Towards probing the diffuse supernova neutrino background in all flavors
Anna M. Suliga, J. F. Beacom, Irene Tamborra
Abstract
Fully understanding the average core-collapse supernova requires detecting the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) in all flavors. While the DSNB ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ flux is near detection, and the DSNB ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}$ flux has a good upper limit and prospects for improvement, the DSNB ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{x}$ (each of ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$, ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$, ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$, ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$) flux has a poor limit and heretofore had no clear path for improved sensitivity. We show that a succession of xenon-based dark matter detectors---XENON1T (completed), XENONnT/LUX-ZEPLIN (running), and DARWIN (proposed)---can dramatically improve sensitivity to DSNB ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{x}$ the neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering channel. XENON1T could match the present sensitivity of $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{3}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ per ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{x}$ flavor, XENONnT/LUX-ZEPLIN would have linear improvement of sensitivity with exposure, and a long run of DARWIN could reach a flux sensitivity of $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Together, these would also contribute to greatly improve bounds on nonstandard scenarios. Ultimately, to reach the standard flux range of $\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, even larger exposures will be needed, which we show may be possible with the series of proposed lead-based RES-NOVA detectors.