Exploring New Approaches to Neutrino Flavor Transport

Because neutrino oscillations and hydrodynamics act on vastly different scales, neutrino flavor mixing has only recently entered simulations of core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers, and then only through approximate approaches. Several new methods for modelling neutrino flavor transport have been developed largely in isolation, leaving open questions about their validity and compatibility: whether the mean-field approach is well founded in an underlying many-body theory, which components of the many-body Hamiltonian must be treated, and whether the relevant length scales warrant a Boltzmann-like treatment of neutrino radiation. This Institute for Nuclear Theory workshop (INT-27-97W) brings together experts in neutrino oscillations and astrophysical simulation to assess the state of the art and current assumptions, to reconcile or unify the approaches, and to connect oscillation theorists with simulation groups so that flavor conversion can be implemented self-consistently in the next generation of supernova and merger simulations, with consequences for heavy-element nucleosynthesis. Each day has two morning talks followed by afternoon discussion, with a mid-week poster session for students and postdocs; it is an in-person workshop, virtual participants may be accommodated case by case, and a registration fee may apply.