Analytic Model Predicts 1-100 TeV Neutrinos from Supernova Shock Breakouts Carry ~10% of Proton Energy
Preprint calculates neutrino spectra and light curves from SN shock breakouts in CSM. Significant 1-100 TeV neutrino output occurs early, potentially explaining part of the extragalactic neutrino background while gamma rays are absorbed. Detection rate estimates and model assumptions are provided.
The study models the transition from radiation-mediated to collisionless shocks in compact CSM at 10^14-10^15 cm, tracking time-dependent neutrino production efficiency, maximum proton energy, and pair-production opacity. Neutrino emission peaks within days of explosion, before the electromagnetic light curve maximum, with 1-100 TeV neutrinos escaping while >1 GeV photons remain trapped in denser configurations. This timing decouples the neutrino and gamma-ray signals.
If enhanced pre-explosion mass loss is common and shock-accelerated protons carry 10% of collisionless shock energy, the mechanism supplies a steady contribution to the diffuse neutrino flux measured by IceCube. The model avoids the gamma-ray background tension seen in other hadronic sources because pair production suppresses high-energy photon escape. Expected detection rates reach ~0.05 events per year in a 1 km^{2} detector for nearby events.
The work connects to multi-messenger observations by predicting that neutrino alerts could precede optical supernova discovery, offering a new probe of progenitor mass-loss history. It also implies revised cosmic-ray budgets for star-forming galaxies where CSM interactions dominate.
IceCube-Gen2: First coincident high-energy neutrino with a spectroscopically confirmed Type IIn supernova within 3 years would validate the 10% energy transfer efficiency assumption.
Sources (3)
- [1]Primary Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13680)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.01266)
- [3]Supporting Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.14858)