Tau neutrinos from muon storage rings

Charged tau leptons emerging in a long baseline experiment with a muon storage ring and a far-away detector will positively establish neutrino oscillations. We study the conversion of $\nu_\mu$ ($\bar{\nu}_\mu$) and of $\bar{\nu}_e$ ($\nu_e$) to $\nu_\tau$ or $\bar{\nu}_\tau$ for neutrinos from a 20 GeV muon storage ring, within the strong mixing scheme and on the basis of the squared mass differences which are compatible with all reported neutrino anomalies, including the LSND data. In contrast to other solutions which ignore the Los Alamos anomaly, we find charged tau production rates which should be measurable in a realistic set up. As a consequence, determining the complete mass spectrum of neutrinos as well as all three mixing angles seems within reach. Matter effects are discussed thoroughly but are found to be small in this situation.Comment: 11 pages, 5 postscript figures (eps

Algebraic connections on parallel universes

For any manifold $M$, we introduce a \ZZ -graded differential algebra $\Xi$, which, in particular, is a bi-module over the associative algebra $C(M\cup M)$. We then introduce the corresponding covariant differentials and show how this construction can be interpreted in terms of Yang-Mills and Higgs fields. This is a particular example of noncommutative geometry. It differs from the prescription of Connes in the following way: The definition of $\Xi$ does not rely on a given Dirac-Yukawa operator acting on a space of spinors.Comment: 10 pages, CPT-93/PE 294

Exploding SNe with jets: time-scales

We perform hydrodynamical simulations of core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) with a cylindrically-symmetrical numerical code (FLASH) to study the inflation of bubbles and the initiation of the explosion within the frame of the jittering-jets model. We study the typical time- scale of the model and compare it to the typical time-scale of the delayed neutrino mechanism. Our analysis shows that the explosion energy of the delayed neutrino mechanism is an order of magnitude less than the required 10^51 erg.Comment: To appear in Death of Massive Stars: Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts, Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 279, 2012, eds. P. Roming, N. Kawai & E. Pia

Leptonic Generation Mixing, Noncommutative Geometry and Solar Neutrino Fluxes

Triangular mass matrices for neutrinos and their charged partners contain full information on neutrino mixing in a most concise form. Although the scheme is general and model independent, triangular matrices are typical for reducible but indecomposable representations of graded Lie algebras which, in turn, are characteristic for the standard model in noncommutative geometry. The mixing matrix responsible for neutrino oscillations is worked out analytically for two and three lepton families. The example of two families fixes the mixing angle to just about what is required by the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonance oscillation of solar neutrinos. In the case of three families we classify all physically plausible choices for the neutrino mass matrix and derive interesting bounds on some of the moduli of the mixing matrix.Comment: LaTeX, 12 page

Neutrino-driven wind and wind termination shock in supernova cores

The neutrino-driven wind from a nascent neutron star at the center of a supernova expands into the earlier ejecta of the explosion. Upon collision with this slower matter the wind material is decelerated in a wind termination shock. By means of hydrodynamic simulations in spherical symmetry we demonstrate that this can lead to a large increase of the wind entropy, density, and temperature, and to a strong deceleration of the wind expansion. The consequences of this phenomenon for the possible r-process nucleosynthesis in the late wind still need to be explored in detail. Two-dimensional models show that the wind-ejecta collision is highly anisotropic and could lead to a directional dependence of the nucleosynthesis even if the neutrino-driven wind itself is spherically symmetric.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, International Symposium on Nuclear Astrophysics - Nuclei in the Cosmos - IX, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 25-30 June, 200

Only Three

It is shown that it is possible to account for all experimental indications for neutrino oscillations with just three flavours. In particular we suggest that the atmospheric neutrino anomaly and the LSND result can be explained by the same mass difference and mixing. Possible implications and future tests of the resulting mass and mixing pattern are given.Comment: 10 pages, 2 Postscript figures (eps

Models of Electroweak Interactions in Non-Commutative Geometry: A Comparison

Alain Connes' construction of the standard model is based on a generalized Dirac-Yukawa operator and the K-cycle (\HD ,D), with \HD a fermionic Hilbert space. If this construction is reformulated at the level of the differential algebra then a direct comparison with the alternative approach by the Marseille-Mainz group becomes possible. We do this for the case of the toy model based on the structure group $U(1)\times U(1)$ and for the $SU(2)\times U(1)$ of electroweak interactions. Connes' results are recovered without the somewhat disturbing $\gamma_{5}$-factors in the fermion mass terms and Yukawa couplings. We discuss both constructions in the same framework and, in particular, pinpoint the origin of the difference in the Higgs potential obtained by them.Comment: 9p, MZ-TH/93-2

Titanium-Oxygen Reactivity Study

A program has been conducted at Astronautics to investigate the likelihood of occurrence of the catastrophic oxidation of titanium alloy sheet under conditions which simulate certain cases of accidental failure of the metal while it is in contact with liquid or gaseous oxygen. Three methods of fracturing the metal were used; they consisted of mechanical puncture, tensile fracture of welded joints, and perforation by very high velocity particles. The results of the tests which have been conducted provide further evidence of the reactivity of titanium with liquid and gaseous oxygen. The evidence indicates that the rapid fracturing of titanium sheet while it is in contact with oxygen initiates the catastrophic oxidation reaction. Initiation occurred when the speed of the fracture was some few feet per second, as in both the drop-weight puncture tests and the static tensile fracture tests of welded joints, as well as when the speed was several thousand feet per second, as in the simulated micrometeoroid penetration tests. The slow propagation of a crack, however, did not initiate the reaction. It may logically be concluded that the localized frictional heat of rapid fracture and/or spontaneous oxidation (exothermic) of minute particles emanating from the fracture cause initiation of the reaction. Under conditions of slow fracture, however, the small heat generated may be adequately dissipated and the reaction is not initiated. A portion of the study conducted consisted of investigating various means by which the reaction might be retarded or prevented. Providing a "barrier" at the titanium-oxygen interface consisting of either aluminum metal or a coating of a petroleum base corrosion inhibitor appeared to be only partially effective in retarding the reaction. The accidental puncturing or similar rupturing of thin-walled pressurized oxygen tanks on missiles and space vehicle will usually constitute loss of function, and may sometimes cause their catastrophic destruction by explosive decompression regardless of the type of material used for their construction. In the case of tanks constructed of titanium alloys the added risk is incurred of catastrophic burning of the tanks. In view of this it is recommended that thin-walled tanks constructed of titanium alloys should not be used to contain liquid or gaseous oxygen