Neutrino Oscillations in Low Density Medium

Abstract
We have solved the evolution equation for neutrinos in a low density medium, VΔm2/2E, where V is the matter potential, developing the perturbation theory in ϵ2VE/Δm2. Simple and physically transparent formulas for the oscillation probabilities have been derived in the lowest order in ϵ which are valid for an arbitrary density profile. The formulas can be applied for propagation of the solar and supernova neutrinos in matter of the Earth, substantially simplifying numerical calculations. Using these formulas we study sensitivity of the oscillations to structures of the density profile situated at different distances d from a detector. For the mass-to-flavor transitions, e.g., ν2νe, we have found the attenuation effect: a decrease of the sensitivity to remote structures, d>lνE/ΔE, where lν is the oscillation length and ΔE/E is the energy resolution of a detector.