2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/192894The production of a sterile species via active-sterile mixing in a thermal medium is studied in an exactly solvable model. The \emph{exact} time evolution of the sterile distribution function is determined by the dispersion relations and damping rates $Γ_{1,2}$ for the quasiparticle modes. These depend on $\wtg = Γ_{aa}/2ΔE$, with $Γ_{aa}$ the interaction rate of the active species in absence of mixing and $ΔE$ the oscillation frequency in the medium without damping. $\wtg \ll1,\wtg \gg 1$ describe the weak and strong damping limits respectively. For $\wtg\ll1$, $Γ_1 = Γ_{aa}\cos^2\tm ; Γ_{2}=Γ_{aa}\sin^2\tm$ where $\tm$ is the mixing angle in the medium and the sterile distribution function \emph{does not} obey a simple rate equation. For $\wtg \gg 1$, $Γ_1= Γ_{aa}$ and $Γ_2 = Γ_{aa} \sin^22\tm/4\wtg^2$, is the sterile production rate. In this regime sterile production is suppressed and the oscillation frequency \emph{vanishes} at an MSW resonance, with a breakdown of adiabaticity. These are consequences of quantum Zeno suppression. For active neutrinos with standard model interactions the strong damping limit is \emph{only} available near an MSW resonance \emph{if} $\sinθ\lesssim α_w$ with $θ$ the vacuum mixing angle. The full set of quantum kinetic equations for sterile production for arbitrary $\wtg$ are obtained from the quantum master equation. Cosmological resonant sterile neutrino production is quantum Zeno suppressed relieving potential uncertainties associated with the QCD phase transition.To appear in Phys. Rev. DHigh Energy Physics - Phenomenologytext