Electromagnetic neutrino-atom collisions: The role of electron binding

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new theoretical framework for understanding how neutrino magnetic moments cause atomic excitation and ionization, emphasizing the roles of longitudinal and transverse forces during neutrino-atom interactions.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to calculating neutrino-impact atomic processes, critically analyzing recent theoretical studies and highlighting the importance of force components in the scattering process.

Findings

Differential cross section expressed as sum of longitudinal and transverse terms

Critical examination of recent magnetic neutrino scattering theories

Emphasizes the role of force components in neutrino-atom interactions

Abstract

We present a new theoretical approach to neutrino-impact atomic excitation and/or ionization due to neutrino magnetic moments. The differential cross section of the process is given by a sum of the longitudinal and transverse terms, which are induced by the corresponding components of the force that the neutrino magnetic moment imposes on electrons with respect to momentum transfer. In this context, the recent theoretical studies devoted to the magnetic neutrino scattering on atoms are critically examined.