Neutrino Flavor States and the Quantum Theory of Neutrino Oscillations Available to Purchase

The standard theory of neutrino oscillations is reviewed, highlighting the main assumptions: the definition of the flavor states, the equal‐momentum assumption and the $time = distance$ assumption. It is shown that the standard flavor states are correct approximations of the states that describe neutrinos in oscillation experiments. The equal‐momentum assumption is shown to be unnecessary for the derivation of the oscillation probability. The $time = distance$ assumption derives from the wave‐packet character of the propagating neutrinos. We present a simple quantum‐mechanical wave‐packet model which allows us to describe the coherence and localization of neutrino oscillations.