Subgrid modeling of neutrino oscillations in astrophysics

TL;DR

This paper proposes a self-consistent subgrid model for neutrino oscillations in astrophysical simulations, addressing the challenge of approximating flavor mixing in complex environments like supernovae and neutron-star mergers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel subgrid model based on the miscidynamic theory, improving the consistency of neutrino oscillation approximations in astrophysical simulations.

Findings

The model captures quasisteady states of flavor oscillations.

It offers a more accurate approximation of neutrino flavor mixing.

The approach enhances simulation fidelity for astrophysical phenomena.

Abstract

Approximating neutrino oscillations as subgrid physics is an appealing prospect for simulators of core-collapse supernovae and neutron-star mergers. Because flavor instabilities quickly lead to quasisteady states in oscillation calculations, it is widely believed that flavor mixing can be approximated in astrophysical simulations by mapping unstable states onto the appropriate asymptotic ones. Subgrid models of this kind, however, are not self-consistent. The miscidynamic theory of quantum-coherent gases furnishes a subgrid model that is.