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Scalar nonstandard neutrino interactions in galactic supernovae

Bhaskar Dutta1,*, Aparajitha Karthikeyan1,†, Nityasa Mishra1,‡, Yago Porto2,3,§, and Louis E. Strigari1,∥

  • *Contact author: dutta@tamu.edu
  • †Contact author: aparajitha_96@tamu.edu
  • ‡Contact author: nityasa_mishra@tamu.edu
  • §Contact author: yago.porto@ufabc.edu.br
  • ∥Contact author: strigari@tamu.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 055024 – Published 14 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lgkg-tf2y

Abstract

We analyze the prospects for studying scalar nonstandard interactions (SNSI) using the neutrino burst from a galactic supernova (SN). SNSI modifies the resonant flavor conversion and, correspondingly, the neutronization burst signal, and may be identifiable in future multi-tonne-scale experiments, such as Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Notably, in the normal mass ordering, SNSI can lead to an anomalous (re)appearance of the neutronization-burst νe peak at Earth, a feature otherwise strongly suppressed in the Standard Model. We show that, in the presence of SNSI, neutrinos propagating out of the dense SN environment acquire a density-squared-dependent contribution to their mass-squared differences, which in turn modifies the energy levels of the neutrino matter eigenstates. This density-squared effect is absent in less dense environments such as the Earth or the Sun and is precisely what enables SN neutrinos to probe SNSI parameters up to 4 orders of magnitude below the values accessible to solar or terrestrial neutrino sources.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 055024– Published 14 September, 2026
  • Received 28 December 2025
  • Accepted 22 July 2026
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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 SCOAP3.

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