English

Theory of Neutrino Detection -- Flavor Oscillations and Weak Values

Quantum Physics 2022-05-26 v2 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

We show that, in the relativistic limit, the quantum theory of neutrino oscillations can be described through the theory of weak measurements with pre and post-selection. The weak nature of neutrino detection allows simultaneous determination of flavor and energy without problems related to the collapse of the wavefunction. Together with post-selection, a non-trivial quantum interference emerges, allowing one to describe a flavor neutrino as one single particle, despite its superposition of masses. We write down the flavor equation of motion and calculate the flavor oscillation probability by showing precisely how a single neutrino interferes with itself.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2002.07914,
  title  = {Theory of Neutrino Detection -- Flavor Oscillations and Weak Values},
  author = {Yago P. Porto-Silva and Marcos C. de Oliveira},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2002.07914},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

21 pages, 5 figures, references added