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Open system approach to neutrinos propagating in an ultralight scalar background

Lua F. T. Airoldi1,2,*, Gustavo F. S. Alves2,3,†, Pedro A. N. Machado2,‡, and Peter Vander Griend2,4,§

  • *Contact author: lua.airoldi@usp.br
  • †Contact author: gustavo.alves@northwestern.edu
  • ‡Contact author: pmachado@fnal.gov
  • §Contact author: peter.vandergriend@uky.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 015043 – Published 28 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rh5j-fvry

Abstract

We examine decoherence in neutrino oscillations induced by an ultralight scalar field coupled to neutrinos. The scalar induces time- and position-dependent shifts in the neutrino mass matrix. Neutrinos sample different field configurations throughout an experimental data-taking period, which leads to damping effects in the oscillation pattern in the form of decoherence. By recasting the neutrino-scalar dynamics within the open quantum systems framework, we establish a mapping between a complete model and phenomenological decoherence approaches. We find that the parameter driving decoherence scales as L2/E2, where L is the baseline and E is the neutrino energy, as opposed to L/E typically assumed in phenomenological studies of open system approaches to neutrino oscillations.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 015043– Published 28 July, 2026
  • Received 9 March 2026
  • Accepted 23 June 2026
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