Supernova neutrinos and the neutrino masses.
Abstract
Core-collapse supernovae emit of order 1058 neutrinos and antineutrinos of all flavors over several seconds, with average energies of 10 - 25 MeV. In the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), a future Galactic supernova at a distance of 10 kpc would cause several hundred events. The νμ and ντ neutrinos and antineutrinos are of particular interest, as a test of the supernova mechanism. In addition, it is possible to measure or limit their masses by their delay (determined from neutral-current events) relative to the ν¯e neutrinos (determined from charged-current events). Numerical results are presented for such a future supernova as seen in SNO. Under reasonable assumptions, and in the presence of the expected counting statistics, a νμ or ντ mass down to about 30 eV can be simply and robustly determined. This seems to be the best technique for direct measurement of these masses.
- Publication:
-
Revista Mexicana de Fisica
- Pub Date:
- October 1999
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:hep-ph/9901300
- Bibcode:
- 1999RMxF...45...36B
- Keywords:
-
- Neutrinos: Supernovae;
- Neutrinos: Masses;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- Astrophysics;
- High Energy Physics - Experiment;
- Nuclear Experiment;
- Nuclear Theory
- E-Print:
- 8 pages including two figures. Invited talk at the 22nd Symposium on Nuclear Physics, Oaxtepec, Morelos, Mexico, 5-8 Jan. 1999