Nuclear spin isospin responses for low-energy neutrinos

Nuclear spin isospin responses for low-energy neutrinos of current astroparticle physics interests are briefly reviewed. Neutrinos are key particles for new particle physics beyond the standard electro-weak theory, and sensitive probes for studying stellar evolution and astronuclear processes. Low-energy neutrinos with energies of E-v similar or equal to 0.1-50 MeV have been studied extensively by using nuclei as micro-laboratories. Nuclear weak processes involved are vector and axial-vector weak interactions. Accordingly, nuclear isospin and spin isospin responses for neutrinos are crucial for studying neutrinos through nuclear weak processes. Nuclei show spin isospin responses characteristic of nuclear spin isospin structures. Nuclear spin isospin responses are investigated by relevant electromagnetic and hadronic processes. Subjects discussed include nuclear spin isospin responses for neutrinos and spin isospin giant resonances, hadronic charge-exchange spin-flip and non spin-flip reactions used for studying nuclear spin isospin responses, nuclear responses for neutrinos associated with double beta decays, nuclear spin isospin responses for solar neutrinos, and nuclear responses for supernova and accelerator-based neutrinos. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.