Neutrino Velocity and Neutrino Oscillations

Abstract

We study distances of propagation and the group velocities of the muon neutrinos in the presence of mixing and oscillations assuming that Lorentz invariance holds. Oscillations lead to distortion of the ${\nu }_{\mu }$ wave packet which, in turn, changes the group velocity and the distance ${\nu }_{\mu }$ travels. We find that the change of the distance, $d_{osc}$, is proportional to the length of the wave packet, ${\sigma }_x$, and the oscillation phase, ${\varphi }_p$, acquired by neutrinos in the $\pi -$ and $K-$ meson decay tunnel where neutrino wave packet is formed: $d_{osc}\propto \sigma {\varphi }_p$. Although the distance $d_{osc}$ may effectively correspond to the superluminal motion, the effect is too tiny ($\sim 10^{-5}$ cm) to be reconciled with the OPERA result. We analyze various possibilities to increase $d_{osc}$ and discuss experimental setups in which $d_{osc}$ (corresponding to the superluminal motion) can reach an observable value $\sim 1$ m.

LaTeX, 24 pages, 1 eps figure, matches to the published version

References in corpus (7)

• Measurement of neutrino velocity with the MINOS detectors and NuMI neutrino beam
• Coherence and oscillations of cosmic neutrinos
• Neutrino production coherence and oscillation experiments
• Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement?
• Off-shell OPERA neutrinos
• Superluminal group velocity through near-maximal neutrino oscillations
• Group velocity of neutrino waves

Cited by in corpus (6)

• On higher-order corrections in a four-fermion Lifshitz model
• Neutrino amplitude decomposition in matter
• Trade-off relations of quantum resource theory in neutrino oscillations
• Production of Tachyonic Neutrino in Matter
• Phenomenology of Philosophy of Science: OPERA data
• Conversions of propagation eigenstates of supernova neutrinos by atomic electrons