Geometric phase for neutrino propagation in magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper calculates the geometric phase acquired by neutrinos traveling through varying magnetic fields in matter, revealing significant phase shifts at high field strengths with potential phenomenological implications.

Contribution

It introduces a calculation of the geometric phase for neutrinos in magnetic fields, highlighting its dependence on field strength and potential observational effects.

Findings

Geometric phase varies from 2π to π with increasing magnetic field.

Significant geometric phases develop in strong magnetic fields.

Implications for neutrino phenomenology are discussed.

Abstract

The geometric phase for neutrinos propagating in an adiabatically varying magnetic field in matter is calculated. It is shown that for neutrino propagation in sufficiently large magnetic field the neutrino eigenstates develop a significant geometric phase. The geometric phase varies from 2$\pi$ for magnetic fields $\sim$ fraction of a micro gauss to $\pi$ for fields $\sim 10^7$ gauss or more. The variation of geometric phase with magnetic field parameters is shown and its phenomenological implications are discussed.