Neutrino secret self-interactions: the dark horse of particle physics

Secret self-interactions among neutrinos, mediated by a new scalar or vector boson, can exist in many theories beyond the Standard Model. These non-standard self-interactions are extremely difficult to probe in terrestrial laboratories owing to the elusive nature of neutrinos. However, Nature provides some natural laboratories, such as the early Universe, and compact objects, where large self-interactions of neutrinos can wreak havoc and provide some smoking-gun signals. In this talk, I will discuss the implications of such self-interactions in the context of the early Universe, focusing especially on models of sterile neutrino warm dark matter. I will also discuss some exciting signatures these self-interactions leave behind in compact objects like core-collapse supernovae. 

 

 

Webex link: https://asmeet.webex.com/asmeet/j.php?MTID=ma98ae042646e505dcad48afc176f9b77