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Prospects for detecting generic fast-time features in the neutrino lightcurve of nearby supernovae in neutrino telescopes

Jakob Beise1,*, Segev BenZvi2, Spencer Griswold2, Nora Valtonen-Mattila3, and Erin O’Sullivan1

  • *Contact author: jakob.beise@physics.uu.se
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 043011 – Published 8 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/54tp-t945

Abstract

Neutrino emission offers a direct probe into the hydrodynamics and energy transport processes within a supernova. Fast-time variations in the neutrino luminosity and mean energy can provide insights into phenomena like turbulence, convection, and shock revival. In this paper, we explore the detection capabilities of large-volume neutrino telescopes such as the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the planned IceCube-Gen2 detector in identifying generic fast-time features in the neutrino lightcurve. We also investigate the potential enhancement in detection sensitivity using wavelength shifters, which can improve light collection efficiency. By employing a short-time Fourier transform analysis, we quantify the excess power in the frequency spectrum arising from fast-time modulations and compute the detection horizon for a range of generic models. We find that with IceCube we can already see the strongest modulation models (>50% amplitude) for progenitors located anywhere in the Milky Way. Sensitivity to weaker modulations (>20% amplitude) is possible in future detectors like IceCube-Gen2, in particular with the use of wavelength shifters. For all detector configurations, the frequency and central time of the fast-time feature at the 5σ detection horizon can be measured with a resolution of 7.0  Hz and 17 ms, respectively.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 043011– Published 8 August, 2025
  • Received 21 March 2025
  • Accepted 24 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by Bibsam.

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