A.V. Kuznetsov, N.V. Mikheev, A.A. Okrugin
Plasma induced neutrino chirality flip in a supernova core and a bound on the Dirac neutrino magnetic moment
Zhurnal Eksperimental'noi i Teoreticheskoi Fiziki,
2010, V. 138, No. 1 (7), pp. 80-92
[Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, 2010, V. 111, No. 1, pp. 70-81].
Abstract
The neutrino helicity-flip process under the conditions of the supernova core where the produced left-handed neutrinos
could convert due to the magnetic moment interaction into the right-handed neutrinos being sterile with respect to the weak
interaction, is investigated. The probability of the neutrino-helicity conversion scattering off plasma components is calculated
with taking account of the polarization effects on the photon propagator caused by both electrons and protons.
An upper bound on the Dirac neutrino magnetic moment averaged over both flavors and time is obtained from the condition of the
limited influence of the right-handed neutrino emission on the duration of the SN core cooling. The analysis is based
on realistic models for radial distributions and time evolution of physical parameters in the SN core.