10036439
Polarized photons in radiative muon capture
We discuss the measurement of polarized photons arising from radiative muon capture. The spectrum of left circularly polarized photons or equivalently the circular polarization of the photons emitted in radiative muon capture on hydrogen is quite sensitive to the strength of the induced pseudoscalar coupling constant $g_P$. A measurement of either of these quantities, although very difficult, might be sufficient to resolve the present puzzle resulting from the disagreement between the theoretical prediction for $g_P$ and the results of a recent experiment. This sensitivity results from the absence of left-handed radiation from the muon line and from the fact that the leading parts of the radiation from the hadronic lines, as determined from the chiral power counting rules of heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory, all contain pion poles.
639846
Neutrino-deuteron reactions at solar neutrino energies
Abstract In interpreting the SNO experiments, accurate estimates of the νd reaction cross sections are of great importance. We improve the previous estimates of our group by updating some of its inputs and by taking into account the results of a recent effective-field-theoretical calculation. The new cross sections are slightly (∼1%) larger than the previously reported values. It is shown to be reasonable to assign 1% uncertainty to the νd cross sections reported here; this error estimate does not include radiative corrections, for which we refer to the literature.
122375456
Renormalization group analysis of nuclear current operators
A Wilsonian renormalization group (WRG) equation for nuclear current operators in two-nucleon systems is derived. Nuclear current operators relevant to low-energy Gamow-Teller transitions are analyzed using the WRG equation. We employ the axial two-body current operators from phenomenological models and heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory, which are quite different from one another in describing small-scale physics. After reducing the model space of the operators using the WRG equation, we find that there still remains a significant model dependence at {lambda}=200 MeV, where {lambda} is the sharp cutoff specifying the size of the model space. A model-independent effective current operator is found at a rather small cutoff value, {lambda}=70 MeV. By simulating the effective current operator at {lambda}=70 MeV, we obtain a current operator based on a pionless theory, thereby arguing that an equivalence relation exists between nuclear current operators of phenomenological models and those of effective field theories.
55936228
Effective field theory of 3He
We examine the effects of the long range Coulomb force on the three-body contact interaction in a pionless effective theory of 3He. The corresponding interaction in 3H exhibits limit-cycle behavior and we show that this is not altered by the 1/r singularity of the potential.
14652153
Neutron–neutron fusion
Abstract The neutron–neutron fusion process, n n → d e ν , at very low neutron energies is studied in the framework of pionless effective field theory that incorporates dibaryon fields. The cross section and electron energy spectrum for this process are calculated up to next-to-leading order. We include the radiative corrections of O ( α ) calculated for the one-body transition amplitude. The precision of our theoretical estimates is found to be governed essentially by the accuracy with which the empirical values of the neutron–neutron scattering length and effective range are currently known. Also discussed is the precision of theoretical estimates of the transition rates of related electroweak processes in few-nucleon systems.
118594879
Renormalization-group analysis for low-energy scattering of charged particles
The low-energy scattering of two charged particles is analyzed using a renormalization group approach based on dimensional regularization with power-divergence subtraction. A nontrivial solution with a marginally unstable direction is found, corresponding to a system with a bound state at zero energy. For purely energy-dependent perturbations around this solution, the power counting agrees with that from Wilsonian methods. These terms in the effective potential are in direct correspondence with the the terms in the Coulomb-distorted effective-range expansion. We also study perturbations that depend on off-shell momenta as well as energy, and we show that these affect only the off-shell form of the scattering matrix. These terms are of higher order than the corresponding energy-dependent ones and so terms in the potential that depend only on the off-shell momenta do not have definite orders in power counting.
118958027
Three generation study of neutrino spin flavor conversion in supernova and implication for neutrino magnetic moment
We investigate resonant spin-flavor (RSF) conversions of supernova neutrinos which are induced by the interaction of neutrino magnetic moment and supernova magnetic fields. From the formulation which includes all three-flavor neutrinos and antineutrinos, we give a new crossing diagram that includes not only ordinary Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) resonance but also a magnetically induced RSF effect. With the diagram, it is found that four conversions occur in supernovae: two are induced by the RSF effect and two by the pure MSW effect. We also numerically calculate neutrino conversions in supernova matter, using neutrino mixing parameters inferred from recent experimental results and a realistic supernova progenitor model. The results indicate that until 0.5 sec after the core bounce, the RSF-induced ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$ transition occurs efficiently (adiabatic resonance), when ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}{(B}_{0}/5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}\mathrm{G}{)}^{\ensuremath{-}1},$ where ${B}_{0}$ is the strength of the magnetic field at the surface of iron core. We also evaluate the energy spectrum as a function of ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}{B}_{0}$ at the super-Kamiokande detector and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory using the calculated conversion probabilities, and find that the spectral deformation might have the possibility to provide useful information on the neutrino magnetic moment as well as the magnetic field strength in supernovae.
