Gamma Rays and the Decay of Neutrinos from SN1987A

A. Jaffe; M. S. Turner

doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.55.7951

paper

Gamma Rays and the Decay of Neutrinos from SN1987A

arXiv:astro-ph/9601104 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.55.7951

Abstract

We calculate limits to the properties of massive, unstable neutrinos using data from gamma-ray detectors on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Satellite; a massive neutrino emitted from SN1987A that decayed in flight and produced gamma rays would be detectable by this instruments. The lack of such a signal allows us to constrain the branching ratio to photons ($\Bg$), mass ($\mnu$), and radiative lifetime ($τ_γ= τ/\Bg$). For low mass ($m<T\sim8\MeV$) neutrinos decaying $ν \to ν^{'} γ$ , $\Bg<3\times 10^{-7}$, for $\mt\lesssim 10^6 \keV\sec$, and $\Bg<6\times 10^{-14} \mt/\keV\sec$ for $\mt\gtrsim 10^6 \keV\sec$; limits for high-mass neutrinos are somewhat weaker due to Boltzmann suppression. We also calculate limits for decays that produce gamma rays through the \brem channel, $ν \to ν^{'} e^{+} e^{-} γ$ . In the case that neutrino mass states are nearly degenerate, $δ m^{2} / m^{2} ≪ 1$ , our limits for the mode $ν \to ν^{'} γ$ become more stringent by a factor of $δ m^{2} / m^{2}$ , because more of the decay photons are shifted into the PVO detector energy window.

arXiv comment17 pages, 6 postscript figures, uses revtex, epsf.sty. Submitted to PRD. Also available at file://ftp.cita.utoronto.ca/cita/jaffe/papers/pvoflux.ps.gz

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Gamma Rays and the Decay of Neutrinos from SN1987A

Abstract

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