High-Energy Neutrinos from Cosmic-Ray Scatterings with Supernova Neutrinos

TL;DR

This paper explores a new mechanism where cosmic-ray interactions with supernova neutrinos produce high-energy neutrinos, potentially detectable by telescopes and sensitive to new physics beyond the Standard Model.

Contribution

It introduces a novel flux of high-energy neutrinos from cosmic-ray and supernova neutrino interactions, and discusses how this can constrain new physics at TeV scales.

Findings

Potential detectability of the neutrino flux with current telescopes.

Enhanced cross sections at TeV energies could reveal new physics.

Constraints on proton-neutrino interactions at ultra-high energies.

Abstract

Cosmic rays scattering with neutrinos produced in supernovae induce a flux of supernova neutrinos boosted to high energies. We calculate the neutrino flux arising from this new mechanism in environments with large cosmic-ray and supernova densities, such as some Active Galactic Nuclei. Under plausible astrophysical conditions, this flux may be detectable with high-energy neutrino telescopes, just considering the proton-neutrino scattering cross section expected in the Standard Model. Furthermore, the center of mass energy of such scatterings can reach $ \sqrt{s} \sim 10-100$ TeV, where the proton-neutrino cross section may be enhanced by new physics such as extra-dimensional theories. The boosted neutrino signal benefits from such an enhancement in the cross section not only at the detection point on Earth, but also at production in astrophysical sources, which allows us to set novel constraints on the ultra-high energy proton-neutrino cross section with neutrino telescopes.