arXiv subjects

J. F. Beacom

Publications and source records attributed to J. F. Beacom.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

A Survey About Nothing: Monitoring a Million Supergiants for Failed Supernovae

Extragalactic transient searches have historically been limited to looking for the appearance of new sources such as supernovae. It is now possible to carry out a new kind of survey that will do the opposite, that is, search for the disappearance of massive stars. This will entail the systematic observation of galaxies within a distance of 10 Mpc in order to watch ~10^6 supergiants. Reaching this critical number ensures that something will occur yearly, since these massive stars must end their lives with a core collapse within ~10^6 years. Using deep imaging and image subtraction it is possible to determine the fates of these stars whether they end with a bang (supernova) or a whimper (fall out of sight). Such a survey would place completely new limits on the total rate of all core collapses, which is critical for determining the validity of supernova models. It would also determine the properties of supernova progenitors, better characterize poorly understood optical transients, such as eta Carina-like mass ejections, find and characterize large numbers of Cepheids, luminous blue variables and eclipsing binaries, and allow the discovery of any new phenomena that inhabit this relatively unexplored parameter space.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Protecting Life in the Milky Way: Metals Keep the GRBs Away

The host galaxies of the five local, z<0.25, long-duration gamma-ray bursts, each of which had a well-documented associated supernova, are all faint and metal-poor compared to the population of local star-forming galaxies. We quantify this statement by using a previous analysis of star-forming galaxies (z<0.2) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to estimate the fraction of local star formation as a function of host galaxy oxygen abundance. We find that only a small fraction (<25%) of current star formation occurs in galaxies with oxygen abundance 12+log(O/H)<8.6, i.e., about half that of the Milky Way. However, all five low-z GRB hosts have oxygen abundance below this limit, in three cases very significantly so. If GRBs traced local star formation independent of metallicity, the probability of obtaining such low abundances for all five hosts would be P~0.1%. We conclude that GRBs trace only low-metallicity star formation, and that the Milky Way has been too metal rich to host long GRBs for at least the last several billion years. This result has implications for the potential role of GRBs in mass extinctions, for searches for recent burst remnants in the Milky Way and other large galaxies, for non-detections of late radio emission from local core-collapse supernovae, and for the production of cosmic rays in the local Universe. We also find that the isotropic energy release of these five GRBs, E_iso, steeply decreases with increasing host oxygen abundance, suggesting an upper metallicity limit for ``cosmological'' GRBs at ~0.15 Z_solar. (Abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

SDSS J124602.54+011318.8: A Highly Luminous Optical Transient at z=0.385

We report the discovery of a highly luminous optical transient (OT), SDSS J124602.54+011318.8, associated with a galaxy at a redshift of 0.385. In this paper we consider the possibility that the OT may be a GRB afterglow. Three sets of images and two sets of spectra were obtained as part of the normal operations of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). In the first two image sets, observed two nights apart, the object appears as a point source at $r^{*}\approx 17$. The third image set, observed about 410 days later, shows an extended source which is more than 2.5 magnitudes fainter. The spectra were observed about 400 and 670 days after the first two image sets, and both show an apparently normal galaxy at a redshift of 0.385. Associating the OT with the galaxy, the absolute magnitude was $M_{r^*}=-24.8$, which is over 4 magnitudes brighter than the most luminous supernova ever measured. The spectral energy distributions of the galaxy-subtracted OT derived from the first two image sets are well-fit by single power-laws with indices of $β_ν=-0.92$ and -1.29 respectively, similar to most GRB afterglows. Based upon the luminosity of the OT, non-detections in contemporaneous ROTSE-I images, and the change in spectral slope, the OT, if an afterglow, was likely discovered early during a ``plateau'' or slowly-fading phase. The discovery of a GRB afterglow at this stage of the SDSS is consistent with expectations, but only if the optical emission is much less strongly beamed than the gamma-rays. We emphasize that other explanations for the OT cannot be ruled out; a recent follow-up study by [galyam02] provides strong evidence that this source is in fact an unusual AGN.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

CPT Violation and the Nature of Neutrinos

In order to accommodate the neutrino oscillation signals from the solar, atmospheric, and LSND data, a sterile fourth neutrino is generally invoked, though the fits to the data are becoming more and more constrained. However, it has recently been shown that the data can be explained with only three neutrinos, if one invokes CPT violation to allow different masses and mixing angles for neutrinos and antineutrinos. We explore the nature of neutrinos in such CPT-violating scenarios. Majorana neutrino masses are allowed, but in general, there are no longer Majorana neutrinos in the conventional sense. However, CPT-violating models still have interesting consequences for neutrinoless double beta decay. Compared to the usual case, while the larger mass scale (from LSND) may appear, a greater degree of suppression can also occur.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Black Hole Formation in Core-Collapse Supernovae and Time-of-Flight Measurements of the Neutrino Masses

