Coupling between ion-acoustic waves and neutrino oscillations

The work investigates the coupling between ion-acoustic waves and neutrino flavor oscillations in a nonrelativistic electron-ion plasma under the influence of a mixed neutrino beam. Neutrino oscillations are mediated by the flavor polarization vector dynamics in a material medium. The linear dispersion relation around homogeneous static equilibria is developed. When resonant with the ion-acoustic mode, the neutrino flavor oscillations can transfer energy to the plasma exciting a new fast unstable mode in extreme astrophysical scenarios. The growth rate and the unstable wavelengths are determined in typical type II supernova parameters. The predictions can be useful for a new indirect probe on neutrino oscillations in nature.

Figure 1

Continuous line: growth rate $\gamma$ from Eq. (26) in terms of the normalized electron-neutrino population. Line-dashed curve: the growth rate ${\gamma }_{\nu }$ which would take place without neutrino oscillations. Horizontal dot-dashed line: the growth rate ${\gamma }_{\mathrm{osc}}$ due uniquely to neutrino oscillations; see Eq. (27). Parameters: ${\mathcal{E}}_0=10\mathrm{MeV},N_0={10}^{41}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3},n_0={10}^{35}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}, {\kappa }_B{T}_e=100\mathrm{keV}$.