Neutrino Oscillations in Dense Medium: Probing Particle Physics together with Astrophysics and Cosmology

Project Information

Dense Neutrinos

Grant agreement ID: 299861

Project closed

Start date 1 April 2013

End date 31 March 2015

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 174 475,20

EU contribution € 174 475,20

Coordinated by

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Germany

Objective

"Neutrinos are the most elusive of all elementary particles and play a crucial role in astrophysics and cosmology. The three different kinds (flavors) of neutrinos can convert into each other, a macroscopic quantum effect, by their flavor mixing. These ""flavor oscillations"" are strongly modified by the feeble refractive impact of matter, a conspiracy between the very small neutrino masses and their very weak interactions. In dense astrophysical environments, notably core-collapse supernovas and the early universe, neutrinos themselves exert a refractive effect on each other, causing nonlinear feedback effects. These ""collective"" or ""nonlinear"" flavor conversions have been the subject of intense theoretical study over the past few years because they can strongly affect the neutrino signal from the next galactic supernova and flavor oscillations in the early universe. They are also of purely theoretical interest, being described by the equivalent of the pairing Hamiltonian that describes superconductivity and correlation effects in nuclei.

This project ventures to develop the theory of collective flavor oscillations and applications in supernovas and the early universe to a new level of understanding. The puzzling complications caused by the lack of isotropy of the neutrinos streaming from supernovas (""multi-angle effects"") will be scrutinized with analytic and numerical techniques. The existence and importance of new instabilities will be investigated. The impact of nonstandard interactions will be included and the signatures in large-scale neutrino observatories will be studied. Furthermore, the project aims at applying these insights to the early universe where, in particular, the oscillation into yet unobserved ""sterile neutrinos"" can change the cosmic radiation and hot dark matter content."

Fields of science

• natural sciences › physical sciences › theoretical physics › particle physics › neutrinos
• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › astrophysics › dark matter
• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › physical cosmology
• natural sciences › physical sciences › electromagnetism and electronics › superconductivity
• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › stellar astronomy › supernova

Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF - Marie Curie Action: "International Incoming Fellowships"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MC-IIF - International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)

Coordinator

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV

• EU contribution: € 174 475,20
• Address: HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 ; 80539 Munchen ; Germany
• Region: Bayern › Oberbayern › München, Kreisfreie Stadt
• Activity type: Research Organisations
• Administrative Contact: Georg Raffelt (Dr.)
• Total cost: No data