Neutrinos in Physics and Astrophysics

Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. The Neutrino Story
	1.1 The hypothetical particle
	1.2 The vampire
	1.3 The trilogy
	1.4 The gauge theory
	1.5 Neutrinos in astrophysics and cosmology
	Suggested exercises:
	Recommended reading:
2. Neutrino Interactions and Detection Techniques
	2.1 Neutrino cross sections
		2.1.1 Neutrino–lepton interactions
		2.1.2 Low energy neutrino interactions with nucleons and nuclei
		2.1.3 Neutrino interactions with nucleons at high energies
		2.1.4 The W and Z resonances
	2.2 Neutrino detection techniques
	Suggested exercises
	Recommended reading
3. Neutrino Masses and Mixings
	3.1 Charged fermion masses and quark mixing
	3.2 The Dirac equation
	3.3 The antiparticle field
	3.4 Dirac, Weyl and Majorana spinors
	3.5 Neutrino masses
		3.5.1 Dirac neutrino masses
		3.5.2 Majorana neutrino masses
	3.6 Experimental signatures of Majorana neutrinos
	3.7 Neutrino mixing
	Suggested exercises:
4. Neutrino Oscillations
	4.1 Neutrino oscillations in vacuum
	4.2 Neutrino oscillations in matter
	4.3 Averaged neutrino oscillations
	4.4 Quantum mechanical decoherence
	4.5 Status of the determination of the neutrino masses and mixings
	Suggested exercises:
5. Solar Neutrinos
	5.1 The Sun: observational facts and theoretical expectations
	5.2 Nuclear reactions and the production of solar neutrinos
	5.3 Observations of solar neutrinos and inferred neutrino properties
	5.4 Impact of solar neutrinos on our understanding of the Sun
	Suggested exercises:
	Recommended reading:
6. Geoneutrinos
	6.1 The internal heat of the Earth
	6.2 Main radioactive decays in the Earth
	6.3 Expected antineutrino uxe
	6.4 Observational results and issues at stake
	Suggested exercises:
7. Supernova Neutrinos
	7.1 Generalities about core collapse supernovae
	7.2 Expectations for the neutrino emission
	7.3 The observable neutrino signal
	7.4 SN1987A
	7.5 Neutrinos from the next Galactic supernova
	7.6 Diffuse supernova neutrino background
	7.7 Pre-supernova neutrinos
	Suggested exercises:
	Recommended reading:
8. Atmospheric Neutrinos
	8.1 The oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos
	8.2 Oscillations inside the Earth and the oscillograms
	8.3 The high-energy atmospheric neutrino fluxes
	8.4 The cascade equations
	Suggested exercises:
	Recommended reading:
9. High-energy Astrophysical Neutrinos
	9.1 High-energy neutrino production
		9.1.1 The cosmic-ray connection
		9.1.2 The pp and pγ mechanisms of neutrino production
		9.1.3 Connection between neutrino and gamma-ray astronomies
		9.1.4 Connection between neutrino and cosmic-ray fluxes
	9.2 The search for the astrophysical neutrinos
	9.3 The event topologies
		9.3.1 The throughgoing muons
		9.3.2 The cascades
		9.3.3 Double bangs and double pulses
		9.3.4 The starting events
		9.3.5 The Glashow resonance
	9.4 The measured astrophysical neutrino spectrum
	9.5 Neutrino attenuation by the Earth
	9.6 Effects of astrophysical neutrino oscillations and the flavor triangle
	9.7 Other searches and outlook
	Suggested exercises:
10. Neutrinos in Cosmology
	10.1 The neutrino decoupling
	10.2 Cosmological bounds on neutrino masses
	10.3 Big Bang nucleosynthesis and neutrinos
	10.4 Neutrinos and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe
	Suggested excercises:
	Recommended reading:
Bibliography