527 research outputs found
Probing supernova shock waves and neutrino flavor transitions in next-generation water-Cherenkov detectors
Several current projects aim at building a large water-Cherenkov detector,
with a fiducial volume about 20 times larger than in the current
Super-Kamiokande experiment. These projects include the Underground nucleon
decay and Neutrino Observatory (UNO) in the Henderson Mine (Colorado), the
Hyper-Kamiokande (HK) detector in the Tochibora Mine (Japan), and the MEgaton
class PHYSics (MEMPHYS) detector in the Frejus site (Europe). We study the
physics potential of a reference next-generation detector (0.4 Mton of fiducial
mass) in providing information on supernova neutrino flavor transitions with
unprecedented statistics. After discussing the ingredients of our calculations,
we compute neutrino event rates from inverse beta decay (), elastic scattering on electrons, and scattering on oxygen, with emphasis on
their time spectra, which may encode combined information on neutrino
oscillation parameters and on supernova forward (and possibly reverse) shock
waves. In particular, we show that an appropriate ratio of low-to-high energy
events can faithfully monitor the time evolution of the neutrino crossing
probability along the shock-wave profile. We also discuss some background
issues related to the detection of supernova relic neutrinos, with and without
the addition of gadolinium.Comment: Revised version (27 pages, 13 eps figures), to appear in JCAP.
Includes revised numerical estimates and figures. In particular: calculations
of inverse beta decay event rates improved by using the differential cross
section by Vissani and Strumia (astro-ph/0302055); supernova relic neutrino
flux calculations updated by using recent GALEX Mission data
(astro-ph/0411424) on the star formation rate (SFR). References added.
Conclusions unchange
Supernova neutrinos: Strong coupling effects of weak interactions
In core-collapse supernovae, neutrinos and antineutrinos are initially
subject to significant self-interactions induced by weak neutral currents,
which may induce strong-coupling effects on the flavor evolution (collective
transitions). The interpretation of the effects is simplified when self-induced
collective transitions are decoupled from ordinary matter oscillations, as for
the matter density profile that we discuss. In this case, approximate
analytical tools can be used (pendulum analogy, swap of energy spectra). For
inverted neutrino mass hierarchy, the sequence of effects involves:
synchronization, bipolar oscillations, and spectral split. Our simulations
shows that the main features of these regimes are not altered when passing from
simplified (angle-averaged) treatments to full, multi-angle numerical
experiments.Comment: Proceedings of NO-VE 2008, IV International Workshop on "Neutrino
Oscillations in Venice" (Venice, Italy, April 15-18, 2008), edited by M.
Baldo Ceolin (University of Padova publication, Papergraf Editions, Padova,
Italy, 2008), pages 233-24
Analysis of energy- and time-dependence of supernova shock effects on neutrino crossing probabilities
It has recently been realized that supernova neutrino signals may be affected
by shock propagation over a time interval of a few seconds after bounce. In the
standard three-neutrino oscillation scenario, such effects crucially depend on
the neutrino level crossing probability P_H in the 1-3 sector. By using a
simplified parametrization of the time-dependent supernova radial density
profile, we explicitly show that simple analytical expressions for P_H
accurately reproduce the phase-averaged results of numerical calculations in
the relevant parameter space. Such expressions are then used to study the
structure of P_H as a function of energy and time, with particular attention to
cases involving multiple crossing along the shock profile. Illustrative
applications are given in terms of positron spectra generated by supernova
electron antineutrinos through inverse beta decay.Comment: Major changes both in the text and in the figures in order to include
the effect of a step-like shock front density profile; final version to
appear in Physical Review
(Down-to-)Earth matter effect in supernova neutrinos
Neutrino oscillations in the Earth matter may introduce peculiar modulations
in the supernova (SN) neutrino spectra. The detection of this effect has been
proposed as diagnostic tool for the neutrino mass hierarchy at "large" 1-3
leptonic mixing angle theta13. We perform an updated study on the observability
of this effect at large next-generation underground detectors (i.e., 0.4 Mton
water Cherenkov, 50 kton scintillation and 100 kton liquid Argon detectors)
based on neutrino fluxes from state-of-the-art SN simulations and accounting
for statistical fluctuations via Montecarlo simulations. Since the average
energies predicted by recent simulations are lower than previously expected and
a tendency towards the equalization of the neutrino fluxes appears during the
SN cooling phase, the detection of the Earth matter effect will be more
challenging than expected from previous studies. We find that none of the
proposed detectors shall be able to detect the Earth modulation for the
neutrino signal of a typical galactic SN at 10 kpc. It should be observable in
a 100 kton liquid Argon detector for a SN at few kpc and all three detectors
would clearly see the Earth signature for very close-by stars only (d ~ 0.2
kpc). Finally, we show that adopting IceCube as co-detector together with a
Mton water Cherenkov detector is not a viable option either.Comment: (14 pages, 5 ps figures
Oscillations of solar atmosphere neutrinos
The Sun is a source of high energy neutrinos (E > 10 GeV) produced by cosmic
ray interactions in the solar atmosphere. We study the impact of three-flavor
oscillations (in vacuum and in matter) on solar atmosphere neutrinos, and
calculate their observable fluxes at Earth, as well as their event rates in a
