English

The MSW Effect in Quantum Field Theory

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2009-10-31 v1 Astrophysics

Abstract

We show in detail the general relationship between the Schr\"{o}dinger equation approach to calculating the MSW effect and the quantum field theoretical S-matrix approach. We show the precise form a generic neutrino propagator must have to allow a physically meaningful ``oscillation probability'' to be decoupled from neutrino production fluxes and detection cross-sections, and explicitly list the conditions---not realized in cases of current experimental interest---in which the field theory approach would be useful.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-ph/9904291,
  title  = {The MSW Effect in Quantum Field Theory},
  author = {Christian Y. Cardall and Daniel J. H. Chung},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-ph/9904291},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

20 page REVTeX file, submitted to Phys. Rev. D