Effects of matter oscillations on supernova neutrino flux

If neutrinos have mass it is likely that, as a result of the effect of matter, neutrino flavor eigenstates are converted to mass eigenstates as they emerge from a supernova. In the case of large neutrino mixing angles there can be a significant increase in the mean energy and detected flux of neutrinos from a supernova.     

利用超新星爆发测量电子中微子静止质量

综述了中微子静止质量ｍυｅ的测量方法与结果,侧重介绍了超新星ＳＮ８７Ａ中微子测量的结果,即得到具有能量为８ＭｅＶ和３６ＭｅＶ的中微子飞行时间差,对于Ｋａｍｉｏｋａｎｄｅ,ＩＭＢ,Ｂａｋｓｏｎ分别为１．９ｓ,６ｓ和９ｓ,由此给出电子中微子静止质量上限为１４ｅＶ「９５％置信水平（Ｃ．Ｌ．）」,并且描述了计划建造的新型太阳中微子能谱仪,该谱仪在观测太阳中微子能谱的同时,将兼测超新星中微子,提供了在ｍυｅ〈１ｅＶ范围内测量中微子静止质量的可能性。     

Working group report: Neutrino and astroparticle physics

This is the report of neutrino and astroparticle physics working group at WHEPP-7. Discussions and work on CP violation in long baseline neutrino experiments, ultra high energy neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and water Cerenkov detectors are discussed.     

Solar neutrino experiments: Status and prospects

Solar neutrino experiments were originally conceived as a way to demonstrate that nuclear reactions are responsible for energy generation in stars. When solar neutrinos were first detected the measured flux was much less than what solar models predicted. The Solar Neutrino Problem thus came to be and it persisted for over thirty years. It is now known that the deficit in solar neutrinos (of electron neutrino flavour) was due to neutrino oscillations and that matter effects are important. Solar neutrino experiments played a key part in these discoveries and in recent developments in neutrino physics. This report summarizes Pontecorvo Neutrino Physics School lectures that explored the physics of solar neutrinos and the experiments that detected them. The lectures also included a look forward to future solar neutrino experiments and their physics goals and these are also discussed here.     

Neutrino masses in astrophysics and cosmology

Cosmology yields the most restrictive limits on neutrino masses and conversely, massive neutrinos would contribute to the cosmic dark-matter density and would play an important role for the formation of structure in the universe. Neutrino oscillations may well solve the solar neutrino problem and can have a significant impact on supernova physics. The neutrino signal from a future galactic supernova could provide evidence for cosmologically interesting neutrino masses or set interesting limits.     

Supernova constraints on neutrino mass and mixing

In this article I review the constraints on neutrino mass and mixing coming from type-II supernovae. The bounds obtained on these parameters from shock reheating, r-process nucleosynthesis and from SN1987A are discussed. Given the current constraints on neutrino mass and mixing the effect of oscillations of neutrinos from a nearby supernova explosion in future detectors will also be discussed.     

利用大亚湾中微子实验装置探测超新星中微子

在利用大亚湾中微子实验装置研究超新星中微子探测过程中, 需要考虑到中微子传播过程中受到各种效应的影响, 包括超新星震荡效应、中微子集体效应、 Mikheyev Smirnov Wolfenstein (MSW)效应和地球物质效应等。 由于超新星中微子受到这些效应, 不同味道的中微子之间振荡会发生变化, 因而利用探测某些超新星中微子事例数之比, 就有可能确定中微子的质量层次,得到中微子混合角θ13和中微子绝对质量的信息。 While detecting supernova neutrinos in the Daya Bay neutrino laboratory, several supernova neutrino effects need to be considered, including the supernova shock effects, the neutrino collective effects, the Mikheyev Smirnov Wolfenstein (MSW) effects, and the Earth matter effects. The phenomena of neutrino oscillation is affected by the above effects. Using some ratios of the event numbers of different supernova neutrinos, we propose some possible methods to identify the mass hierarchy and acquire information about the neutrino mixing angle θ13 and neutrino masses.     

Neutrino mass and mixing implied by underground deficit of low energy muon-neutrino events

Recent observations of a deficit of cosmic ray muon-neutrino interactions in underground detectors suggest that the muon neutrinos may have oscillated to another state. We examine possible neutrino mass and mixing patterns, and their implications for vacuum and matter effects on solar neutrinos, on neutrinos passing through the earth, and on terrastrial neutrino beams. By invoking the see-saw mechanism of neutrino mass generation, we draw inferences on closure of the universe with neutrino masses, on the number of generations, on t-quark and fourth generation masses, and on the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking scale. Testable predictions are suggested.     

