Connection between flavor-mixing of cosmologically significant neutrinos and heavy element nucleosynthesis in supernovae

Yong Zhong Qian, George M. Fuller, Grant J. Mathews, Ron W. Mayle, James R. Wilson, S. E. Woosley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

215 Scopus citations

Abstract

We use heavy element nucleosynthesis from supernovae to probe the mixing of νe with ντ (or νμ) possessing cosmologically significant masses (1 to 100 eV). We conclude that the ντ(νμ)-νe vacuum mixing angle must satisfy sin22θ<10-5, in order to ensure that r-process heavy elements can be produced in neutrino-heated supernova ejecta. Mixing at a level exceeding this limit precludes r-process nucleosynthesis in this site.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1965-1968
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume71
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - 1993

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