Neutrino masses and ordering via multimessenger astronomy

TL;DR

This paper explores how multimessenger astronomy, combining neutrino and gravitational wave observations, can help determine neutrino masses and their hierarchy, emphasizing the importance of timing precision and detector scale.

Contribution

It establishes a theoretical framework and assesses the feasibility of using multi-messenger signals to measure neutrino properties with upcoming large-scale detectors.

Findings

Future detectors can test cosmological neutrino mass bounds

Timing resolution and event rates are critical for success

Megaton-scale detectors are necessary for meaningful measurements

Abstract

We define the theoretical framework and deduce the conditions under which multi-messenger astronomy can provide useful information about neutrino masses and their ordering. The framework uses time differences between the arrival of neutrinos and the other light messenger, i.e. the graviton, emitted in astrophysical catastrophes. We also provide a preliminary feasibility study elucidating the experimental reach and challenges for planned neutrino detectors such as Hyper-Kamiokande as well as future several megaton detectors. This study shows that future experiments can be useful in testing independently the cosmological bounds on absolute neutrino masses. Concretely the success of such measurements depends crucially on the available rate of astrophysical events and further requires development of high resolution timing besides the advocated need of megaton size detectors.