• Featured in Physics

Quantum Coherence of Relic Neutrinos

George M. Fuller and Chad T. Kishimoto
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 201303 – Published 22 May 2009
Physics logo

Abstract

We argue that in at least a portion of the history of the Universe the relic background neutrinos are spatially extended, coherent superpositions of mass states. We show that an appropriate quantum mechanical treatment affects the neutrino mass values derived from cosmological data. The coherence scale of these neutrino flavor wave packets can be an appreciable fraction of the causal horizon size, raising the possibility of spacetime curvature-induced decoherence.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 2 December 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.201303

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

George M. Fuller and Chad T. Kishimoto

  • Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0319, USA

See Also

Ginormous Neutrino

Michael Schirber
Phys. Rev. Focus 23, 17 (2009)

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 20 — 22 May 2009

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×