Early black hole formation in core-collapse supernovae may be triggered by mass accretion or a change in the high-density equation of state. We consider the possibility that black hole formation happens when the flux of neutrinos is still measurably high. If this occurs, then the neutrino signal from the supernova will be terminated abruptly (the transition takes $\lesssim 0.5$ ms). The properties and duration of the signal before the cutoff are important measures of both the physics and astrophysics of the cooling proto-neutron star. For the event rates expected in present and proposed detectors, the cutoff will generally appear sharp, thus allowing model-independent time-of-flight mass tests for the neutrinos after the cutoff. If black hole formation occurs relatively early, within a few ($\sim 1$) seconds after core collapse, then the expected luminosities are of order $L_{BH} = 10^{52}$ erg/s per flavor. In this case, the neutrino mass sensitivity can be extraordinary. For a supernova at a distance $D = 10$ kpc, SuperKamiokande can detect a $\barν_e$ mass down to 1.8 eV by comparing the arrival times of the high-energy and low-energy neutrinos in $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$. This test will also measure the cutoff time, and will thus allow a mass test of $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ relative to $\barν_e$. Assuming that $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ are nearly degenerate, as suggested by the atmospheric neutrino results, masses down to about 6 eV can be probed with a proposed lead detector of mass $M_D = 4$ kton (OMNIS). Remarkably, the neutrino mass sensitivity scales as $(D/L_{BH} M_D)^{1/2}$. Therefore, {\it direct} sensitivity to all three neutrino masses in the interesting few-eV range is realistically possible; {\it there are no other known techniques that have this capability}.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Weak proton capture on 3He

The astrophysical S-factor for the proton weak capture on 3He is calculated with correlated-hyperspherical-harmonics bound and continuum wave functions corresponding to realistic Hamiltonians consisting of the Argonne v14 or Argonne v18 two-nucleon and Urbana-VIII or Urbana-IX three-nucleon interactions. The nuclear weak charge and current operators have vector and axial-vector components, that include one- and many-body terms. All possible multipole transitions connecting any of the p 3He S- and P-wave channels to the 4He bound state are considered. The S-factor at a p 3He center-of-mass energy of 10 keV, close to the Gamow-peak energy, is predicted to be 10.1 10^{-20} keV b with the AV18/UIX Hamiltonian, a factor of about 4.5 larger than the value adopted in the standard solar model. The P-wave transitions are found to be important, contributing about 40 % of the calculated S-factor. The energy dependence is rather weak: the AV18/UIX zero-energy S-factor is 9.64 10^{-20} keV b, only 5 % smaller than the 10 keV result quoted above. The model dependence is also found to be weak: the zero-energy S-factor is calculated to be 10.2 10^{-20} keV b with the older AV14/UVIII model, only 6 % larger than the AV18/UIX result. Our best estimate for the S-factor at 10 keV is therefore (10.1 \pm 0.6) 10^{-20} keV b, when the theoretical uncertainty due to the model dependence is included. This value for the calculated S-factor is not as large as determined in fits to the Super-Kamiokande data in which the hep flux normalization is free. However, the precise calculation of the S-factor and the consequent absolute prediction for the hep neutrino flux will allow much greater discrimination among proposed solar neutrino oscillation solutions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2000

Technique for Direct eV-Scale Measurements of the Mu and Tau Neutrino Masses Using Supernova Neutrinos

Early black hole formation in a core-collapse supernova will abruptly truncate the neutrino fluxes. The sharp cutoff can be used to make model-independent time-of-flight neutrino mass tests. Assuming a neutrino luminosity of $10^{52}$ erg/s per flavor at cutoff and a distance of 10 kpc, SuperKamiokande can detect an electron neutrino mass as small as 1.8 eV, and the proposed OMNIS detector can detect mu and tau neutrino masses as small as 6 eV. This {\it Letter} presents the first technique with direct sensitivity to eV-scale mu and tau neutrino masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Neutrino magnetic moments, flavor mixing, and the SuperKamiokande solar data

