Sensitivity of future liquid argon dark matter search experiments to core-collapse supernova neutrinos

Abstract

Future liquid-argon DarkSide-20k and Argo detectors, designed for direct dark matter search, will be sensitive also to core-collapse supernova neutrinos, via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. This interaction channel is flavor-insensitive with a high-cross section, enabling for a high-statistics neutrino detection with target masses of ∼50 t and ∼360 t for DarkSide-20k and Argo respectively. Thanks to the low-energy threshold of ∼0.5 keV nr achievable by exploiting the ionization channel, DarkSide-20k and Argo have the potential to discover supernova bursts throughout our galaxy and up to the Small Magellanic Cloud, respectively, assuming a 11-M progenitor star. We report also on the sensitivity to the neutronization burst, whose electron neutrino flux is suppressed by oscillations when detected via charged current and elastic scattering. Finally, the accuracies in the reconstruction of the average and total neutrino energy in the different phases of the supernova burst, as well as its time profile, are also discussed, taking into account the expected background and the detector response.

Novel constraints on neutrino physics beyond the standard model from the CONUS experiment

“…In an astronomical context, they play a key role in the evolution of stellar collapses [11,12] and might influence stellar nucleosynthesis [13]. In addition, with neutrino detection via CEνNS at hand, flavor-independent astronomy with supernova neutrinos becomes feasible [14][15][16] and thus allows to investigate the interior of dense objects as well as stellar evolution in detail. The next-generation direct detection dark matter experiments will face an irreducible background, the so-called neutrino-floor, which is caused by atmospheric, solar and supernova remnant neutrinos that coherently scatter in such detectors [17,18].…”

Calibration of the liquid argon ionization response to low energy electronic and nuclear recoils with DarkSide-50

“…The nuclear recoil ionization response is measured with a low threshold of ∼500 eV nr , corresponding to three ionization electrons, the lowest ever performed in LAr. The measured ER and NR ionization yields will impact direct dark matter searches with LAr, extending the observation window to low-mass candidates, like weakly interacting massive particles of few GeV=c 2 mass, axionlike particles, dark photons, and sterile neutrinos, and to neutrino bursts from core-collapse supernovae [47]. Dedicated campaigns of measurement with setups exposed to neutron beams are highly desirable in the future to improve and better constrain response models at the keV scale.…”

Calibration of the liquid argon ionization response to low energy electronic and nuclear recoils with DarkSide-50

“…The nuclear recoil ionization response is measured with a low threshold of ∼500 eV nr , corresponding to 3 ionization electrons, the lowest ever performed in LAr. The measured ER and NR ionization yields will impact direct dark matter searches with LAr, extending the observation window to low-mass candidates, like Weakly Interacting Massive Particles of few GeV/c 2 mass, axion-like particles, dark photons and sterile neutrinos, and to neutrino bursts from core-collapse supernovae [47]. Dedicated campaigns of measurement with setups exposed to neutron beams are highly desirable in the future to improve and better constrain response models at the keV scale.…”