Kompaneets equation for neutrinos: Application to neutrino heating in supernova explosions

Abstract

We derive a `Kompaneets equation' for neutrinos, which describes how the distribution function of neutrinos interacting with matter deviates from a Fermi-Dirac distribution with zero chemical potential. To this end, we expand the collision integral in the Boltzmann equation of neutrinos up to the second order in energy transfer between matter and neutrinos. The distortion of the neutrino distribution function changes the rate at which neutrinos heat matter, as the rate is proportional to the mean square energy of neutrinos, $E_\nu^2$. For electron-type neutrinos the enhancement in $E_\nu^2$ over its thermal value is given approximately by $E_\nu^2/E_{\nu,\rm thermal}^2=1+0.086(V/0.1)^2$ where $V$ is the bulk velocity of nucleons, while for the other neutrino species the enhancement is $(1+\delta_v)^3$, where $\delta_v=mV^2/3k_BT$ is the kinetic energy of nucleons divided by the thermal energy. This enhancement has a significant implication for supernova explosions, as it would aid neutrino-driven explosions.