Core-collapse supernova constraint on the origin of sterile neutrino dark matter via neutrino self-interactions

Abstract

Novel neutrino self-interaction can open up viable parameter space for the relic abundance of sterile-neutrino dark matter (SνDM). In this work, we constrain the relic target using core-collapse supernova which features the same fundamental process and a similar environment to the early universe era when SνDM is dominantly produced. We present a detailed calculation of the effects of a massive scalar mediated neutrino self-interaction on the supernova cooling rate, including the derivation of the thermal potential in the presence of non-zero chemical potentials from plasma species. Our results demonstrate that the supernova cooling argument can cover the neutrino self-interaction parameter space that complements terrestrial and cosmological probes.