Neutrino oscillations and the effect of the finite lifetime of the neutrino source - art. no. 033001

We consider a neutrino source at rest and discuss a condition for the exist ence of neutrino oscillations which derives from the finite lifetime tau(s) of the neutrino source particle. This condition is present if the neutrino source is a free particle such that its wave function is nonstationary. Fo r a Gaussian wave function and with some simplifying assumptions, we study the modification of the usual oscillation probability stemming from tau(s) In the present accelerator experiments the effect of tau(s) can be neglecte d. We discuss some experimental situations where the source lifetime become s relevant in the oscillation formula.