High-energy Neutrino Signals from Supernova Explosions: a New Window into Dark Photon Parameter Space

Dark photons, hypothetical feebly interacting massive vector bosons, appearin many extensions of the Standard Model. This study investigates theirproduction and subsequent decay during supernova explosions. We demonstratethat the decay of dark photons, with masses ranging from 200 to 400 MeV, canlead to the emission of neutrinos with energies surpassing those emitted bysupernovae. These neutrinos therefore serve as a distinct signal of newphysics, allowing for the exploration of previously uncharted regions of thedark photon parameter space and complementing both accelerator-based searchesand other astrophysical constraints. The signal is largely unaffected by thespecifics of the supernova's temperature and density radial profiles outsidethe SN core, rendering the prediction both robust and model-independent. Ourresults indicate that searching for high-energy neutrinos accompanyingsupernova explosions provides a novel approach to probe physics beyond theStandard Model, including dark photons, heavy neutral leptons, and other feeblyinteracting particles with masses in the hundreds of MeV range.