We find that magnetic neutrino-electron scattering is unaffected by oscillations for vacuum mixing of Dirac neutrinos with only diagonal moments and for Majorana neutrinos with two flavors. For MSW mixing, these cases again obtain, though the effective moments can depend on the neutrino energy. Thus, e.g., the magnetic moments measured with $\barν_e$ from a reactor and $ν_e$ from the Sun could be different. With minimal assumptions, we find a new limit on $μ_ν$ using the 825-days SuperKamiokande solar neutrino data: $|μ_ν| \le 1.5\times 10^{-10} μ_B$ at 90% CL, comparable to the existing reactor limit.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Neutrinos From the Next Galactic Supernova

The next core-collapse supernova in our Galaxy will be a spectacular event, with some $10^4$ neutrino detections in total expected among several detectors. This data will allow unprecedented tests of neutrino properties and new opportunities in astrophysics. In this paper, I focus on two main topics: (1) Measurement of the $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ masses by time-of-flight, with an emphasis on introducing as little supernova model dependence as possible, and (2) Methods for locating a supernova by its neutrinos in advance of the light, which may allow improved astronomical observations. In the latter, I also discuss the recent result that the positrons from $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$ are not isotropically emitted, as commonly thought.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Can a supernova be located by its neutrinos?

A future core-collapse supernova in our Galaxy will be detected by several neutrino detectors around the world. The neutrinos escape from the supernova core over several seconds from the time of collapse, unlike the electromagnetic radiation, emitted from the envelope, which is delayed by a time of order hours. In addition, the electromagnetic radiation can be obscured by dust in the intervening interstellar space. The question therefore arises whether a supernova can be located by its neutrinos alone. The early warning of a supernova and its location might allow greatly improved astronomical observations. The theme of the present work is a careful and realistic assessment of this question, taking into account the statistical significance of the various neutrino signals. Not surprisingly, neutrino-electron forward scattering leads to a good determination of the supernova direction, even in the presence of the large and nearly isotropic background from other reactions. Even with the most pessimistic background assumptions, SuperKamiokande (SK) and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) can restrict the supernova direction to be within circles of radius $5^\circ$ and $20^\circ$, respectively. Other reactions with more events but weaker angular dependence are much less useful for locating the supernova. Finally, there is the oft-discussed possibility of triangulation, i.e., determination of the supernova direction based on an arrival time delay between different detectors. Given the expected statistics we show that, contrary to previous estimates, this technique does not allow a good determination of the supernova direction.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

The angular distribution of the reaction $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$

The reaction $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$ is very important for low-energy ($E_ν\lesssim 60$ MeV) antineutrino experiments. In this paper we calculate the positron angular distribution, which at low energies is slightly backward. We show that weak magnetism and recoil corrections have a large effect on the angular distribution, making it isotropic at about 15 MeV and slightly forward at higher energies. We also show that the behavior of the cross section and the angular distribution can be well-understood analytically for $E_ν\lesssim 60$ MeV by calculating to ${\cal O}(1/M)$, where $M$ is the nucleon mass. The correct angular distribution is useful for separating $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$ events from other reactions and detector backgrounds, as well as for possible localization of the source (e.g., a supernova) direction. We comment on how similar corrections appear for the lepton angular distributions in the deuteron breakup reactions $\barν_e + d \to e^+ + n + n$ and $ν_e + d \to e^- + p + p$. Finally, in the reaction $\barν_e + p \to e^+ + n$, the angular distribution of the outgoing neutrons is strongly forward-peaked, leading to a measurable separation in positron and neutron detection points, also potentially useful for rejecting backgrounds or locating the source direction.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Supernova Neutrinos and the Neutrino Masses

Core-collapse supernovae emit of order $10^{58}$ neutrinos and antineutrinos of all flavors over several seconds, with average energies of 10--25 MeV. In the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), a future Galactic supernova at a distance of 10 kpc would cause several hundred events. The $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos and antineutrinos are of particular interest, as a test of the supernova mechanism. In addition, it is possible to measure or limit their masses by their delay (determined from neutral-current events) relative to the $\barν_e$ neutrinos (determined from charged-current events). Numerical results are presented for such a future supernova as seen in SNO. Under reasonable assumptions, and in the presence of the expected counting statistics, a $ν_μ$ or $ν_τ$ mass down to about 30 eV can be simply and robustly determined. This seems to be the best technique for direct measurement of these masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

