Simultaneous flavor transformation of neutrinos and antineutrinos with dominant potentials from neutrino-neutrino forward scattering

Journal Article · Sun Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 2006 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.73.0· OSTI ID:20795687

Fuller, George M; Yongzhong, Qian ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0319 (United States)

In astrophysical environments with intense neutrino fluxes, neutrino-neutrino forward scattering contributes both diagonal and off-diagonal potentials to the flavor-basis Hamiltonian that governs neutrino flavor evolution. We examine a special case where adiabatic flavor evolution can produce an off-diagonal potential from neutrino-neutrino forward scattering that dominates over both the corresponding diagonal term and the potential from neutrino-matter forward scattering. In this case, we find a solution that, unlike the ordinary Mikeyhev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein scenario, has both neutrinos and antineutrinos maximally mixed in medium over appreciable ranges of neutrino and antineutrino energy. Employing the measured solar and atmospheric neutrino mass-squared differences, we identify the conditions on neutrino fluxes that are required for this solution to exist deep in the supernova environment, where it could affect the neutrino signal, heavy-element nucleosynthesis, and even the revival of the supernova shock. We speculate on how this solution might or might not be attained in realistic supernova evolution. Though this solution is ephemeral in time and/or space in supernovae, it may signal the onset of subsequent appreciable flavor mixing for both neutrinos and antineutrinos.

• OSTI ID: 20795687
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 73; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANTINEUTRINOS
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
FLAVOR MODEL
HAMILTONIANS
MATHEMATICAL SOLUTIONS
NEUTRINO-NEUTRINO INTERACTIONS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
POTENTIALS
REST MASS
SCATTERING
SUPERNOVAE