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G. Pagliaroli

Publications and source records attributed to G. Pagliaroli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Neutrino flux sensitivity to the next galactic core-collapse supernova in COSINUS

While neutrinos are often treated as a background for many dark matter experiments, these particles offer a new avenue for physics: the detection of core-collapse supernovae. Supernovae are extremely energetic, violent and complex events that mark the death of massive stars. During their collapse stars emit a large number of neutrinos in a short burst. These neutrinos carry 99\% of the emitted energy which makes their detection fundamental in understanding supernovae. This paper illustrates how COSINUS (Cryogenic Observatory for SIgnatures seen in Next-generation Underground Searches), a sodium iodide (NaI) based dark matter search, will be sensitive to the next galactic core-collapse supernova. The experiment is composed of two separate detectors which will be sensitive to far and nearby supernovae. The inner core of the experiment will consist of NaI crystals operating as scintillating calorimeters, mainly sensitive to the Coherent Elastic Scattering of Neutrinos (CE$ν$NS) against the Na and I nuclei. The low mass of the cryogenic detectors gives the experiment a sensitivity to close supernovae below 1kpc without pileup. They will see up to hundreds of CE$ν$NS events from a supernova happening at 200pc. The crystals reside at the center of a cylindrical 230T water tank, instrumented with 30 photomultipliers. This tank acts as a passive and active shield able to detect the Cherenkov radiation induced by impinging charged particles from ambient and cosmogenic radioactivity. A supernova near the Milky Way Center (10kpc) will be easily detected inducing $\sim$60 measurable events, and the water tank will have a 3$σ$ sensitivity to supernovae up to 22kpc, seeing $\sim$10 events. This paper shows how, even without dedicated optimization, modern dark matter experiments will also play their part in the multi-messenger effort to detect the next galactic core-collapse supernova.

astro-ph.HE

Unresolved sources naturally contribute to PeV $γ$-ray diffuse emission observed by Tibet AS$γ$

The Tibet AS$γ$ experiment provided the first measurement of the total diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galactic disk in the sub-PeV energy range. Based on the analysis of TeV sources included in the HGPS catalog, we predict the expected contribution of unresolved sources in the two angular windows of the Galactic plane observed by Tibet AS$γ$. We show that the sum of this additional diffuse component due to unresolved sources and the truly diffuse emission, due to cosmic ray interaction with the interstellar medium, well saturates the Tibet data, without the need to introduce a progressive hardening of the cosmic-ray spectrum toward the Galactic center.

astro-ph.HE

EuCAPT White Paper: Opportunities and Challenges for Theoretical Astroparticle Physics in the Next Decade

Astroparticle physics is undergoing a profound transformation, due to a series of extraordinary new results, such as the discovery of high-energy cosmic neutrinos with IceCube, the direct detection of gravitational waves with LIGO and Virgo, and many others. This white paper is the result of a collaborative effort that involved hundreds of theoretical astroparticle physicists and cosmologists, under the coordination of the European Consortium for Astroparticle Theory (EuCAPT). Addressed to the whole astroparticle physics community, it explores upcoming theoretical opportunities and challenges for our field of research, with particular emphasis on the possible synergies among different subfields, and the prospects for solving the most fundamental open questions with multi-messenger observations.

astro-ph.HE

SNEWS 2.0: A Next-Generation SuperNova Early Warning System for Multi-messenger Astronomy

The next core-collapse supernova in the Milky Way or its satellites will represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to obtain detailed information about the explosion of a star and provide significant scientific insight for a variety of fields because of the extreme conditions found within. Supernovae in our galaxy are not only rare on a human timescale but also happen at unscheduled times, so it is crucial to be ready and use all available instruments to capture all possible information from the event. The first indication of a potential stellar explosion will be the arrival of a bright burst of neutrinos. Its observation by multiple detectors worldwide can provide an early warning for the subsequent electromagnetic fireworks, as well as signal to other detectors with significant backgrounds so they can store their recent data. The Supernova Early Warning System (SNEWS) has been operating as a simple coincidence between neutrino experiments in automated mode since 2005. In the current era of multi-messenger astronomy there are new opportunities for SNEWS to optimize sensitivity to science from the next Galactic supernova beyond the simple early alert. This document is the product of a workshop in June 2019 towards design of SNEWS 2.0, an upgraded SNEWS with enhanced capabilities exploiting the unique advantages of prompt neutrino detection to maximize the science gained from such a valuable event.

