Oscillations of high energy neutrinos in matter: Precise formalism and parametric resonance

We present a formalism for precise description of oscillation phenomena in matter at high energies or high densities, V > \Delta m^2/2E, where V is the matter-induced potential of neutrinos. The accuracy of the approximation is determined by the quantity \sin^2 2\theta_m \Delta V/2\pi V, where \theta_m is the mixing angle in matter and \Delta V is a typical change of the potential over the oscillation length (l \sim 2\pi/V). We derive simple and physically transparent formulas for the oscillation probabilities, which are valid for arbitrary matter density profiles. They can be applied to oscillations of high energy (E > 10 GeV) accelerator, atmospheric and cosmic neutrinos in the matter of the Earth, substantially simplifying numerical calculations and providing an insight into the physics of neutrino oscillations in matter. The effect of parametric enhancement of the oscillations of high energy neutrinos is considered. Future high statistics experiments can provide an unambiguous evidence for this effect.Comment: LaTeX, 5 pages, 1 figure. Linestyles in the figure corrected to match their description in the caption; improved discussion of the accuracy of the results; references added. Results and conclusions unchange

Solar Neutrino Data, Neutrino Magnetic Moments and Flavor Mixing

The results of all currently operating solar neutrino experiments are analyzed in the framework of the resonant neutrino spin--flavor precession scenario including the effects of neutrino mixing. Nine different profiles of the solar magnetic field are used in the calculations. It is shown that the available experimental data can be accounted for within the considered scenario. The Ga--Ge data lead to an upper limit on the neutrino mixing angle: \sin 2\theta_0 \aprle 0.25. One can discriminate between small mixing angle (\sin 2\theta_0 \aprle 0.1) and moderate mixing angle solutions by studying the solar $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ flux which is predicted to be sizeable for moderate mixing angles. The expected signals due to $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ in the SNO, Super--Kamiokande and Borexino experiments are calculated and found to be detectable for \sin 2\theta_0 \aprge 0.1.Comment: 16 pages, latex, 5 figures available upon request from Author

Neutrino production coherence and oscillation experiments

Neutrino oscillations are only observable when the neutrino production, propagation and detection coherence conditions are satisfied. In this paper we consider in detail neutrino production coherence, taking \pi\to \mu \nu \ decay as an example. We compare the oscillation probabilities obtained in two different ways: (1) coherent summation of the amplitudes of neutrino production at different points along the trajectory of the parent pion; (2) averaging of the standard oscillation probability over the neutrino production coordinate in the source. We demonstrate that the results of these two different approaches exactly coincide, provided that the parent pion is considered as pointlike and the detection process is perfectly localized. In this case the standard averaging of the oscillation probability over the finite spatial extensions of the neutrino source (and detector) properly takes possible decoherence effects into account. We analyze the reason for this equivalence of the two approaches and demonstrate that for pion wave packets of finite width \sigma_{x\pi} the equivalence is broken. The leading order correction to the oscillation probability due to \sigma_{x\pi}\ne 0 is shown to be \sim [v_g/(v_g-v_\pi)]\sigma_{x\pi}/l_{osc}, where v_g and v_\pi \ are the group velocities of the neutrino and pion wave packets, and l_{osc} is the neutrino oscillation length.Comment: LaTeX, 40 pages, 4 figures. v2: minor typos correcte

On the evolution of an entangled lepton-neutrino pair

The evolution of the entangled muon-neutrino system emerging from charged pion decay is explored both in vacuum and in matter. The study is based on a Weisskopf-Wigner type wave-packet description. Explicit formulae are derived displaying modulation and attenuation of the oscillations due to additional time scales characterising the production process. The case of neutrinos disentangled due to the detection of the muon is also considered

Beta decay and other processes in strong electromagnetic fields

We consider effects of the fields of strong electromagnetic waves on various characteristics of quantum processes. After a qualitative discussion of the effects of external fields on the energy spectra and angular distributions of the final-state particles as well as on the total probabilities of the processes (such as decay rates and total cross sections), we present a simple method of calculating the total probabilities of processes with production of non-relativistic charged particles. Using nuclear beta-decay as an example, we study the weak and strong field limits, as well as the field-induced beta-decay of nuclei stable in the absence of the external fields, both in the tunneling and multi-photon regimes. We also consider the possibility of accelerating forbidden nuclear beta-decays by lifting the forbiddeness due to the interaction of the parent or daughter nuclei with the field of a strong electromagnetic wave. It is shown that for currently attainable electromagnetic fields all effects on total beta-decay rates are unobservably small.Comment: LaTeX, 30 pages, 2 figures. Invited contribution to the special issue of Yadernaya Fizika dedicated to the centennial anniversary of birthday of A.B. Migdal. V2: references adde

Chizhov and Petcov Reply

We have found in [1] new conditions for a total neutrino conversion in the case of neutrino oscillations taking place in a medium, consisting of n = 2 (or 3) alternating layers with constant densities $N_1$ and $N_2$. It is claimed in [4] that our results are particular case of enhancement of neutrino oscillations, which was suggested earlier by other authors and was widely discussed in the literature. We refute these claims, confirming the novelty of our results.Comment: 2 pages, LATEX; concise (essentially 1 page) and somewhat modified version of Ref. SISSA 5/2000/EP (hep-ph/0003110); reply on the ``Comment on New Conditions for a Total Neutrino Conversion in a Medium'', Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 3978; published as ``Chizhov and Petcov Reply'' in Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 397

Floquet theory of neutrino oscillations in the earth

We review the Floquet theory of linear differential equations with periodic coefficients and discuss its applications to neutrino oscillations in matter of periodically varying density. In particular, we consider parametric resonance in neutrino oscillations which can occur in such media, and discuss implications for oscillations of neutrinos traversing the earth and passing through the earth's core.Comment: LaTeX, 28 pages, 8 eps figures. Contribution to the special issue of Yad. Fiz. dedicated to the memory of A.B. Migda

Neutrinos with Mixing in Twisting Magnetic Fields

Transitions in a system of neutrinos with vacuum mixing and magnetic moments, propagating in matter and transverse magnetic field, are considered. It is shown that in the realistic case of magnetic field direction varying along the neutrino path qualitatively new phenomena become possible: permutation of neutrino conversion resonances, appearance of resonances in the neutrino-antineutrino ($\nu_{lL}\leftrightarrow\bar{\nu}_{lR}$) transition channels, neutrino-antineutrino resonant conversion, large amplitude $\nu_{lL}\leftrightarrow\bar{\nu}_{lR}$ oscillations, merging of different resonances (triple resonances). Possible phenomenological implications of these effects are briefly discussed.Comment: LaTeX, 35 pages, 4 figures (not included but available upon request). In memoriam of Ya.A. Smorodinsky. SISSA-170/92/E

A diagrammatic treatment of neutrino oscillations

We present a covariant wave-packet approach to neutrino flavor transitions in vacuum. The approach is based on the technique of macroscopic Feynman diagrams describing the lepton number violating processes of production and absorption of virtual massive neutrinos at the macroscopically separated space-time regions ("source" and "detector"). Accordingly, the flavor transitions are a result of interference of the diagrams with neutrinos of different masses in the intermediate states. The statistically averaged probability of the process is representable as a multidimensional integral of the product of the factors which describe the differential flux density of massless neutrinos from the source, differential cross section of the neutrino interaction with the detector and a dimensionless factor responsible for the flavor transition. The conditions are analyzed under which the last factor can be treated as the flavor transition probability in the usual quantum-mechanical sense.Comment: 27 pages,7 figures, iopart class. Includes minor corrections made in proofs. References update