Coupling between ion-acoustic waves and neutrino oscillations

Phys Rev E. 2017 Jan;95(1-1):013207. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.95.013207. Epub 2017 Jan 17.

Abstract

The work investigates the coupling between ion-acoustic waves and neutrino flavor oscillations in a nonrelativistic electron-ion plasma under the influence of a mixed neutrino beam. Neutrino oscillations are mediated by the flavor polarization vector dynamics in a material medium. The linear dispersion relation around homogeneous static equilibria is developed. When resonant with the ion-acoustic mode, the neutrino flavor oscillations can transfer energy to the plasma exciting a new fast unstable mode in extreme astrophysical scenarios. The growth rate and the unstable wavelengths are determined in typical type II supernova parameters. The predictions can be useful for a new indirect probe on neutrino oscillations in nature.