Possible CP-violation effects in core-collapse supernovae

We study CP-violation effects when neutrinos are present in dense matter, such as outside the proto-neutron star formed in a core-collapse supernova. Using general arguments based on the Standard Model, we confirm that there are no CP-violating effects at the tree level on the electron neutrino and anti-neutrino fluxes in a core-collapse supernova. On the other hand significant effects can be obtained for muon and tau neutrinos even at the tree level. We show that CP-violating effects can be present in the supernova electron (anti-)neutrino fluxes as well, if muon and tau neutrinos have different fluxes at the neutrinosphere. Such differences could arise due to physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the presence of flavor-changing interactions.     

Anomalouse + e − pairs in heavy ion collisions and solar neutrinos

The production of anomalouse ⁺ e ^–pairs in heavy ion collisions and the solar neutrino puzzle are two seemingly unrelated problems of the standard model of electroweak interactions. According to the observations made at Homestake and Kamiokande, the flux of solar neutrinos is too small. Furthermore, the observations made at Homestake (neutrino-nucleon scattering) show anticorrelation of the solar neutrino flux with sunspots, unlike the observations made in Kamiokande (neutrino-electron scattering). According to the previously proposed model inspired by T(opological) G(eometro) D(ynamics), anomalouse ⁺ e ^–pairs result from the decay of the leptopion, which can be regarded as a bound state of color excited electrons. In this paper we show that the generalization of PCAC ideas leads to a prediction for the lifetime and production cross section of the leptopion in agreement with data. The model is also consistent with constraints coming from Babbha scattering and supernova physics. Leptopion exchange implies a new weak interaction between leptons at low cm energies (of the order of a few MeVs), which explains the Kamiokande-Homestake puzzle. Part of the solar neutrinos are transformed in the convective zone of the Sun to right-handed neutrinos inert with respect to ordinary electroweak interactions, but interacting with electrons via leptopion exchange so that they are observed in Kamiokande. A correct average value for the neutrino flux at Kamiokande is predicted using as input the Homestake flux, and the anticorrelation with sunspots in Kamiokande is predicted to be considerably weaker than in Homestake.     

Probing the origins of neutrino mass with supernova data

We study type II supernova signatures of neutrino mass generation via symmetry breaking at a scale in the range from keV to MeV. The scalar responsible for symmetry breaking is thermalized in the supernova core and restores the symmetry. The neutrinos from scalar decays have about half the average energy of thermal neutrinos. The Bose-Einstein distribution of the scalars can be established with a megaton water Cerenkov detector. The discovery of the bimodal neutrino flux is, however, well within the reach of the Super-Kamiokande detector, without a detailed knowledge of the supernova parameters.     

Three flavour Majorana neutrinos with magnetic moments in a supernova

The resonant transition effects MSW and NSFP for three flavour Majorana neutrinos in a supernova are considered, where the transition magnetic moments are likely to play a relevant role in neutrino physics. In this scenario, the deformed thermal neutrino distributions are obtained for different choices of the electron-tau mixing angle. Detailed predictions for the future large neutrino detectors are also given in terms of the ratio between the spectra of recoil electrons for deformed and undeformed spectra.     

Resonant oscillations of massless neutrinos in matter

Oscillations of neutrinos propagating in matter do not require that neutrinos are massive, at a fundamental level. Even if neutrinos are massless as a consequence of an exact symmetry - such as total lepton number - they can oscillate into one another if the weak interaction has a small non-universal component, whose existence would signal physics beyond the standard model. The experimental constraints and theoretical plausibility of the mechanism are discussed. Coherent neutrino and antineutrino scattering could substantially affect the late thermal phase neutrino signal from a supernova explosion.     

MiniBooNE overview and status

Recent discoveries in the neutrino sector have opened a new frontier in highenergy physics and cosmology. Evidence from neutrino oscillation experiments from around the world indicate that neutrinos oscillate between their different flavours and therefore may have mass. In addition, results from solar and atmospheric neutrino experiments as well as the accelerator neutrino experiment, LSND, cannot all be explained with the three standard model neutrinos. Is this new physics or is there some other explanation? The MiniBooNE experiment presently taking data at Fermilab is designed to address the LSND signal and answer this question. Progress on the MiniBooNE experiment will be presented and prospects for the future will be discussed.     

