Lagrangian formulation for neutrino-plasma interactions

A Lagrangian formalism is used to derive coupled nonlinear equations for co llective interactions between an intense neutrino flux and a relativistic c old plasma fluid with multiple particle species. In order to focus on the s elf-consistent (collective) treatment of neutrino-plasma interactions, quan tum effects are ignored throughout and the (spinless) neutrinos are represe nted by a complex-valued Klein-Gordon scalar field. Through the application of Noether's method, the conservation laws for energy, momentum and wave a ction are derived explicitly. The transfer of energy, momentum and wave act ion between the neutrinos and the electromagnetic-plasma is discussed in th e context of astrophysical applications (e.g., type II supernova explosions ). (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(99)01104-0].