Abstract
We discuss the prospects for improved upper limits on neutrino masses that may be provided by a core-collapse supernova explosion in our galaxy, if it exhibits time variations in the neutrino emissions on the scale of a few milliseconds as suggested by recent two-dimensional simulations. Analyzing simulations of such neutrino emissions using the wavelet technique adopted in [1], we find that an upper limit m_nu ~ 0.14 eV could be established at the 95% confidence level if the time variations in emissions were to be preserved during neutrino propagation to the Earth.
Highlights
The observation of a neutrino pulse from supernova SN 1987a has provided many of the most sensitive probes of neutrino properties [2, 3], notably including interesting upper limits on neutrino masses
Based on a recently developed new generation of two-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae [6], we have reported recently [1] on the sensitivity to Lorentz-violating effects in neutrino propagation that could be obtained if the time variations are observed in the neutrino emissions from a future core-collapse supernova in our galaxy
In the present paper we report on a study of the sensitivity to neutrino mass that would be provided if the time variations found in these two-dimensional simulations were to be observed
Summary
The observation of a neutrino pulse from supernova SN 1987a has provided many of the most sensitive probes of neutrino properties [2, 3], notably including interesting upper limits on neutrino masses. It has long been appreciated that SN 1987a provides the most stringent upper limits on an energy-independent deviation of the neutrino velocity δv from that of light [7], and strong upper limits on possible dependences δv ∼ E, E2 [8] These limits have recently attracted increased attention, as they constrain significantly models for the OPERA report [9] of superluminal neutrino propagation [10,11]. This prospective sensitivity is very competitive with other constraints on neutrino masses, and provides additional motivation (if it is needed) for further validation of the results of two-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations [6,12,13], via the development of robust three-dimensional simulations [14, 15] Such simulations could be expected to modify the results presented here, with a tendency to reduce the observability of any time structures in the neutrino signal. We note that we make other assumptions that are on the optimistic side, e.g., we use the signal from one radial ray, rather than a full hemisphere, we follow [6] in using a relatively soft equation of state [16], and we neglect neutrino oscillations, which are difficult to quantify with generality
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