Unveiling Neutrino Nature with the Diffuse Supernova Background

Abstract

The true nature of neutrinos--whether Dirac or Majorana--is a foundational, unresolved question. We demonstrate that the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) offers an untapped avenue to resolve this issue, provided neutrino magnetic moments are $\gtrsim 10^{-14}{\mu }_B$. The intense magnetic fields characteristic of a subset of collapsing massive stars can trigger resonant chirality flips. This flavor conversion physics alters DSNB fluxes in measurable ways that depend on the neutrino nature. A $20$~yr combined exposure at Hyper-Kamiokande loaded with gadolinium and JUNO can unravel this signature at $90\%$ ($99\%$) confidence if the fraction of magnetorotational events exceeds $12\%$ ($20\%$) of cosmic core collapses. This result holds independent of the mass ordering and establishes the DSNB as a critical gateway to unveiling the true identity of the neutrino.

15 pages, 8 figures, 1 table