Coherent Neutrino Scattering and Stellar Collapse

Abstract

Freedman has shown that coherency and the neutral current theory of neutrinos imply a scattering cross section for neutrinos off heavy nuclei proportional to the square of the atomic weight. The collapse of an iron-core star produces a hot neutron star surrounded by a thin iron layer. Because of the large scattering rate in the outer layer, neutrinos from the hot neutron core are able to accelerate the iron layer to above escape velocity.