kilometer-scale detector in water or ice. We find that peculiar three-flavor
oscillation effects in matter, which can occur in the energy range probed by
solar atmosphere neutrinos, are significantly suppressed by averaging over the
production region and over the neutrino and antineutrino components. In
particular, we find that the relation between the neutrino fluxes at the Sun
and at the Earth can be approximately expressed in terms of phase-averaged
``vacuum'' oscillations, dominated by a single mixing parameter (the angle
theta_23).Comment: v2: 11 pages, 8 eps figures. Content added (Sec. III D and Fig. 6),
references updated. Matches the published versio
Stochastic conversions of TeV photons into axion-like particles in extragalactic magnetic fields
Very-high energy photons emitted by distant cosmic sources are absorbed on
the extragalactic background light (EBL) during their propagation. This effect
can be characterized in terms of a photon transfer function at Earth. The
presence of extragalactic magnetic fields could also induce conversions between
very high-energy photons and hypothetical axion-like particles (ALPs). The
turbulent structure of the extragalactic magnetic fields would produce a
stochastic behaviour in these conversions, leading to a statistical
distribution of the photon transfer functions for the different realizations of
the random magnetic fields. To characterize this effect, we derive new
equations to calculate the mean and the variance of this distribution. We find
that, in presence of ALP conversions, the photon transfer functions on
different lines of sight could have relevant deviations with respect to the
mean value, producing both an enhancement or a suppression in the observable
photon flux with respect to the expectations with only absorption. As a
consequence, the most striking signature of the mixing with ALPs would be a
reconstructed EBL density from TeV photon observations which appears to vary
over different directions of the sky: consistent with standard expectations in
some regions, but inconsistent in others.Comment: v2: 22 pages, 5 eps figures. Minor changes. A reference added.
Matches the version published on JCA
Axion-like particle effects on the polarization of cosmic high-energy gamma sources
Various satellite-borne missions are being planned whose goal is to measure
the polarization of a large number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We show that the
polarization pattern predicted by current models of GRB emission can be
drastically modified by the existence of very light axion-like particles
(ALPs), which are present in many extensions of the Standard Model of particle
physics. Basically, the propagation of photons emitted by a GRB through cosmic
magnetic fields with a domain-like structure induces photon-ALP mixing, which
is expected to produce a strong modification of the original photon
polarization. Because of the random orientation of the magnetic field in each
domain, this effect strongly depends on the orientation of the photon line of
sight. As a consequence, photon-ALP conversion considerably broadens the
original polarization distribution. Searching for such a peculiar feature
through future high-statistics polarimetric measurements is therefore a new
opportunity to discover very light ALPs.Comment: Final version (21 pages, 8 eps figures). Matches the version
published on JCAP. Added a Section on the effects of cosmic expansion on
photon-ALP conversions. Figures modified to take into account this effect.
References updated. Conclusions unchanged
Tailoring the thermal conductivity of rubber nanocomposites by inorganic systems: Opportunities and challenges for their application in tires formulation
The development of effective thermally conductive rubber nanocomposites for heat management represents a tricky point for several modern technologies, ranging from electronic devices to the tire industry. Since rubber materials generally exhibit poor thermal transfer, the addition of high loadings of different carbonâbased or inorganic thermally conductive fillers is mandatory to achieve satisfactory heat dissipation performance. However, this dramatically alters the mechanical behavior of the final materials, representing a real limitation to their application. Moreover, upon fillersâ incorporation into the polymer matrix, interfacial thermal resistance arises due to differences between the phonon spectra and scattering at the hybrid interface between the phases. Thus, a suitable filler functionalization is required to avoid discontinuities in the thermal transfer. In this challenging scenario, the present review aims at summarizing the most recent efforts to improve the thermal conductivity of rubber nanocomposites by exploiting, in particular, inorganic and hybrid filler systems, focusing on those that may guarantee a viable transfer of lab-scale formulations to technological applicable solutions. The intrinsic relationship among the fillerâs loading, structure, morphology, and interfacial features and the heat transfer in the rubber matrix will be explored in depth, with the ambition of providing some methodological tools for a more profitable design of thermally conductive rubber nanocomposites, especially those for the formulation of tires
Metric-like Lagrangian Formulations for Higher-Spin Fields of Mixed Symmetry
We review the structure of local Lagrangians and field equations for free
bosonic and fermionic gauge fields of mixed symmetry in flat space. These are
first presented in a constrained setting extending the metric formulation of
linearized gravity, and then the (-)trace constraints on fields and
gauge parameters are eliminated via the introduction of auxiliary fields. We
also display the emergence of Weyl-like symmetries in particular classes of
models in low space-time dimensions.Comment: 136 pages, LaTeX. References added. Final version to appear in La
Rivista del Nuovo Cimento
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