Hi @Orobruin:
Orodruin said:
The PMNS matrix is not a matrix of probabilities, it is a mixing matrix. The PMNS matrix is equally applicable to Majorana and Dirac neutrinos, with some additional physical phases for Majorana neutrinos.
(underlining is mine)
Here is another quote from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontecorvo–Maki–Nakagawa–Sakata_matrix#Parameterization .
The PMNS matrix describes the amplitude that a neutrino of given flavor α will be found in mass eigenstate i. The probability that a neutrino of a given flavor α to be found in mass eigenstate i is proportional to |Uαi|2 (underlining is mine)
I am not certain how to reconcile the first underlined text from above quote from your post with the underlined text from Wikipedia quote. Are you simply making the technical distinction between an amplitude and it's absolute value square, that is, a probability. I am also not sure I understand exactly what you mean by "equally applicable" in the second underlined text from your post quote. Does this mean the following?
The form of the PMNS matrix can be applied equally well to both Dirac and Majorana neutrinos, but for the Majorana neutrinos some additional terms representng additional physical phases need to be included. Therefore the values of the matrix components would not be the same.
The following
concept is the reason I have made the interpretation in the above text. Dirac and Majorana neutrinos are
not two differnt kinds of neutrinos, both of which existing in our real universe. Rather, they are two different theorectical possibilies regarding the nature of real neutrinos. Therefore, it would not make sense that a matrix of specific amplitude values would be applicable for both theories. Your post was helpful to me thinking about the question I asked in my previous post, and arriving at this
concept. I believe my problem in understanding the Wikiedia quote in my previous post was a matter of what I see as ambiguous use of language, a common problem for me in learning from Wikikpedia articles.
Orodruin said:
I suggest you pick up a basic book in quantum mechanics before even attempting questions regarding neutrino oscillations.
I think this is an excellent suggesion. I have asked my town library to get a copy for me of
Quantum mechanics : the theoretical minimum by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman, and it is currently in transit from another library. I expect to start learning from it in a few days. This book was recommended by someone on the forum when I requested a suggestion, but I can't find that post now, so I can't tell you who made the recommendation.
Thanks for your post,
Buzz