Eur. Phys. J. C (2021) 81: 445
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09187-5

Regular Article - Experimental Physics

The KM3NeT potential for the next core-collapse supernova observation with neutrinos

KM3NeT Collaboration

¹ INFN, Sezione di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123, Catania, Italy
² Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000, Strasbourg, France
³ IFIC-Instituto de Física Corpuscular (CSIC-Universitat de València), c/Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
⁴ Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille, France
⁵ INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia ed. G, 80126, Naples, Italy
⁶ Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Dip. Scienze Fisiche “E. Pancini”, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia ed. G, 80126, Naples, Italy
⁷ INFN, Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
⁸ Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Laboratori d’Aplicacions Bioacústiques, Centre Tecnològic de Vilanova i la Geltrú, Avda. Rambla Exposició, s/n, 08800, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
⁹ NCSR Demokritos, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, 15310, Athens, Greece
¹⁰ INFN, Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
¹¹ Department of Computer Architecture and Technology/CITIC, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
¹² Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Straße 1, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
¹³ Instituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de las Zonas Costeras, Universitat Politècnica de València, C/ Paranimf, 1, 46730, Gandia, Spain
¹⁴ Université de Paris, CNRS Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75013, Paris, France
¹⁵ Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics, PO Box 41882, 1009 DB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
¹⁶ Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed V in Rabat, B.P. 1014, 4 av. Ibn Battouta, R.P. 10000, Rabat, Morocco
¹⁷ INFN, Sezione di Bologna, v.le C. Berti-Pichat, 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
¹⁸ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna, v.le C. Berti-Pichat, 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
¹⁹ KVI-CART University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
²⁰ INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via S. Sofia 62, 95123, Catania, Italy
²¹ Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, 2520, Potchefstroom, South Africa
²² Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Unidad Mixta IEO-UPV, C/ Paranimf, 1, 46730, Gandia, Spain
²³ Faculty of Sciences, BV Mohammed VI, University Mohammed I, B.P. 717, R.P. 60000, Oujda, Morocco
²⁴ Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Salerno e INFN Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
²⁵ ISS, Atomistilor 409, 077125, Măgurele, Romania
²⁶ Institute of Physics/IHEF, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94216, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
²⁷ TNO, Technical Sciences, PO Box 155, 2600 AD, Delft, The Netherlands
²⁸ Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Viale Lincoln 5, 81100, Caserta, Italy
²⁹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
³⁰ Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Energia Elettrica e dell’Informazione “Guglielmo Marconi”, Università di Bologna, Via dell’Università 50, 47522, Cesena, Italy
³¹ Physics Department, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, P.O.B. 2390, Av. My Abdellah, 40000, Marrakech, Morocco
³² School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, Private Bag 3, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
³³ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95123, Catania, Italy
³⁴ INFN, LNF, Via Enrico Fermi, 40, 00044, Frascati, Italy
³⁵ INFN, Sezione di Bari, Via Amendola 173, 70126, Bari, Italy
³⁶ Subatech, IMT Atlantique, IN2P3-CNRS, Université de Nantes, BP 20722 44307, 4 rue Alfred Kastler-La Chantrerie, Nantes, France
³⁷ University of Bari, Via Amendola 173, 70126, Bari, Italy
³⁸ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Salerno e INFN Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Italy
³⁹ Università di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
⁴⁰ University Würzburg, Emil-Fischer-Straße 31, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
⁴¹ School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, 2751, Penrith, NSW, Australia
⁴² Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon-CC 72, 34095, Montpellier Cédex 05, France
⁴³ Physics Department, University La Sapienza, Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
⁴⁴ INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
⁴⁵ NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research), PO Box 59, Den Burg, 1790 AB, Texel, The Netherlands
⁴⁶ International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, 6102, Bentley, WA, Australia
⁴⁷ National Centre for Nuclear Research, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
⁴⁸ Department of Physics, Tbilisi State University, 3, Chavchavadze Ave., 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
⁴⁹ Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75005, Paris, France
⁵⁰ Dpto. de Física Teórica y del Cosmos & C.A.F.P.E., University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
⁵¹ Department Physics, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, 2006, Auckland Park, South Africa
⁵² Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
⁵³ Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University, PO Box 9504, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
⁵⁴ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
⁵⁵ Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Remeis Sternwarte, Sternwartstraße 7, 96049, Bamberg, Germany
⁵⁶ Université de Strasbourg, Université de Haute Alsace, GRPHE, 34, Rue du Grillenbreit, 68008, Colmar, France
⁵⁷ Institut für Kernphysik, University of Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 9, 48149, Münster, Germany
⁵⁸ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Utrecht University, PO Box 80000, 3508 TA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
⁵⁹ Accademia Navale di Livorno, Viale Italia 72, 57100, Livorno, Italy
⁶⁰ INFN, CNAF, v.le C. Berti-Pichat, 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy

^bg mcolomer@apc.in2p3.fr
^ew lincetto@cppm.in2p3.fr

Received: 12 February 2021
Accepted: 27 April 2021
Published online: 24 May 2021

Abstract

The KM3NeT research infrastructure is under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of two water Cherenkov neutrino detectors, ARCA and ORCA, aimed at neutrino astrophysics and oscillation research, respectively. Instrumenting a large volume of sea water with $\sim 6200$ optical modules comprising a total of $\sim 200,000$ photomultiplier tubes, KM3NeT will achieve sensitivity to $\sim 10\mathrm{MeV}$ neutrinos from Galactic and near-Galactic core-collapse supernovae through the observation of coincident hits in photomultipliers above the background. In this paper, the sensitivity of KM3NeT to a supernova explosion is estimated from detailed analyses of background data from the first KM3NeT detection units and simulations of the neutrino signal. The KM3NeT observational horizon (for a $5\sigma$ discovery) covers essentially the Milky-Way and for the most optimistic model, extends to the Small Magellanic Cloud ($\sim 60\mathrm{kpc}$). Detailed studies of the time profile of the neutrino signal allow assessment of the KM3NeT capability to determine the arrival time of the neutrino burst with a few milliseconds precision for sources up to 5–8 kpc away, and detecting the peculiar signature of the standing accretion shock instability if the core-collapse supernova explosion happens closer than 3–5 kpc, depending on the progenitor mass. KM3NeT’s capability to measure the neutrino flux spectral parameters is also presented.