Abstract The flux spectrum, event rate, and experimental sensitivity are investigated for the diffuse supernova (SN) neutrino background (DSNB), which originates from past stellar collapses and is also known as a supernova relic neutrino background. For this purpose, the contribution of collapses that lead to successful supernova explosion and black hole (BH) formation simultaneously, which are suggested to be a nonnegligible population from the perspective of Galactic chemical evolution, is taken into account. If the BH-forming SNe involve matter fallback onto the protoneutron star for the long term, their total emitted neutrino energy becomes much larger than that of ordinary SNe and failed SNe (BH formation without explosion). Then, in the case of the normal mass hierarchy in neutrino oscillations and with half of all core-collapse SNe being BH-forming SNe, the expected event rate according to the current DSNB model is enhanced by up to a factor of 2 due to the BH-forming SNe. While substantial uncertainties exist regarding the duration of the matter fallback, which determines the total amount of emitted neutrinos, and the fraction of BH-forming SNe, the operation time required to detect the DSNB at Hyper-Kamiokande would be reduced by such contribution in any case.
more »
« less
Review of uncertainties in the cosmic supernova relic neutrino background
We review the computation of and associated uncertainties in the current understanding of the relic neutrino background due to core-collapse supernovae, black hole formation and neutron star merger events. We consider the current status of uncertainties due to the nuclear equation of state (EoS), the progenitor masses, the source supernova neutrino spectrum, the cosmological star formation rate, the stellar initial mass function, neutrino oscillations, and neutrino self-interactions. We summarize the current viability of future neutrino detectors to distinguish the nuclear EoS and the temperature of supernova neutrinos via the detected relic supernova neutrino spectrum.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1927130
- PAR ID:
- 10193277
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Modern Physics Letters A
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 25
- ISSN:
- 0217-7323
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2030011
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Novel neutrino self-interaction can open up viable parameter space for the relic abundance of sterile-neutrino dark matter (S ν DM). In this work, we constrain the relic target using core-collapse supernova which features the same fundamental process and a similar environment to the early universe era when S ν DM is dominantly produced. We present a detailed calculation of the effects of a massive scalar mediated neutrino self-interaction on the supernova cooling rate, including the derivation of the thermal potential in the presence of non-zero chemical potentials from plasma species. Our results demonstrate that the supernova cooling argument can cover the neutrino self-interaction parameter space that complements terrestrial and cosmological probes.more » « less
-
Abstract Neutron stars provide a unique laboratory for studying matter at extreme pressures and densities. While there is no direct way to explore their interior structure, X-rays emitted from these stars can indirectly provide clues to the equation of state (EOS) of the superdense nuclear matter through the inference of the star's mass and radius. However, inference of EOS directly from a star's X-ray spectra is extremely challenging and is complicated by systematic uncertainties. The current state of the art is to use simulation-based likelihoods in a piece-wise method which relies on certain theoretical assumptions and simplifications about the uncertainties. It first infers the star's mass and radius to reduce the dimensionality of the problem, and from those quantities infer the EOS. We demonstrate a series of enhancements to the state of the art, in terms of realistic uncertainty quantification and a path towards circumventing the need for theoretical assumptions to infer physical properties with machine learning. We also demonstrate novel inference of the EOS directly from the high-dimensional spectra of observed stars, avoiding the intermediate mass-radius step. Our network is conditioned on the sources of uncertainty of each star, allowing for natural and complete propagation of uncertainties to the EOS.more » « less
-
Probing self-interacting sterile neutrino dark matter with the diffuse supernova neutrino backgroundThe neutrinos in the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) travel over cosmological distances and this provides them with an excellent opportunity to interact with dark relics. We show that a cosmologically significant relic population of keV-mass sterile neutrinos with strong self-interactions could imprint their presence in the DSNB. The signatures of the self-interactions would be “dips” in the otherwise smooth DSNB spectrum. Upcoming large-scale neutrino detectors, for example Hyper-Kamiokande, have a good chance of detecting the DSNB and these dips. If no dips are detected, this method serves as an independent constraint on the sterile neutrino self-interaction strength and mixing with active neutrinos. We show that relic sterile neutrino parameters that evade x-ray and structure bounds may nevertheless be testable by future detectors like TRISTAN, but may also produce dips in the DSNB which could be detectable. Such a detection would suggest the existence of a cosmologically significant, strongly self-interacting sterile neutrino background, likely embedded in a richer dark sector.more » « less
-
Abstract Binary neutron star mergers (NSMs) have been confirmed as one source of the heaviest observable elements made by the rapid neutron-capture (r-) process. However, modeling NSM outflows—from the total ejecta masses to their elemental yields—depends on the unknown nuclear equation of state (EOS) that governs neutron star structure. In this work, we derive a phenomenological EOS by assuming that NSMs are the dominant sources of the heavy element material in metal-poor stars withr-process abundance patterns. We start with a population synthesis model to obtain a population of merging neutron star binaries and calculate their EOS-dependent elemental yields. Under the assumption that these mergers were responsible for the majority ofr-process elements in the metal-poor stars, we find parameters representing the EOS for which the theoretical NSM yields reproduce the derived abundances from observations of metal-poor stars. For our proof-of-concept assumptions, we find an EOS that is slightly softer than, but still in agreement with, current constraints, e.g., by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, withR1.4= 12.25 ± 0.03 km andMTOV= 2.17 ± 0.03M⊙(statistical uncertainties, neglecting modeling systematics).more » « less
An official website of the United States government