astro-ph.HE

Probing galactic cosmic ray distribution with TeV gamma-ray sky

The distribution of cosmic rays in the Galaxy at energies above few TeVs is still uncertain and this affects the expectations for the diffuse gamma flux produced by hadronic interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas. We show that the TeV gamma-ray sky can provide interesting constraints. Namely, we compare the flux from the galactic plane measured by Argo-YBJ, HESS, HAWC and Milagro with the expected flux due to diffuse emission and point-like and extended sources observed by HESS showing that experimental data can already discriminate among different hyphoteses for cosmic ray distribution. The constraints can be strengthened if the contribution of sources not resolved by HESS is taken into account.

astro-ph.HE

Pinpointing astrophysical bursts of low-energy neutrinos embedded into the noise

We propose a novel method to increase the probability of identifying impulsive astrophysical bursts of low-energy neutrinos. The proposed approach exploits the temporal structure differences between astrophysical bursts and background fluctuations and it allows us to pinpoint weak signals otherwise unlikely to be detected. With respect to previous search strategies, this method strongly reduces the misidentification probability, e.g. for Super Kamiokande this reduction is a factor of $\sim 9$ within a distance of $D\sim 200$ kpc without decreasing the detection efficiency. In addition, we extend the proposed method to a network of different detectors and we show that the Kamland $\&$ LVD background reduction is improved by a factor $\sim 20$ up to an horizon of $D\sim75$ kpc.

astro-ph.HE

A multi-messenger study of the total galactic high-energy neutrino emission

A detailed multi-messenger study of the high-energy emission from the Galactic plane is possible nowadays thanks to the observations provided by gamma and neutrino telescopes and could be mandatory in order to obtain a consistent scenario. We show the potential of this approach by using the total gamma flux from the inner galactic region measured by HESS at $1\,{\rm TeV}$ and in the longitude range $-75^\circ < l < 60^\circ$. By comparing the observational data with the expected diffuse galactic emission, we highlight the existence of an extended hot region of the gamma sky where the cumulative sources contribution dominates over the diffuse component. This region approximately coincides with the portion of the galactic plane from which a $\sim 2 σ$ excess of showers is observed in IceCube high energy starting events. In the assumption that hadronic mechanisms are responsible for the observed gamma emission, we estimate the total galactic contribution (i.e. including both diffuse and the source components) to the IceCube neutrino signal as a function of the spectral index and energy cutoff of the sources, taking also into account the upper limit on a galactic component provided by Antares.

hep-ph

Expectations for high energy diffuse galactic neutrinos for different cosmic ray distributions

The interaction of cosmic rays with the gas contained in our Galaxy is a guaranteed source of diffuse high energy neutrinos. We provide expectations for this component by considering different assumptions for the cosmic ray distribution in the Galaxy which are intended to cover the large uncertainty in cosmic ray propagation models. We calculate the angular dependence of the diffuse galactic neutrino flux and the corresponding rate of High Energy Starting Events in IceCube by including the effect of detector angular resolution. Moreover we discuss the possibility to discriminate the galactic component from an isotropic astrophysical flux. We show that a statistically significant excess of events from the galactic plane in present IceCube data would favour models in which the cosmic ray density in the inner galactic region is much larger than its local value, thus bringing relevant information on the cosmic ray radial distribution.

astro-ph.HE

Testing neutrino decay scenarios with IceCube data

We test the hypothesis of non-radiative neutrinos decay using the latest IceCube data. Namely, we calculate the track-to-shower ratio expected in IceCube for the normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchy taking into account the uncertainties in neutrino oscillation parameters. We show that the subset of data with energy above 60 TeV actually excludes the possibility of a neutrinos decay at the 1 sigma level of significance for both neutrino mass hierarchies.

hep-ph

Which is the flavor of cosmic neutrinos seen by IceCube?

We analyze the high-energy neutrino events observed by IceCube, aiming to probe the initial flavor of cosmic neutrinos. We study the track-to-shower ratio of the subset with energy above 60 TeV, where the signal is expected to dominate and show that different production mechanisms give rise to different predictions even accounting for the uncertainties due to neutrino oscillations. We include for the first time the passing muons observed by IceCube in the analysis. They corroborate the hypotheses that cosmic neutrinos have been seen and their flavor matches expectations.

astro-ph.HE

Spectrum of Supernova Neutrinos in Ultra-pure Scintillators

There is a great interest in measuring the non-electronic component of neutrinos from core collapse supernovae by observing, for the first time, also neutral-current reactions. In order to assess the physics potential of the ultra-pure scintillators in this respect, we study the entire expected energy spectrum in the Borexino, KamLAND and SNO+ detectors. We examine the various sources of uncertainties in the expectations, and in particular, those due to specific detector features and to the relevant cross sections. We discuss the possibility to identify the different neutrino flavors, and we quantify the effect of confusion, due to other components of the energy spectrum, overlapped with the neutral-current reactions of interest.

