RESONANT SPIN-FLAVOR PRECESSION OF NEUTRINOS AND PULSAR VELOCITIES

Young pulsars are known to exhibit large space velocities, up to 10(3) km/s. We propose a new mechanism for the generation of these large ve locities based on an asymmetric emission of neutrinos during the super nova explosion. The mechanism involves the resonant spin-flavor preces sion of neutrinos with a transition magnetic moment in the magnetic fi eld of the supernova. The asymmetric emission of neutrinos is due to t he distortion of the resonance surface by matter polarization effects in the supernova magnetic field. The requisite values of the field str engths and neutrino parameters are estimated for various neutrino conv ersions caused by their Dirac or Majorana-type transition magnetic mom ents. [S0556-2821(97)03722-3].