Supernova Neutrino Nucleosynthesis of Light Elements with Neutrino Oscillations

Abstract

Light element synthesis in supernovae through neutrino-nucleus interactions, i.e., the nu-process, is affected by neutrino oscillations in the supernova environment. There is a resonance of 13-mixing in the O/C layer, which increases the rates of charged-current nu-process reactions in the outer He-rich layer. The yields of 7Li and 11B increase by about a factor of 1.9 and 1.3, respectively, for a normal mass hierarchy and an adiabatic 13-mixing resonance, compared to those without neutrino oscillations. In the case of an inverted mass hierarchy and a non-adiabatic 13-mixing resonance, the increase in the 7Li and 11B yields is much smaller. Observations of the 7Li/11B ratio in stars showing signs of supernova enrichment could thus provide a unique test of neutrino oscillations and constrain their parameters and the mass hierarchy.