title: Neutrino scattering and flavor transformation in supernovae.
abstract: We argue that the small fraction of neutrinos that undergo direction-changing scattering outside of the neutrinosphere could have significant influence on neutrino flavor transformation in core-collapse supernova environments. We show that the standard treatment for collective neutrino flavor transformation is adequate at late times but could be inadequate in early epochs of core-collapse supernovae, where the potentials that govern neutrino flavor evolution are affected by the scattered neutrinos. Taking account of this effect, and the way it couples to entropy and composition, will require a new approach in neutrino flavor transformation modeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friedland
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vlasenko