Astrophysical constraints on non-standard coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates how astrophysical neutrino observations can set new bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions, potentially surpassing current experimental limits and providing insights into supernova physics and new mediator particles.

Contribution

It introduces a method to constrain non-standard neutrino interactions using astrophysical neutrino data, improving bounds on mediator mass and coupling with upcoming detectors.

Findings

RES-NOVA and DARWIN can improve bounds on mediator coupling by an order of magnitude.

Astrophysical neutrino detection can constrain mediator masses between 1 and 100 MeV.

Non-standard interactions could affect supernova neutrino trapping, probing new parameter space.

Abstract

The exciting possibility of detecting supernova, solar, and atmospheric neutrinos with coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering detectors is within reach, opening up new avenues to probe New Physics. We explore the possibility of constraining non-standard coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering through astrophysical neutrinos. Sensitivity bounds on the mass and coupling of the new mediator are obtained by inspecting the modifications induced by the new interaction on the recoil rate observable in the upcoming RES-NOVA and DARWIN facilities. Under the assumption of optimal background tagging, the detection of neutrinos from a galactic supernova burst, or one-year exposure to solar and atmospheric neutrinos, will place the most stringent bounds for mediator couplings $g \gtrsim 10^{-5}$ and mediator masses between 1 and 100 MeV. A similar, but slightly improved, potential to COHERENT will be provided for larger mediator masses. In particular, RES-NOVA and DARWIN may potentially provide one order of magnitude tighter constraints than XENON1T on the mediator coupling. Non-standard coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering may also force neutrinos to be trapped in the supernova core; this argument allows to probe the region of the parameter space with $g \gtrsim 10^{-4}$, which is currently excluded by other coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering facilities or other astrophysical and terrestrial constraints.