Neutrino oscillations and uncertainty relations

TL;DR

This paper explains how quantum uncertainty principles underpin neutrino oscillations, compares theoretical approaches, and suggests a specific experiment to test these models using the 163Ho-163Dy system.

Contribution

It clarifies the role of Heisenberg and Mandelstam-Tamm uncertainty relations in neutrino oscillations and proposes a Moessbauer neutrino experiment to distinguish between different theoretical models.

Findings

Coherent neutrino states arise from the momentum-coordinate uncertainty relation.

Mandelstam-Tamm relation requires non-stationary states for oscillations.

A Moessbauer neutrino experiment with 163Ho-163Dy can differentiate theoretical approaches.

Abstract

We show that coherent flavor neutrino states are produced (and detected) due to the momentum-coordinate Heisenberg uncertainty relation. The Mandelstam-Tamm time-energy uncertainty relation requires non-stationary neutrino states for oscillations to happen and determines the time interval (propagation length) which is necessary for that. We compare different approaches to neutrino oscillations which are based on different physical assumptions but lead to the same expression for the neutrino transition probability in standard neutrino oscillation experiments. We show that a Moessbauer neutrino experiment could allow to distinguish different approaches and we present arguments in favor of the 163Ho-163Dy system for such an experiment.