Green's Function for Nonlocal Potentials

The single-particle nuclear potential is intrinsically nonlocal. In this paper, we consider nonlocalities which arise from the many-body and fermionic nature of the nucleus. We investigate the effects of nonlocality in the nuclear potential by developing the Green's function for nonlocal potentials. The formal Green's function integral is solved analytically in two different limits of the wavelength as compared to the scale of nonlocality. Both results are studied in a quasi-free limit. The results illuminate some of the basic effects of nonlocality in the nuclear medium.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Mass signature of supernova $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos in SuperKamiokande

The $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos (and their antiparticles) from a Galactic core-collapse supernova can be observed in a water-Čerenkov detector by the neutral-current excitation of $^{16}$O. The number of events expected is several times greater than from neutral-current scattering on electrons. The observation of this signal would be a strong test that these neutrinos are produced in core-collapse supernovae, and with the right characteristics. In this paper, this signal is used as the basis for a technique of neutrino mass determination from a future Galactic supernova. The masses of the $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos can either be measured or limited by their delay relative to the $\barν_e$ neutrinos. By comparing to the high-statistics $\barν_e$ data instead of the theoretical expectation, much of the model dependence is canceled. Numerical results are presented for a future supernova at 10 kpc as seen in the SuperKamiokande detector. Under reasonable assumptions, and in the presence of the expected counting statistics, $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ masses down to about 50 eV can be simply and robustly determined. The signal used here is more sensitive to small neutrino masses than the signal based on neutrino-electron scattering.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

Mass signature of supernova $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Core-collapse supernovae emit of order $10^{58}$ neutrinos and antineutrinos of all flavors over several seconds, with average energies of 10--25 MeV. In the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), which begins operations this year, neutrinos and antineutrinos of all flavors can be detected by reactions which break up the deuteron. For a future Galactic supernova at a distance of 10 kpc, several hundred events will be observed in SNO. The $ν_μ$ and $ν_τ$ neutrinos and antineutrinos are of particular interest, as a test of the supernova mechanism. In addition, it is possible to measure or limit their masses by their delay (determined from neutral-current events) relative to the $\barν_e$ neutrinos (determined from charged-current events). Numerical results are presented for such a future supernova as seen in SNO. Under reasonable assumptions, and in the presence of the expected counting statistics, a $ν_μ$ or $ν_τ$ mass down to about 30 eV can be simply and robustly determined. If zero delay is measured, then the mass limit is independent of the distance $D$. At present, this seems to be the best possibility for direct determination of a $ν_μ$ or $ν_τ$ mass within the cosmologically interesting range. We also show how to separately study the supernova and neutrino physics, and how changes in the assumed supernova parameters would affect the mass sensitivity.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1997

Matter-Enhanced Neutrino Oscillations in the Quasi-Adiabatic Limit

We introduce simple analytic expressions for the neutrino survival probability in media valid in the quasi-adiabatic limit. These expressions provide a quick but accurate alternative to numerical solution of the neutrino propagation equations for the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect. They can also be used to extract information about the density scale height from the neutrino data. As an example, we present calculations for solar neutrinos.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1997

A Semiclassical Approach to Level Crossing in Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics

Much use has been made of the techniques of supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSY QM) for studying bound-state problems characterized by a superpotential $ϕ(x)$. Under the analytic continuation $ϕ(x) \to iϕ(x)$, a pair of superpartner bound-state problems is transformed into a two-state level-crossing problem in the continuum. The description of matter-enhanced neutrino flavor oscillations involves a level-crossing problem. We treat this with the techniques of supersymmetric quantum mechanics. For the benefit of those not familiar with neutrino oscillations and their description, enough details are given to make the rest of the paper understandable. Many other level-crossing problems in physics are of exactly the same form. Particular attention is given to the fact that different semiclassical techniques yield different results. The best result is obtained with a uniform approximation that explicitly recognizes the supersymmetric nature of the system.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Semiclassical treatment of matter-enhanced neutrino oscillations for an arbitrary density profile

The matter-enhanced oscillations of two neutrino flavors are studied using a uniform semiclassical approximation. Unlike some analytic studies which have focused on certain exactly-solvable densities, this method can be used for an arbitrary monotonic density profile. The method is applicable to a wider range of mixing parameters than previous approximate methods for arbitrary densities. The approximation is excellent in the adiabatic regime and up to the extreme nonadiabatic limit. In particular, the range of validity for this approximation extends farther into the nonadiabatic regime than for the linear Landau-Zener result. This method also allows calculation of the source- and detector-dependent terms in the unaveraged survival probability, and analytic results for these terms are given. These interference terms may be important in studying neutrino mixing in the sun or in supernovae.

hep-ph↗