Absolute ν Mass Measurement with the DUNE Experiment.

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Astrophysics
• Cosmology

Background:

• Neutrino mass is a fundamental parameter in particle physics, with implications for cosmology.
• Supernova neutrino signals offer a unique, model-independent method to constrain neutrino mass.
• The neutronization burst in electron neutrino signals provides a sharp time structure crucial for analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the neutrino mass sensitivity achievable at the DUNE far detector.
• To leverage the precise timing of supernova electron neutrino signals for mass measurements.
• To compare supernova-based mass sensitivity with direct laboratory searches.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing the time-of-flight delay of supernova neutrino signals.
• Utilizing precision measurements of electron neutrino flux time dependence from large liquid argon detectors.
• Simulating a future galactic supernova event observable by the DUNE far detector.

Main Results:

• A novel sub-eV neutrino mass sensitivity is derived for the DUNE far detector.
• This sensitivity is achievable under favorable supernova conditions.
• The derived sensitivity is competitive with leading laboratory direct neutrino mass searches.

Conclusions:

• Supernova neutrino timing provides a powerful tool for constraining absolute neutrino mass.
• Future detectors like DUNE offer significant potential for sub-eV neutrino mass discovery.
• This astrophysical approach complements terrestrial neutrino mass experiments.