Sensitivity of Super-Kamiokande with Gadolinium to Low Energy Antineutrinos from Pre-supernova Emission



Simpson, C, Abe, K, Bronner, C, Hayato, Y, Ikeda, M, Ito, H, Iyogi, K, Kameda, J, Kataoka, Y, Kato, Y
et al (show 179 more authors) (2019) Sensitivity of Super-Kamiokande with Gadolinium to Low Energy Antineutrinos from Pre-supernova Emission. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 885 (2). p. 133.

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.
[img] Text
Simpson_2019_ApJ_885_133.pdf - Published version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Supernova detection is a major objective of the Super-Kamiokande (SK) experiment. In the next stage of SK (SK-Gd), gadolinium (Gd) sulfate will be added to the detector, which will improve the ability of the detector to identify neutrons. A core-collapse supernova will be preceded by an increasing flux of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, from thermal and weak nuclear processes in the star, over a timescale of hours; some of which may be detected at SK-Gd. This could provide an early warning of an imminent core-collapse supernova, hours earlier than the detection of the neutrinos from core collapse. Electron anti-neutrino detection will rely on inverse beta decay events below the usual analysis energy threshold of SK, so Gd loading is vital to reduce backgrounds while maximising detection efficiency. Assuming normal neutrino mass ordering, more than 200 events could be detected in the final 12 hours before core collapse for a 15-25 solar mass star at around 200 pc, which is representative of the nearest red supergiant to Earth, $\mathrm{\alpha}$Ori (Betelgeuse). At a statistical false alarm rate of 1 per century, detection could be up to 10 hours before core collapse, and a pre-supernova star could be detected by SK-Gd up to 600 pc away. A pre-supernova alert could be provided to the astrophysics community following gadolinium loading.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: 20 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journal
Uncontrolled Keywords: Neutrino astronomy, Supernova neutrinos, Particle astrophysics, Silicon burning
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 26 Nov 2019 16:15
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:18
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab4883
Open Access URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-43...
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3063543