Abstract
New physics can emerge at low energy scales, involving very light and very weakly interacting new particles. These particles can mediate interactions between neutrinos and usual matter and contribute to the Wolfenstein potential relevant for neutrino oscillations. We compute the Wolfenstein potential in the presence of ultra-light scalar and vector mediators and study the dependence of the potential on the mediator mass mA, taking the finite size of matter distribution (Earth, Sun, supernovae) into consideration. For ultra-light mediators with {m}_A^{-1} comparable to the size of the medium (R), the usual {m}_A^{-2} dependence of the potential is modified. In particular, when {m}_A^{-1} ≫ R, the potential does not depend on mA. Taking into account existing bounds on light mediators, we find that for the scalar case significant effects on neutrino propagation are not possible, while for the vector case large matter effects are allowed for mA ∈ [2 × 10−17, 4 × 10−14] eV and the gauge coupling g ∼ 10−25.
Highlights
Taking into account existing bounds on light mediators, we find that for the scalar case significant effects on neutrino propagation are not possible, while for the vector case large matter effects are allowed for mA ∈ [2 × 10−17, 4 × 10−14] eV and the gauge coupling g ∼ 10−25
Long-range forces induced by these bosons can affect solar and atmospheric neutrino oscillations [4, 5] as well as high energy astrophysical neutrinos interacting with electrons in the Universe [15]
We studied the effects of new neutrino-matter interactions mediated by ultra-light scalar and vector bosons on neutrino propagation, taking into account the finite size and density distribution of the medium
Summary
Let us consider interactions between neutrinos (ν) and particles in matter (ψ) mediated by a new light vector boson Aμ or scalar boson φ. Since the helicity is conserved in neutrino oscillations, the chirality-flipping terms in the Lagrangian, such as mass terms or scalar interactions, have to change it twice, which is the reason that m2ν appears instead of mν in neutrino oscillations. Only mν/2E fraction of the chirality-flipped state contains the original helicity This means that, to obtain effects of the same size, yν φ should be. In the case of pseudo-scalar and axial-vector mediators, the corresponding fields are produced by interactions with ψγ5ψ and ψγμγ5ψ. In unpolarized medium, these two quantities vanish due to γ5. These potentials are small compared to scalar and vector potentials
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