Neutrinos from beta processes in a presupernova: probing the isotopic evolution of a massive star

Abstract

We present a new calculation of the neutrino flux received at Earth from a massive star in the $\sim 24$ hours of evolution prior to its explosion as a supernova (presupernova). Using the stellar evolution code MESA, the neutrino emissivity in each flavor is calculated at many radial zones and time steps. In addition to thermal processes, neutrino production via beta processes is modeled in detail, using a network of 204 isotopes. We find that the total produced ${\nu }_e$ flux has a high energy spectrum tail, at $E\gtrsim 3-4$ MeV, which is mostly due to decay and electron capture on isotopes with $A=50-60$. In a tentative window of observability of $E\gtrsim 0.5$ MeV and $t<2$ hours pre-collapse, the contribution of beta processes to the ${\nu }_e$ flux is at the level of $\sim 90\%$ . For a star at $D=1$ kpc distance, a 17 kt liquid scintillator detector would typically observe several tens of events from a presupernova, of which up to $\sim 30\%$ due to beta processes. These processes dominate the signal at a liquid argon detector, thus greatly enhancing its sensitivity to a presupernova.

14 pages, 5 figures

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• Theoretical prediction of presupernova neutrinos and their detection
• On The Impact Of 22Ne On The Pulsation Periods Of Carbon-Oxygen White Dwarfs With Helium Dominated Atmospheres
• Large Low Background kTon-Scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers
• The sensitivity of presupernova neutrinos to stellar evolution models
• The neutrino emission from thermal processes in very massive stars in the local universe
• Observing Axion Emission from Supernova with Collider Detectors