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Cooling the Shock: New Supernova Constraints on Dark Photons
Andrea Caputo1,2, Hans-Thomas Janka3, Georg Raffelt4
1CERN, Department of Theoretical Physics, Esplanade des Particules 1, P.O. Box 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|May 2, 2025
Summary
Dark-photon (DP) cooling in core-collapse supernovae can prevent explosions by cooling the gain layer. This provides new constraints on dark-photon properties, particularly for electron-capture supernovae.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Particle Physics
Background:
- Core-collapse supernovae are crucial astrophysical events.
- Neutrino energy deposition typically rejuvenates the stalled shock wave, aiding explosion.
- Dark-photon (DP) interactions are a potential new physics phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of dark-photon (DP) cooling on core-collapse supernova explosions.
- Determine constraints on dark-photon properties based on supernova dynamics.
- Explore the potential of electron-capture supernovae for probing dark-photon physics.
Main Methods:
- Simulate supernova accretion phases considering dark-photon production and cooling.
- Analyze the energy balance in the gain layer, including neutrino and dark-photon contributions.
- Evaluate the impact of dark-photon cooling on shock wave dynamics and explosion outcomes.
Main Results:
- Dark-photon cooling can be maximal in the gain layer, counteracting neutrino heating and potentially preventing supernova explosions.
- The strongest constraints on dark-photon masses are found in the range of 0.1-0.4 MeV, corresponding to the photon plasma mass in the gain region.
- Electron-capture supernovae offer the potential for even stronger constraints, down to 0.01 MeV.
Conclusions:
- Dark-photon cooling presents a novel mechanism that can suppress supernova explosions.
- Supernova observations, especially electron-capture supernovae, can provide stringent bounds on dark-photon properties.
- This work offers a new argument that supersedes traditional cooling bounds from SN1987A for weak coupling strengths.
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