Neutrino effects in two-body electron-capture measurements at GSI

Avraham Gal

Published 2008-09-07, updated 2010-05-30Version 7

Oscillatory behavior of electron capture rates in the two-body decay of hydrogen-like ions into recoil ions plus undetected neutrinos, with a period of approximately 7 s, was reported in storage ring single-ion experiments at the GSI Laboratory, Darmstadt. Ivanov and Kienle [PRL 103, 062502 (2009)] have relegated this period to neutrino masses through neutrino mixing in the final state. New arguments are given here against this interpretation, while suggesting that these `GSI Oscillations' may be related to neutrino spin precession in the static magnetic field of the storage ring. This scenario requires a Dirac neutrino magnetic moment six times smaller than the Borexino solar neutrino upper limit 0.54 x 10E(-10) of the Bohr magneton [PRL 101, 091302 (2008)], and its consequences are explored.