Damped Neutrino Oscillations in a Conformal Coupling Model

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a conformally coupled scalar field affects neutrino oscillations, leading to damping effects and flux deficits, with implications for solar neutrino observations.

Contribution

It introduces a model where a scalar field modifies neutrino oscillations via conformal coupling, providing new insights into flavor transition damping and matter density effects.

Findings

Scalar coupling causes damping in neutrino oscillations.

Flux deficits in solar electron-neutrinos are explained.

Results align with observational data on neutrino fluxes.

Abstract

Flavor transitions of Neutrinos with a nonstandard interaction are studied. A scalar field is conformally coupled to matter and neutrinos. This interaction alters the neutrino effective mass and its wavefunction leading to a damping factor, causing deficits in the probability densities and affecting the oscillation phase. As the matter density determines the scalar field's behavior, we also have an indirect matter density effect on the flavor conversion. We explain our results in the context of screening models and study the deficit in the total flux of electron-neutrinos produced in the Sun through the decay process and confront our results with observational data.