Flavor-Universal Form of Neutrino Oscillation Probabilities in Matter

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new perturbative framework for neutrino oscillations in matter, providing compact, physically interpretable formulas that reveal universal features across all oscillation channels.

Contribution

It develops a novel perturbation method using a specific expansion parameter, leading to simplified, universal expressions for neutrino oscillation probabilities in matter.

Findings

Derived compact oscillation probability formulas in matter to order psilon.

Showed that all oscillation probabilities can be expressed as universal functions of L/E.

Identified a two-flavor form for lectron disappearance probability.

Abstract

We construct a new perturbative framework to describe neutrino oscillation in matter with the unique expansion parameter \epsilon, which is defined as \Delta m^2_{21} / \Delta m^2_{ren} with the renormalized atmospheric \Delta m^2_{ren} \equiv \Delta m^2_{31} - s^2_{12} \Delta m^2_{21}. It allows us to derive the maximally compact expressions of the oscillation probabilities in matter to order \epsilon in the form akin to those in vacuum. This feature allows immediate physical interpretation of the formulas, and facilitates understanding of physics of neutrino oscillations in matter. Moreover, quite recently, we have shown that our three-flavor oscillation probabilities P(\nu_\alpha \rightarrow \nu_\beta) in all channels can be expressed in the form of universal functions of L/E. The \nu_e disappearance oscillation probability P(\nu_e \rightarrow \nu_e) has a special property that it can be written as the two-flavor form which depends on the single frequency. This talk is based on the collaborating work with Stephen Parke [1].