Search for Supernova Neutrino Bursts at Super-Kamiokande

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© 2007. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
, , Citation M. Ikeda et al 2007 ApJ 669 519 DOI 10.1086/521547

0004-637X/669/1/519

Abstract

We report the results of a search for neutrino bursts from supernova explosions using the Super-Kamiokande detector. Super-Kamiokande is sensitive to core-collapse supernova explosions via observation of their neutrino emissions. The expected number of events comprising such a burst is ~104, and the average energy of the neutrinos is in the range of a few tens of MeV for a core-collapse supernova explosion at a typical distance in our galaxy (10 kpc); this strong signal means that the detection efficiency anywhere within our galaxy and well past the Magellanic Clouds should be 100%. We examined a data set taken from 1996 May to 2001 July, and from 2002 December to 2005 October, corresponding to 2589.2 live days. However, there is no evidence of such a supernova explosion during the data-taking period. The 90% C.L. upper limit on the rate of core-collapse supernova explosions out to distances of 100 kpc is found to be 0.32 SN yr-1.

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10.1086/521547