Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jul 1989
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989phrvd..40..309g&link_type=abstract
Physical Review D (Particles and Fields), Volume 40, Issue 2, 15 July 1989, pp.309-314
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
54
Scientific paper
Electroweak mechanisms via which neutrinos may flip helicity are examined in detail. Exact and approximate expressions for a variety of flip processes relevant in astrophysics and cosmology, mediated by W, Z, and γ exchange, including their interference, are derived for both Dirac and Majorana neutrinos (with emphasis on the former). It is shown that in general flip and nonflip cross sections differ by more than just a multiplicative factor of m2ν/4E2ν contrary to what might be expected and that this additional dependence on helicities can be significant. It is also shown that within the context of the standard model with massive neutrinos, for νe-->νe scattering, σflipZ/σflip~=104γ, independent of particle masses and energies to a good approximation. As an application, using some general considerations and the fact that the observed ν¯e burst from SN 1987A lasted several seconds, these weak-interaction flip cross sections are used to rule out μ and τ neutrino masses above 30 keV. Finally, some other consequences for astrophysics in general and supernovae in particular are briefly discussed.
Gaemers J. F. K.
Gandhi Raj
Lattimer James M.
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