Mass varying neutrinos in supernovae

Abstract

We study the consequences on the neutrino oscillation parameter space, mixing angle (tan2θ), and vacuum mass difference (Δm02) when mass varying neutrino (MaVaN) models are assumed in a supernova environment. We consider electronic to sterile channels ν e→νs and ν̄e→ν ̄s in two-flavor scenario. In a given model of MaVaN mechanism, we induce a position-dependent effective mass difference, Δm2(r), where r is the distance from the supernova core, that changes the neutrino and antineutrino flavor conversion probabilities. We study the constraints on the mixing angle and vacuum mass difference coming from r-process and the SN1987A data. Our result is the appearance of a new exclusion region for very small mixing angles, tan2θ=10-6-10-2, and small vacuum mass difference, Δm02=1-20eV2, due the MaVaN mechanism. © 2011 American Physical Society.