Coherent active-sterile neutrino flavor transformation in the early universe

We solve the problem of coherent Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonant active-to-sterile neutrino flavor conversion driven by an initial lepton number in the early Universe. We find incomplete destruction of the lepton number in this process and a sterile neutrino energy distribution with a distinct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2006-10, Vol.97 (14), p.141301-141301, Article 141301
Main Authors: Kishimoto, Chad T, Fuller, George M, Smith, Christel J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CUSPED GEOMETRIES
ENERGY SPECTRA
EV RANGE 01-10
FLAVOR MODEL
LEPTON NUMBER
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
UNIVERSE
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Summary:We solve the problem of coherent Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonant active-to-sterile neutrino flavor conversion driven by an initial lepton number in the early Universe. We find incomplete destruction of the lepton number in this process and a sterile neutrino energy distribution with a distinctive cusp and high energy tail. These features imply alteration of the nonzero lepton number primordial nucleosynthesis paradigm when there exist sterile neutrinos with rest masses m(s) approximately 1 eV. This could result in better light element probes of (constraints on) these particles.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.97.141301