Probing nonlinear electrodynamics in slowly rotating spacetimes through neutrino astrophysics

Abstract

Huge electromagnetic fields are known to be present during the late stages of the dynamics of supernovae. Thus, when dealing with electrodynamics in this context, the possibility may arise to probe nonlinear theories (generalizations of the Maxwellian electromagnetism). We firstly solve Einstein field equations minimally coupled to an arbitrary (current-free) nonlinear Lagrangian of electrodynamics (NLED) in the slow rotation regime $a\ll M$ (black hole's mass), up to first order in $a/M$. We then make use of the robust and self-contained Born-Infeld Lagrangian in order to compare and contrast the physical properties of such NLED spacetime with its Maxwellian counterpart (a slowly rotating Kerr-Newman spacetime), especially focusing on the astrophysics of both neutrino flavor oscillations ($\nu_e \rightarrow \nu_\mu, \nu_\tau$) and spin-flip ($\nu_l \rightarrow \nu_r$, "$l$" stands for "left" and "$r$" stands for "right", change of neutrino handedness) mass level-crossings, the equivalent to gyroscopic precessions. Such analysis proves that in the spacetime of a slowly rotating nonlinear charged black hole (RNCBH), intrinsically associated with the assumption the electromagnetism is nonlinear, the neutrino dynamics in core-collapse supernovae could be significantly changed. In such astrophysical environment a positive enhancement (reduction of the electron fraction $Y_e<0.5$) of the r-process may take place. Consequently, it might result in hyperluminous supernova explosions due to enlargement, in atomic number and amount, of the decaying nuclides. Finally, we envisage some physical scenarios that may lead to short-lived charged black holes with high charge-to-mass ratios (associated with unstable highly magnetized neutron stars) and ways to possibly disentangle theories of the electromagnetism from other black holes observables (by means of light polarization measurements).