University of Pennsylvania
Department of Physics and Astronomy
High Energy Physics Seminar

Neutrinos emerge promptly from the core of a collapsing star, preceding the photon supernova signal by hours. Several neutrino detectors world-wide, including Super-Kamiokande, SNO, MACRO, and AMANDA, are capable of detecting the burst of neutrinos from a stellar collapse in our Galaxy. Coincident detection of a neutrino burst in several detectors around the world could alert astronomers that a nearby supernova is about to appear, so that very early supernova light observation may be possible. In addition, if neutrino burst timing information from more than one experiment is available, it may be possible to point back to the supernova using triangulation. An international network of neutrino experimenters and astronomers is being organized to perform the neutrino signal coincidence and disseminate supernova alert information. This talk will describe the expected supernova neutrino signal, the capabilities of current and future detectors, and the status of the supernova alert network.