Production of tachyonic neutrino in matter

Luca Nanni

doi:10.1088/2399-6528/ab7056

Abstract

Recently, a new theory based on superluminal tunnelling has been proposed to explain the transition of highly energetic neutrinos propagating in matter to tachyonic states. In this work, we determine the possible mechanisms that lead neutrinos into a superluminal realm based on the assumption that ultrarelativistic neutrinos travelling in matter lose part of their energy with the emission of Bremsstrahlung radiation. The obtained photons, in turn, can create neutrino-antineutrino pairs, one or both of which can be superluminal. We also prove that pair creation may occur with neutrino flavour oscillation provided that only one of them is a space-like particle. This suggests that mass oscillation and superluminal behaviour could be related phenomena. Finally, using the generalised Lorentz transformations, we formulate the Lagrangian of the kinematically allowed scattering processes. The structure of this Lagrangian is consistent with the formalism of the Standard Model. Based on this Lagrangian, at least one of the particles forming the pair must always be subluminal. The possibility that the pair creation process is mediated by a dark photon is also discussed.

Highlights

Neutrino physics is one of the most intriguing, promising fields of research for theoretical physicists [1,2,3,4]. It ranges from the physics of high energies tested in particle accelerators [5,6] to astrophysics [7,8,9,10], passing through many new theories aiming to explain its anomalies [11,12]
As mentioned in the first section, we investigate the possible mechanisms leading to the creation of superluminal neutrinos in matter
One might expect that the interaction of neutrinos and photons is weak and constitutes mainly an astrophysical interest

Summary

Introduction

Neutrino physics is one of the most intriguing, promising fields of research for theoretical physicists [1,2,3,4]. The aim of this paper is to complete a recently proposed theoretical model [27] which explains, in a covariant way, the superluminal behaviour of neutrinos in matter This theory is based on the Hartman effect, in which the tunnelling time of a particle travelling through a potential barrier does not depend on its width (provided that the barrier is wide enough) [28]. Using the generalised Lorentz transformations (GLTs) proposed by Recami [34,35] and ordinary Dirac fields for neutrinos, we obtain the Lagrangian describing all the kinematically allowed mechanisms This Lagrangian is invariant under the usual Lorentz transformations, proving that the obtained model describes the tachyonic neutrino within the usual Standard Model formalism. The case in which the pair creation is mediated by a dark photon is discussed

Kinematics of Tachyonic Pair Production

Generalised Lorentz Transformations

Space-Like Pair Production

Lagrangian of Oscillating Superluminal Neutrino

Discussion