Neutrino oscillations and gamma-ray bursts

If the ordinary neutrinos oscillate into a sterile flavor in a manner consi stent with the Super-Kamiokande data on the zenith-angle dependence of atmo spheric mu-neutrino flux, an energy sufficient to power a typical cosmic ga mma-ray burst (GRB) (similar to 10(52) ergs) can be carried away from the s ource by sterile neutrinos and deposited in a region relatively free of bar yons. Hence, ultrarelativistic bulk motion (required by the theory and obse rvations of GRBs and their afterglows) can be achieved in the vicinity of p lausible sources of GRBs. Oscillations between sterile and ordinary neutrin os might, therefore, provide a solution to the "baryon-loading problem" in the theory of GRBs.