https://doi.org/10.1007/s100500070080
Effects of quantum space time foam in the neutrino sector
1
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D-69029, Heidelberg, Germany
2
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380 009, India
* e-mail: heinrich.paes@mpi-hd.mpg.de
Received:
5
June
2000
Published online: 15 August 2000
We discuss violations of CPT and quantum mechanics due to interactions of neutrinos with space-time quantum foam. Neutrinoless double beta decay and oscillations of neutrinos from astrophysical sources (supernovae, active galactic nuclei) are analysed. It is found that the propagation distance is the crucial quantity entering any bounds on EHNS parameters. Thus, while the bounds from neutrinoless double beta decay are not significant, the data of the supernova 1987a imply a bound being several orders of magnitude more stringent than the ones known from the literature. Even more stringent limits may be obtained from the investigation of neutrino oscillations from active galactic nuclei sources, which have an impressive potential for the search of quantum foam interactions in the neutrino sector.
PACS: 04.60.-m Quantum gravity – / 14.60.Pq Neutrino mass and mixing – / 23.40.-s β decay; double β decay; electron and muon capture – / 95.85.Ry Neutrino, muon, pion, and other elementary particles; cosmic rays –
© Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2000