Possible tests of neutrino maximal mixing and comments on matter effects

We show in a simple and general way that matter effects do not contribute to the average value of the transition probabilities of solar ν_e's into other states in the case of maximal mixing of any number of massive neutrinos. We also show that future solar neutrino experiments (Super-Kamiokande and SNO) will allow to test the model with maximal mixing of three massive neutrinos in a way that does not depend on the initial solar neutrino flux.     

The status of the study of solar CNO neutrinos in the Borexino experiment

Although less than 1% of solar energy is generated in the CNO cycle, it plays a critical role in astrophysics, since this cycle is the primary source of energy in certain more massive stars and at later stages of evolution of solar-type stars. Electron neutrinos are produced in the CNO cycle reactions. These neutrinos may be detected by terrestrial neutrino detectors. Various solar models with different abundances of elements heavier than helium predict different CNO neutrino fluxes. A direct measurement of the CNO neutrino flux could help distinguish between these models and solve several other astrophysical problems. No CNO neutrinos have been detected directly thus far, and the best upper limit on their flux was set in the Borexino experiment. The work on reducing the background in the region of energies of CNO neutrinos (up to 1.74 MeV) and developing novel data analysis methods is presently under way. These efforts may help detect the CNO neutrino flux in the Borexino experiment at the level predicted by solar models.     

Neutrino-nucleus reaction in supernovae

Neutrino reactions play an important role at various stages of core-collapse supernova. During infall, neutrinos are produced by electron capture mainly on nuclei and contribute significantly to the cooling of the collapsing core. After core bounce the nascent neutron star cools by neutrino emission. It is a major goal to observe such neutrinos from a future supernova by earthbound detectors and to establish their spectra. Recently it has been shown that the spectrum of electron neutrinos from the early neutrino burst is significantly altered if inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering is considered in supernova simulations. Finally spallation reactions induced by neutrinos when passing through the outer burning shells can produce certain nuclides in what is called neutrino nucleosynthesis.     

Detection of supernova neutrinos at spallation neutron sources

After considering supernova shock effects, Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects, neutrino collective effects, and Earth matter effects, the detection of supernova neutrinos at the China Spallation Neutron Source is studied and the expected numbers of different flavor supernova neutrinos observed through various reaction channels are calculated with the neutrino energy spectra described by the Fermi-Dirac distribution and the "beta fit"distribution respectively. Furthermore, the numerical calculation method of supernova neutrino detection on Earth is applied to some other spallation neutron sources, and the total expected numbers of supernova neutrinos observed through different reactions channels are given.     

From AMANDA to IceCube

The first string of the neoteric high-energy neutrino telescope IceCube successfully began operating in January 2005. It is anticipated that, upon completion, the new detector will vastly increase the sensitivity and extend the reach of AMANDA to higher energies. A discussion of the IceCube’s discovery potential for extraterrestrial neutrinos, together with the prospects of new physics derived from the ongoing AMANDA research, will be the focus of this paper. Preliminary results of the first antarctic high-energy neutrino telescope AMANDA searching in the muon-neutrino channel for localized and diffuse excess of extraterrestrial neutrinos will be reviewed using data collected between 2000 and 2003. Neutrino flux limits obtained with the all-flavor dedicated ultrahigh energy and cascade analyses will be described. A first neutrino spectrum above 1 TeV in agreement with atmospheric neutrino flux expectations and no extraterrestrial contribution will be presented, followed by a discussion of a limit for neutralino cold dark matter candidates annihilating in the center of the Sun. on behalf of the IceCube Collaboration The text was submitted by the author in English.     

The Earth effects on the supernova neutrino spectra

The Earth effects on the energy spectra of supernova neutrinos are studied. We analyze numerically the time-integrated energy spectra of neutrino in a mantle–core–mantle step function model of the Earth's matter density profile. We consider a realistic frame-work in which there are three active neutrinos whose mass squared differences and mixings are constrained by the present understanding of solar and atmospheric neutrinos. We find that the energy spectra change for some allowed mixing parameters. Especially, the expected number of events at SNO shows characteristic behavior with respect to energy, i.e., a great dip and peak. We show that observations of the Earth effect allow us to identify the solar neutrino solution and to probe the mixing angle θ₂.