Analysis of matter suppression in collective neutrino oscillations during the supernova accretion phase
The usual description of self-induced neutrino flavor conversions in core collapse supernovae (SNe) is based on the dominance of the neutrino density n_nu over the net electron density n_e. However, this condition is not met during the post-bounce accretion phase, when the dense matter in a SN is piled up above the neutrinosphere. As recently pointed-out, a dominant matter term in the anisotropic SN environment would dephase the flavor evolution for neutrinos traveling on different trajectories, challenging the occurrence of the collective behavior in the dense neutrino gas. Using the results from recent long term simulations of core-collapse SN explosions, based on three flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport in spherical symmetry, we find that both the situations of complete matter suppression (when n_e >> n_nu) and matter-induced decoherence (when n_e \gtrsim n_nu) of flavor conversions are realized during the accretion phase. The matter suppression at high densities prevents any possible impact of the neutrino oscillations on the neutrino heating and hence on the dynamics of the explosion. Furthermore, it changes the interpretation of the Earth matter effect on the SN neutrino signal during the accretion phase, allowing the possibility of the neutrino mass hierarchy discrimination at not too small values of the leptonic mixing angle \theta_{13} (i.e. \sin^2{\theta}_{13} \gtrsim 10^{-3}).

title: Stability analysis of collective neutrino oscillations in the supernova accretion phase with realistic energy and angle distributions
abstract: We revisit our previous results on the matter suppression of self-induced neutrino flavor conversions during a supernova (SN) accretion phase, performing a linearized stability analysis of the neutrino equations of motion, in the presence of realistic SN density profiles. In our previous numerical study, we used a simplified model based on an isotropic neutrino emission with a single typical energy. Here, we take into account realistic neutrino energy and angle distributions. We find that multi-energy effects have a sub-leading impact in the flavor stability of the SN neutrino fluxes with respect to our previous single-energy results. Conversely, realistic forward-peaked neutrino angular distributions would enhance the matter suppression of the self-induced oscillations with respect to an isotropic neutrino emission. As a result, in our models for iron-core SNe, collective flavor conversions have a negligible impact on the characterization of the observable neutrino signal during the accretion phase. Instead, for a low-mass O-Ne-Mg core SN model, with lower matter density profile and less forward-peaked angular distributions, collective conversions are possible also at early times.

title: Upper limit on the cosmic gamma-ray burst rate from high energy diffuse neutrino background
abstract: We derive upper limits on the ratio f{sub GRB/CCSN}(z){identical_to}R{sub GRB}(z)/R{sub CCSN}(z){identical_to}f{sub GRB/CCSN}(0)(1+z){sup {alpha}}, the ratio of the rate, R{sub GRB}, of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to the rate, R{sub CCSN}, of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) in the Universe (z being the cosmological redshift and {), by using the upper limit on the diffuse TeV-PeV neutrino background given by the AMANDA-II experiment in the South Pole, under the assumption that GRBs are sources of TeV-PeV neutrinos produced from decay of charged pions produced in p{gamma} interaction of protons accelerated to ultrahigh energies at internal shocks within GRB jets. For the assumed ''concordance model'' of cosmic star formation rate, R{sub SF}, with R{sub CCSN}(z){proportional_to}R{sub SF}(z), our conservative upper limits are f{sub GRB/CCSN}(0){ =}1, already more restrictive than) the current upper limit on this ratio inferred from other astronomical considerations, thus providing a useful independent probe of and constraint on the CCSN-GRB connection. Nondetection of a diffuse TeV-PeV neutrino background by the upcoming IceCube detector in the South Pole after three years of operation, for example, will bring down the upper limit on f{sub GRB/CCSN}(0)more » to below a few x10{sup -5} level, while a detection will confirm the hypothesis of proton acceleration to ultrahigh energies in GRBs and will potentially also yield the true rate of occurrence of these events in the Universe.« less

title: Stringent constraint on neutrino Lorentz-invariance violation from the two IceCube PeV neutrinos
abstract: LAPTh,  As a consequence, particles may not travel at the universal speed of light. Inparticular, superluminal extragalactic neutrinos would rapidly lose energy via the bremssthralung ofelectron-positron pairs (ν → ν e

title: On the Observability of Collective Flavor Oscillations in Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background
abstract: Collective flavor oscillations are known to bring multiple splits in the supernova (SN) neutrino and antineutrino spectra. These spectral splits depend not only on the mass hierarchy of the neutrinos but also on the initial relative flux composition. Observation of spectral splits in a future galactic supernova signal is expected to throw light on the mass hierarchy pattern of the neutrinos. However, since the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background (DSNB) comprises of a superposition of neutrino fluxes from all past supernovae, and since different supernovae are expected to have slightly different initial fluxes, it is pertinent to check if the hierarchy dependent signature of collective oscillations can survive this averaging of the flux spectra. Since the actual distribution of SN with initial relative flux spectra of the neutrinos and antineutrinos is unknown, we assume a log-normal distribution for them. We study the dependence of the hierarchy sensitivity to the mean and variance of the log-normal distribution function. We find that the hierarchy sensitivity depends crucially on the mean value of the relative initial luminosity. The effect of the width is to reduce the hierarchy sensitivity for all values of the mean initial relative luminosity. We find that in the very small mixing angle ( θ 13 ) limit considering only statistical errors even for very moderate values of variance, there is almost no detectable hierarchy sensitivity if the mean relative luminosities of ν e and ν ¯ e are greater than 1.

