Neutrino Signals of Core-Collapse Supernovae in Underground Detectors

TL;DR

This paper models neutrino signals from core-collapse supernovae during the first second after bounce, predicting observable features in underground detectors that reveal explosion dynamics and progenitor characteristics.

Contribution

It provides detailed predictions of neutrino light curves for multiple supernova models, incorporating oscillation effects and progenitor variations, to interpret supernova explosion signatures.

Findings

Detection ranges for supernova neutrinos are estimated for various detectors.

Distinct neutrino signal features can identify explosion or non-explosion scenarios.

Multiple detectors together can reveal supernova internal dynamics.

Abstract

For a suite of fourteen core-collapse models during the dynamical first second after bounce, we calculate the detailed neutrino "light" curves expected in the underground neutrino observatories Super-Kamiokande, DUNE, JUNO, and IceCube. These results are given as a function of neutrino-oscillation modality (normal or inverted hierarchy) and progenitor mass (specifically, post-bounce accretion history), and illuminate the differences between the light curves for 1D (spherical) models that don't explode with the corresponding 2D (axisymmetric) models that do. We are able to identify clear signatures of explosion (or non-explosion), the post-bounce accretion phase, and the accretion of the silicon/oxygen interface. In addition, we are able to estimate the supernova detection ranges for various physical diagnostics and the distances out to which various temporal features embedded in the light curves might be discerned. We find that the progenitor mass density profile and supernova dynamics during the dynamical explosion stage should be identifiable for a supernova throughout most of the galaxy in all the facilities studied and that detection by any one of them, but in particular more than one in concert, will speak volumes about the internal dynamics of supernovae.