TY - JOUR

T1 - Fast Pairwise Conversion of Supernova Neutrinos

T2 - A Dispersion-Relation Approach

AU - Izaguirre, Ignacio

AU - Raffelt, Georg

AU - Tamborra, Irene

N1 - 6 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes in the text, references added and discussion of figure 3 extended. Matches published PRL version

PY - 2017/1/10

Y1 - 2017/1/10

N2 - Collective pair conversion $\nu_e\bar\nu_e\leftrightarrow \nu_{x}\bar\nu_{x}$ by forward scattering, where $x=\mu$ or $\tau$, may be generic for supernova neutrino transport. Depending on the local angular intensity of the electron lepton number carried by neutrinos, the conversion rate is "fast," i.e., of the order of $\sqrt{2}G_{\rm{F}}(n_{\nu_e}{-}\,n_{\bar\nu_e})\gg\Delta m^2_{\rm atm}/2E$. We present a novel approach to understand these phenomena: A dispersion relation for the frequency and wave number $(\Omega,\bf{K})$ of disturbances in the mean field of $\nu_e\nu_x$ flavor coherence. Run-away solutions occur in "dispersion gaps," i.e., in "forbidden" intervals of $\Omega$ and/or $\bf{K}$ where propagating plane waves do not exist. We stress that the actual solutions also depend on the initial and/or boundary conditions which need to be further investigated.

AB - Collective pair conversion $\nu_e\bar\nu_e\leftrightarrow \nu_{x}\bar\nu_{x}$ by forward scattering, where $x=\mu$ or $\tau$, may be generic for supernova neutrino transport. Depending on the local angular intensity of the electron lepton number carried by neutrinos, the conversion rate is "fast," i.e., of the order of $\sqrt{2}G_{\rm{F}}(n_{\nu_e}{-}\,n_{\bar\nu_e})\gg\Delta m^2_{\rm atm}/2E$. We present a novel approach to understand these phenomena: A dispersion relation for the frequency and wave number $(\Omega,\bf{K})$ of disturbances in the mean field of $\nu_e\nu_x$ flavor coherence. Run-away solutions occur in "dispersion gaps," i.e., in "forbidden" intervals of $\Omega$ and/or $\bf{K}$ where propagating plane waves do not exist. We stress that the actual solutions also depend on the initial and/or boundary conditions which need to be further investigated.

KW - hep-ph

KW - astro-ph.SR

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.021101

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.021101

M3 - Letter

C2 - 28128630

VL - 118

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

SN - 0031-9007

M1 - 021101

ER -