title: Observing supernova neutrino light curve in future dark matter detectors
abstract: The possibility of observing supernova (SN) neutrinos through the process of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CENNS) in future ton scale detectors designed primarily for direct detection of dark matter is investigated. In particular, we focus on the possibility of distinguishing the various phases of the SN neutrino emission. The neutrino emission rates from the recent long term Basel/Darmstadt simulations are used to calculate the expected event rates. The recent state-of-the-art SN simulations predict closer fluxes among different neutrino flavors and lower average energies compared to the earlier simulation models. We find that our estimated total event rates are typically a factor of two lower than those predicted using older simulation models. We further find that, with optimistic assumptions on the detector's time resolution (~ 10 ms) and energy threshold (~ 0.1 keV), the neutrinos associated with the accretion phase of the SN can in principle be demarcated out with, for example, a 10-ton Xe detector, although distinguishing the neutrinos associated with the neutronization burst phase of the explosion would typically require several tens of ton detectors. We also comment on the possibility of studying the properties of non-electron flavor neutrinos from the CENNS of SN neutrinos.

title: 7 keV sterile neutrino dark matter in U(1)R-lepton number model
abstract: A bstractWe study the phenomenology of a keV sterile neutrino in a supersymmetric model with U(1)R-lepton number in the light of a very recent observation of an X-ray line signal at around 3.5 keV, detected in the X-ray spectra of Andromeda galaxy and various galaxy clusters including the Perseus galaxy cluster. This model not only provides a small tree level mass to one of the active neutrinos but also renders a suitable warm dark matter candidate in the form of a sterile neutrino with negligible active-sterile mixing. Light neutrino masses and mixing can be explained once one-loop radiative corrections are taken into account. The scalar sector of this model can accommodate a Higgs boson with a mass of ∼125 GeV. In this model gravitino is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and we also study the cosmological implications of this light gravitino with mass ∼OGeV$$ \sim \mathcal{O}\left(\mathrm{GeV}\right) $$.

title: Schwarzschild Solution on the Brane
abstract: In this paper it is shown that Schwarzschild solution is possible in brane world for some specific choices of brane matter and the non-local effects from the bulk. A conformally flat bulk space time with fine-tuned vacuum energy (brane tension) shows that Schwarzschild solution may also be the vacuum solution for brane world scenario.

title: Higgs boson mass, neutrino masses and mixing and keV dark matter in an U(1)R − lepton number model
abstract: A bstractWe discuss neutrino masses and mixing in the framework of a supersymmetric model with an U(1)R symmetry, consisting of a single right handed neutrino superfield with an appropriate R charge. The lepton number (L) of the standard model fermions are identified with the negative of their R-charges. As a result, a subset of leptonic R-parity violating operators can be present and are consistent with the U(1)R symmetry. This model can produce one light Dirac neutrino mass at the tree level without the need of introducing a very small neutrino Yukawa coupling. We analyze the scalar sector of this model in detail paying special attention to the mass of the lightest Higgs boson. One of the sneutrinos might acquire a substantial vacuum expectation value leading to interesting phenomenological consequences. Different sum rules involving the physical scalar masses are obtained and we show that the lightest Higgs boson mass receives a contribution proportional to the square of the neutrino Yukawa coupling f. This allows for a 125 GeV Higgs boson at the tree level for f ~ $ \mathcal{O}(1) $ and still having a small tree level mass for the active neutrino. In order to fit the experimental results involving neutrino masses and mixing angles we introduce a small breaking of U(1)R symmetry, in the context of anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking. In the presence of this small R-symmetry breaking, light neutrino masses receive contributions at the one-loop level involving the R-parity violating interactions. We also identify the right handed neutrino as a warm dark matter candidate in our model. In the case of R-symmetry breaking, the large f case is characterized by a few hundred MeV lightest neutralino as an unstable lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and we brieflydiscuss the cosmological implications of such a scenario.

title: Emergent Universe in Brane World Scenario
abstract: A model of an emergent universe is obtained in brane world. Here the bulk energy is in the form of cosmological constant, while the brane consists of the Chaplygin gas with the modified equation of state such as $p=A\rho-B/\rho$. Initially the brane matter for the special choice $A=1/3$ may have negative or positive pressure depending on the relative magnitudes of the parameter $B$ and the cosmological constant of the bulk, while asymptotically in future the brane world approaches a $\Lambda$CDM model.

title: Matter in the Bulk and its Consequences on the Brane: A Possible Source of Dark Energy
abstract: The usual brane world scenario with anti de Sitter bulk has been generalized by considering a general form of energy momentum tensor in the bulk. The modified Einstein equation on the brane has been constructed. Two examples have been cited of which, the first one shows the usual brane equations when matter in the bulk is a negative cosmological constant. In the second example, the bulk matter is in the form of perfect fluid and as a result, an effective perfect fluid is obtained in the brane. Also it is noted that the effect of the dust bulk on the brane shows a dark energy behaviour and may be a possible explanation of the dark energy from the present day observational point of view.