New test of supernova electron neutrino emission using Sudbury Neutrino Observatory sensitivity to the diffuse supernova neutrino background
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States)
Supernovae are rare nearby, but they are not rare in the Universe, and all past core-collapse supernovae contributed to the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB), for which the near-term detection prospects are very good. The Super-Kamiokande limit on the DSNB electron antineutrino flux, {phi}(E{sub {nu}}>19.3 MeV)<1.2 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, is just above the range of recent theoretical predictions based on the measured star formation rate history. We show that the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory should be able to test the corresponding DSNB electron-neutrino flux with a sensitivity as low as {phi}(22.5<E{sub {nu}}<32.5 MeV){approx_equal}6 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, improving the existing Mont Blanc limit by about 3 orders of magnitude. While conventional supernova models predict comparable electron-neutrino and antineutrino fluxes, it is often considered that the first (and forward-directed) SN 1987A event in the Kamiokande-II detector should be attributed to electron-neutrino scattering with an electron, which would require a substantially enhanced electron-neutrino flux. We show that, with the required enhancements in either the burst or thermal phase {nu}{sub e} fluxes, the DSNB electron-neutrino flux would generally be detectable in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. A direct experimental test could then resolve one of the enduring mysteries of SN 1987A: whether the first Kamiokande-II event reveals a serious misunderstanding of supernova physics or was simply an unlikely statistical fluctuation. Thus the electron-neutrino sensitivity of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is an important complement to the electron antineutrino sensitivity of Super-Kamiokande in the quest to understand the DSNB.
- OSTI ID:
- 20771399
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics, Vol. 73, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.73.035807; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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