Searching for prompt signatures of nearby core-collapse supernovae

We discuss the science motivations and prospects for a joint analysis of gravitational wave (GW) and low-energy neutrino data to search for prompt signals from nearby supernovae (SNe). Both gravitational wave and low-energy neutrinos are expected to be produced in the innermost region of a core-collapse supernova, and a search for coincident signals would probe the processes which power a supernova explosion. It is estimated that the current generation of neutrino and gravitational wave detectors would be sensitive to galactic corecollapse supernovae, and would also be able to detect electromagnetically dark SNe. A joint GW-neutrino search would enable improvements to searches by way of lower detection thresholds, larger distance range, better live-time coverage by a network of GW and neutrino detectors, and increased significance of candidate detections. A close collaboration between the GW and neutrino communities for such a search will thus go far toward realizing a much soughtafter astrophysics goal of detecting the next nearby supernova. PACS numbers: 04.30.Tv, 04.80.Nn, 95.30.Cq, 95.30.Sf, 95.55.Vj, 95.55.Ym, 95.85.Ry, 95.85.Sz, 97.60.Bw 0264-9381/10/084019+08$30.00 © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK & the USA 1 Class. Quantum Grav. 27 (2010) 084019 I Leonor et al