Turbulent supernova shock waves and the sterile neutrino signature in megaton water detectors
- Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Chhatnag Road, Jhunsi, Allahabad 211 019 (India)
- Rudolf Peierls Center for Theoretical Physiscs, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP (United Kingdom)
The signatures of sterile neutrinos in the supernova neutrino signal in megaton water Cerenkov detectors are studied. Time dependent modulation of the neutrino signal emerging from the sharp changes in the oscillation probability due to shock waves is shown to be a smoking gun for the existence of sterile neutrinos. These modulations and indeed the entire neutrino oscillation signal is found to be different for the case with just three active neutrinos and the cases where there are additional sterile species mixed with the active neutrinos. The effect of turbulence is taken into account and it is found that the effect of the shock waves, while modified, remains significant and measurable. Supernova neutrino signals in water detectors can therefore give unambiguous proof for the existence of sterile neutrinos, the sensitivity extending beyond that for terrestrial neutrino experiments. In addition the time dependent modulations in the signal due to shock waves can be used to trace the evolution of the shock wave inside the supernova.
- OSTI ID:
- 21032326
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 76, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.76.073013; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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