Can Gravity Distinguish Between Dirac and Majorana Neutrinos?

Abstract

We show that spin-gravity interaction can distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrino wave packets propagating in a Lense-Thirring background. Using time-independent perturbation theory and gravitational phase to generate a perturbation Hamiltonian with spin-gravity coupling, we show that the associated matrix element for the Majorana neutrino differs significantly from its Dirac counterpart. This difference can be demonstrated through significant gravitational corrections to the neutrino oscillation length for a two-flavour system, as shown explicitly for SN1987A.

4 pages, 2 figures; minor changes of text; typo corrected; accepted in Physical Review Letters

Cited by in corpus (8)

• The Decay of Dirac Hair around a Dilaton Black Hole
• Spin-gravity coupling and gravity-induced quantum phases
• Spin-rotation couplings: spinning test particles and Dirac field
• Nonlocal Dirac Equation for Accelerated Observers
• Comment on ``Can gravity distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos?''
• Reply to Comment on ``Can gravity distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos?''
• Interaction of Dirac and Majorana Neutrinos with Weak Gravitational Fields
• Local Space-Time Curvature Effects on Quantum Orbital Angular Momentum