Flavor oscillations in the supernova hot bubble region: nonlinear effects of neutrino background

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Nov 4;89(19):191101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.191101. Epub 2002 Oct 22.

Abstract

The neutrino flux close to a supernova core contributes substantially to neutrino refraction so that flavor oscillations become a nonlinear phenomenon. One unexpected consequence is efficient flavor transformation for antineutrinos in a region where only neutrinos encounter a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonance or vice versa. Contrary to previous studies we find that in the neutrino-driven wind the electron fraction Y(e) always stays below 0.5, corresponding to a neutron-rich environment as required by r-process nucleosynthesis. The relevant range of masses and mixing angles includes the region indicated by LSND, but not the atmospheric or solar oscillation parameters.