Supernova Model Discrimination with Hyper-Kamiokande

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the Hyper-Kamiokande neutrino detector can accurately differentiate between various supernova models during the initial accretion phase, aiding understanding of supernova explosion mechanisms.

Contribution

The study introduces a high-precision supernova event generator and shows Hyper-Kamiokande's capability to distinguish supernova models within 100 kpc.

Findings

Hyper-Kamiokande can differentiate supernova models with high accuracy.

The detector's response can be simulated for various supernova scenarios.

Model discrimination is effective within 100 kpc distance.

Abstract

Core-collapse supernovae are among the most magnificent events in the observable universe. They produce many of the chemical elements necessary for life to exist and their remnants -- neutron stars and black holes -- are interesting astrophysical objects in their own right. However, despite millennia of observations and almost a century of astrophysical study, the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae is not yet well understood. Hyper-Kamiokande is a next-generation neutrino detector that will be able to observe the neutrino flux from the next galactic core-collapse supernova in unprecedented detail. We focus on the first 500 ms of the neutrino burst, corresponding to the accretion phase, and use a newly-developed, high-precision supernova event generator to simulate Hyper-Kamiokande's response to five different supernova models. We show that Hyper-Kamiokande will be able to distinguish between these models with high accuracy for a supernova at a distance of up to 100 kpc. Once the next galactic supernova happens, this ability will be a powerful tool for guiding simulations towards a precise reproduction of the explosion mechanism observed in nature.