Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Quantum mechanics of neutrino detectors determine coherence and phases in oscillation experiments.

Journal Article · · Phys. Lett. B
The apparent symmetry between energy and momentum found in all covariant descriptions of neutrino oscillations is destroyed in the neutrino detector, a quantum mechanical system described by a density matrix diagonal in energy but not in momentum. The off diagonal matrix elements between states of different momenta and the same energy produce the coherence and interference between mass eigenstates having the same energy and different momenta that produce oscillations.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; FOR
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
915724
Report Number(s):
ANL-HEP-PR-03-119
Journal Information:
Phys. Lett. B, Journal Name: Phys. Lett. B Journal Issue: 2006 Vol. 642; ISSN PYLBAJ; ISSN 0370-2693
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

Similar Records

Dynamics of disentanglement, density matrix, and coherence in neutrino oscillations
Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields · OSTI ID:21410017

Neutrino oscillations as a 'which-path' experiment.
Journal Article · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1999 · Phys. Lett. B · OSTI ID:942695

Quantum mechanics of neutrino oscillation
Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States) · OSTI ID:6382878