Note on Thermalization of Non-resonantly Produced Sterile Neutrinos

Abstract

Using an analytic treatment, we discuss the parameter regions of large active-sterile neutrino mixing angles where sterile neutrinos produced in non-resonant flavour oscillations can approach thermalization in several cosmologies. We show that thermalization affects only large active-sterile neutrino mixing already rejected by different limits. Hence, the allowed sterile neutrino parameter regions are unaffected.

Comments: 15 pages, 2 figures; v2: improved treatment of smaller sterile mass regions, added CMB limits