Sensitivity of multi-PMT optical modules to MeV supernova neutrinos in South Pole ice

• Main Author: LOZANO MARISCAL, Cristian Jesus
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2018
• Subjects: South pole
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1300863

IceCube has proven that its low background environment allows for the detection of MeV neutrinos from core-collapse supernovae (SNe). These neutrinos can reveal the time structure of the evolution of a SN and enhance our picture of these explosions. However, IceCube is not able to reconstruct such neutrinos individually but they are measured as a collective enhancement of the modules dominating dark rate, which limits the distance at which SNe can be detected. For the design of new IceCube extensions, new modules like the multi-PMT optical module (mDOM) are being developed which are expected to significantly increase the detector sensitivity. Featuring local coincidences and directional information on detected photons, the mDOM may allow for event-by-event detection of MeV neutrinos with a single module. The poster presents initial studies concerning the detection efficiency of mDOMs for MeV neutrinos and the potential of a detector instrumented with mDOMs to detect extragalactic SNe.