emission, pair absorption, axion emission, etc.) in a nuclear medium can be separated into an expression representing the phase space of the weakly interacting probe, and a set of dynamic structure functions of the medium. For a nonrelativistic medium we reduce the description to two structure functions {ital S}{sub {ital A}}({omega}) and {ital S}{sub {ital V}}({omega}) of the energy transfer, representing the axial-vector and vector interactions. {ital S}{sub {ital V}} is well determined by the single-nucleon approximation while {ital S}{sub {ital A}} may be dominated by multiply interacting nucleons. Unless the shape of {ital S}{sub {ital A}}({omega}) changes dramatically at high densities, scattering processes always dominate over pair processes for neutrino transport or the emission of right-handed states. Because the emission of right-handed neutrinos and axions is controlled by the same medium response functions, a consistent constraint on their properties from consideration of supernova cooling should use the same structure functions for both neutrino transport and exotic cooling mechanisms.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-78ER05007
- OSTI ID:
- 112961
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, D, Vol. 52, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: 15 Aug 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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