67832038
Colloquium: Multimessenger astronomy with gravitationalwaves and high-energy neutrinos
Many of the astrophysical sources and violent phenomena observed in our Universe are potential 
emitters of gravitational waves and high-energy cosmic radiation, including photons, hadrons, and 
presumably also neutrinos. Both gravitational waves (GW) and high-energy neutrinos (HEN) are 
cosmic messengers that may escape much denser media than photons. They travel unaffected over 
cosmological distances, carrying information from the inner regions of the astrophysical engines from 
which they are emitted (and from which photons and charged cosmic rays cannot reach us). For the same 
reasons, such messengers could also reveal new, hidden sources that have not been observed by 
conventional photon-based astronomy. Coincident observation of GWs and HENs may thus play a 
critical role in multimessenger astronomy. This is particularly true at the present time owing to the 
advent of a new generation of dedicated detectors: the neutrino telescopes IceCube at the South Pole and 
ANTARES in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the GW interferometers Virgo in Italy and LIGO in the 
United States. Starting from 2007, several periods of concomitant data taking involving these detectors 
have been conducted. More joint data sets are expected with the next generation of advanced detectors 
that are to be operational by 2015, with other detectors, such as KAGRA in Japan, joining in the future. 
Combining information from these independent detectors can provide origin always of constraining the 
physical processes driving the sources and also help confirm the astrophysical origin of a GW or HEN 
signal in case of coincident observation. Given the complexity of the instruments, a successful joint 
analysis of this combined GW and HEN observational data set will be possible only if the expertise and 
knowledge of the data is shared between the two communities. This Colloquium aims at providing an 
overview of both theoretical and experimental state of the art and perspectives for GW and HEN 
multimessenger astronomy.
43795767
Interactions of keV sterile neutrinos with matter
A sterile neutrino with mass of several keV is a well-motivated dark-matter candidate, and it can also explain the observed velocities of pulsars via anisotropic emission of sterile neutrinos from a cooling neutron star. We discuss the interactions of such relic particles with matter and comment on the prospects of future direct detection experiments. A relic sterile neutrino can interact, via sterile-active mixing, with matter fermions by means of electroweak currents, with the final state containing a relativistic active neutrino. The recoil momentum impacted onto a matter fermion is determined by the sterile neutrino mass and is enough to ionize atoms and flip the spins of nuclei. While this suggests a possibility of direct experimental detection, we calculate the rates and show that building a realistic detector of the required size would be a daunting challenge.
73520402
Resonant Spin-Flavor Conversion of Supernova Neutrinos
We investigate resonant spin-flavor (RSF) conversions of supernova neutrinos which are induced by the interaction of neutrino magnetic moment and supernova magnetic fields. From the formulation which includes all three-flavor neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, we give a new crossing diagram that includes not only ordinary MSW resonance but also magnetically-induced RSF effect. With the diagram, it is found that four conversions occur in supernova, two are induced by the RSF effect and two by the pure MSW. We also numerically calculate neutrino conversions in supernova matter, using neutrino mixing parameters inferred from recent experimental results and a realistic supernova progenitor model. The results indicate that until 0.5 seconds after core bounce, the RSF-induced νe ↔ ντ transition occurs efficiently (adiabatic resonance), when μν ∼ 10−12μB(B0/5 × 109G)−1, where B0 is the strength of the magnetic field at the surface of iron core. We also evaluate the energy spectrum as a function of μνB0 at the SuperKamiokande detector and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory using the calculated conversion probabilities, and find that the spectral deformation might have possibility to provide useful information on neutrino magnetic moment as well as magnetic field strength in supernovae.1 1 Reference: S. Ando and K. Sato, Phys. Rev. D 67, 023004 (2003).
6857347
The Gamma-Ray-Flux Probability Distribution Function from Galactic Halo Substructure
One of the targets of the recently launched Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a diffuse gamma-ray background from dark-matter annihilation or decay in the Galactic halo. N-body simulations and theoretical arguments suggest that the dark matter in the Galactic halo may be clumped into substructure, rather than smoothly distributed. Here we propose the gamma-ray-flux probability distribution function (PDF) as a probe of substructure in the Galactic halo. We calculate this PDF for a phenomenological model of halo substructure and determine the regions of the substructure parameter space in which the PDF may be distinguished from the PDF for a smooth distribution of dark matter. In principle, the PDF allows a statistical detection of substructure, even if individual halos cannot be detected. It may also allow detection of substructure on the smallest microhalo mass scales, ∼M⊕, for weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs). Furthermore, it may also provide a method to measure the substructure mass function. However, an analysis that assumes a typical halo substructure model and a conservative estimate of the diffuse background suggests that the substructure PDF may not be detectable in the lifespan of Fermi in the specific case that the WIMP is a neutralino. Nevertheless, for a large range of substructure, WIMP annihilation, and diffuse background models, PDF analysis may provide a clear signature of substructure. PACS numbers: 95.85.Pw, 95.35.+d, 98.35.Gi The Gamma-Ray-Flux PDF from Galactic Halo Substructure 2