Neutrino Propagation Through Fluctuating Media

TL;DR

This paper reviews how neutrino propagation is affected by fluctuating media in astrophysical environments, linking microscopic fluctuations to thermodynamics and analyzing their impact on neutrino oscillations.

Contribution

It provides a general framework for studying fluctuation effects on neutrinos and applies it to solar and supernova environments, highlighting the potential significance of these effects.

Findings

Fluctuations can significantly modify neutrino oscillations.

Large effects are predicted but unlikely to be observable soon.

Theoretical connections between microscopic fluctuations and thermodynamics are established.

Abstract

The description of neutrino propagation through a fluctuating medium is summarized. Fluctuation-Dissipation-Theorem arguments relate microscopic fluctuations to thermodynamic quantities, allowing these to be very generally studied in astrophysical environments. Fluctuation-induced modifications to neutrino oscillations have been studied in detail within the Sun and within the envelope of supernovae, and although surprisingly large effects have been found none appear to be observable in the near future.