Supernova neutrino detection

The aim of these notes is to provide a brief review of the topic of neutrino astronomy and in particular of neutrinos from core collapse supernovae. They are addressed to a curious reader, beginning to work in a multidisciplinary area that involves experimental neutrino physics, astrophysics, nuclear physics and particle physics phenomenology. After an introduction to the methods and goals of neutrinos astronomy, we focus on core collapse supernovae, as (one of) the most prom...

We discuss the prospects for detecting nu_{mu,tau} and nu_{tau}neutrinos from Type II supernovas using the novel detector at the Supernova Burst Observatory (SNBO) or OMNIS that is being designed for an underground laboratory in the USA. This detector would collect ~2000 flavor selected events from a Galactic supernova and could probe neutrino mass down to a few eV, as well as the dynamics of the supernova process. We believe this is essential to further our understanding of ...

This writeup is an introduction to neutrino astronomy, addressed to astronomers and written by astroparticle physicists. While the focus is on achievements and goals in neutrino astronomy, rather than on the aspects connected to particle physics, we will introduce the particle physics concepts needed to appreciate those aspects that depend on the peculiarity of the neutrinos. The detailed layout is as follows: In Sect.~1, we introduce the neutrinos, examine their interactions...

This review describes telescopes designed to study neutrinos from astrophysical sources. These sources include the Sun and Supernovae emitting neutrino energies up to tens of MeV, atmospheric neutrino sources caused by cosmic ray interactions and other sources generating neutrino energies ranging up to $1\times 10^{20}$ eV. Measurements with these telescopes also provide information on neutrino properties including clear evidence for neutrino flavor change. Telescopes in oper...

Neutrinos from dense environments are unique laboratories for astrophysics, particle physics and many-body physics. They tell us about the last stages of the gravitational core-collapse and the explosion of massive stars. These elusive particles are also tightly linked to heavy elements synthesis in gravitational core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers, or play a pivotal role at the MeV epoch during the Universe expansion. We highlight theoretical and observa...

The next supernova in our galaxy will be detected by a variety of neutrino detectors. In this lecture I discuss the set of observables needed to constrain the models of supernova neutrino emission. They are the flux normalizations, and average energies, of each of the three expected components of the neutrino flux: $\nu_e$, $\bar{\nu}_e$, and $\nu_x$ (all the other four flavors combined). I show how the existing, or soon to be operational, neutrino detectors will be able to d...

A suite of detectors around the world is poised to measure the flavor-energy-time evolution of the ten-second burst of neutrinos from a core-collapse supernova occurring in the Milky Way or nearby. Next-generation detectors to be built in the next decade will have enhanced flavor sensitivity and statistics. Not only will the observation of this burst allow us to peer inside the dense matter of the extreme event and learn about the collapse processes and the birth of the remna...

We describe the current situation concerning methods to search for relic neutrinos from the Big Bang and from all past supernovae (SNs). The most promising method for Big Bang neutrinos is by the interaction of ultra-high- energy (UHE) neutrinos. For supernova neutrinos, both Super Kamiokande- and ICARUS-type detectors will be important to study both nubar_{e} and nu_{e} fluxes. We also discuss a dedicated supernova burst observatory (OMNIS) being planned for three sites in t...

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a 40-kton underground liquid argon time projection chamber experiment, will be sensitive to the electron-neutrino flavor component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova. Such an observation will bring unique insight into the astrophysics of core collapse as well as into the properties of neutrinos. The general capabilities of DUNE for neutrino detection in the relevant few- to few-ten...

Core-collapse supernovae (SNe) are powerful neutrino sources and as such important targets for the growing array of neutrino observatories. We review the current status of SN theory and the expected characteristics of the neutrino signal. After recalling what we have learned from SN 1987A and general SN properties we review the physics potential of a future galactic SN observation.