astro-ph.SR

A step toward CNO solar neutrinos detection in liquid scintillators

The detection of CNO solar neutrinos in ultrapure liquid scintillator detectors is limited by the background produced by Bismuth-210 nuclei that undergo beta-decay to Polonium-210 with a lifetime equal to about 7 days. Polonium-210 nuclei are unstable and decay with a lifetime equal to about 200 days emitting alpha particles that can be also detected. In this letter, we show that the Bi-210 background can be determined by looking at the time evolution of alpha-decay rate of Po-210, provided that alpha particle detection efficiency is stable over the data acquisition period and external sources of Po-210 are negligible. A sufficient accuracy can be obtained in a relatively short time. As an example, if the initial Po-210 event rate is 2000 cpd/100 ton or lower, a Borexino-like detector could start discerning CNO neutrino signal from Bi-210 background in about 1 yr.

hep-ph

What is the issue with SN1987A neutrinos?

What did we learn out of SN1987A neutrino observations? What do we still need for a full understanding? We select important issues debated in the literature on SN1987A. We focus the discussion mostly on the relevance of certain data features; on the role of detailed statistical analyses of the data; on the astrophysics of the neutrino emission process; on the effects of oscillations and of neutrino masses. We attempt to clearly identify those issues that are still open.

hep-ph

Using supernova neutrinos to monitor the collapse, to search for gravity waves and to probe neutrino masses

We discuss the importance of observing supernova neutrinos. By analyzing the SN1987A observations of Kamiokande-II, IMB and Baksan, we show that they provide a 2.5σ support to the standard scenario for the explosion. We discuss in this context the use of neutrinos as trigger for the search of the gravity wave impulsive emission. We derive a bound on the neutrino mass using the SN1987A data and argue, using simulated data, that a future galactic supernova could probe the sub-eV region.

hep-ph

Searching for prompt signatures of nearby core-collapse supernovae by a joint analysis of neutrino and gravitational-wave data

We discuss the science motivations and prospects for a joint analysis of gravitational-wave (GW) and low-energy neutrino data to search for prompt signals from nearby supernovae (SNe). Both gravitational-wave and low-energy neutrinos are expected to be produced in the innermost region of a core-collapse supernova, and a search for coincident signals would probe the processes which power a supernova explosion. It is estimated that the current generation of neutrino and gravitational-wave detectors would be sensitive to Galactic core-collapse supernovae, and would also be able to detect electromagnetically dark SNe. A joint GW-neutrino search would enable improvements to searches by way of lower detection thresholds, larger distance range, better live-time coverage by a network of GW and neutrino detectors, and increased significance of candidate detections. A close collaboration between the GW and neutrino communities for such a search will thus go far toward realizing a much sought-after astrophysics goal of detecting the next nearby supernova.

astro-ph.IM

The likelihood for supernova neutrino analyses

We derive the event-by-event likelihood that allows to extract the complete information contained in the energy, time and direction of supernova neutrinos, and specify it in the case of SN1987A data. We resolve discrepancies in the previous literature, numerically relevant already in the concrete case of SN1987A data.

hep-ph

Neutrinos from Supernovae as a Trigger for Gravitational Wave Search

Exploiting an improved analysis of the electronic antineutrinos signal from the explosion of a galactic core collapse supernova, we show that it is possible to identify within about ten milliseconds the time of the bounce, which is strongly correlated to the time of the maximum amplitude of the gravitational signal. This allows to precisely identify the gravitational wave burst timing.

hep-ph

Improved analysis of SN1987A antineutrino events

We propose a new parameterization of the antineutrino flux from core collapse supernovae, that allows an interpretation of its astrophysical parameters within the Bethe and Wilson scenario for the explosion, and that leads to a reasonable (smooth) behavior of the average energy and of the luminosity curve. We apply it to analyze the events observed by Kamiokande-II, IMB and Baksan detectors in correlation with SN1987A. For the first time, we consider in the same analysis all data characteristics: times, energies and angles of the observed events. We account for the presence of background and evaluate the impact of neutrino oscillations. The hypothesis that the initial luminous phase of emission (accretion) is absent can be rejected at the 2 % significance level. Without the need to impose external priors in the likelihood analysis, the best-fit values of the astrophysical parameters are found to be in remarkable agreement with the expectations of the standard core-collapse scenario; in particular, the electron antineutrino-sphere radius is 16 km, the duration of the accretion phase is found to be 0.55 s, and the initial accreting mass is 0.22 M(sun). Similarly the total energy emitted in neutrinos is 2.2*10^{53} erg, again close to the expectations. The errors on the parameters are evaluated and found to be relatively large, consistently with the limited number of detected events; the two dimensional confidence regions, that demonstrate the main correlations between the parameters, are also given.

astro-ph