Coherent Active-Sterile Neutrino Flavor Transformation in the Early Universe

Journal Article · Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.97.141301· OSTI ID:20860904

Kishimoto, Chad T; Fuller, George M; Smith, Christel J ^[1]

---

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

We solve the problem of coherent Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonant active-to-sterile neutrino flavor conversion driven by an initial lepton number in the early Universe. We find incomplete destruction of the lepton number in this process and a sterile neutrino energy distribution with a distinctive cusp and high energy tail. These features imply alteration of the nonzero lepton number primordial nucleosynthesis paradigm when there exist sterile neutrinos with rest masses m{sub s}{approx}1 eV. This could result in better light element probes of (constraints on) these particles.

• OSTI ID: 20860904
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 97, Issue 14; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.141301; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CUSPED GEOMETRIES
ENERGY SPECTRA
EV RANGE 01-10
FLAVOR MODEL
LEPTON NUMBER
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
UNIVERSE