Supernova neutrino three-flavor evolution with dominant collective effects

TL;DR

This paper models supernova neutrino flavor evolution considering three flavors and collective effects, revealing spectral splits in the fluxes that impact detection predictions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive three-flavor analysis of supernova neutrino evolution with collective effects, including spectral splits over a wide time span.

Findings

Spectral splits dominate the energy domain of final fluxes.

Three-family features are minor or unobservable.

Results aid supernova neutrino detection simulations.

Abstract

Neutrino and antineutrino fluxes from a core-collapse galactic supernova are studied, within a representative three-flavor scenario with inverted mass hierarchy and tiny 1-3 mixing. The initial flavor evolution is dominated by collective self-interaction effects, which are computed in a full three-family framework along an averaged radial trajectory. During the whole time span considered (t=1-20 s), neutrino and antineutrino spectral splits emerge as dominant features in the energy domain for the final, observable fluxes. Some minor or unobservable three-family features (e.g., related to the muonic-tauonic flavor sector) are also discussed for completeness. The main results can be useful for SN event rate simulations in specific detectors.