Dynamic Neutrino Mass Ordering and Its Imprint on the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background (2501.16412v1)

Abstract: Neutrino masses may have evolved dynamically throughout the history of the Universe, potentially leading to a mass spectrum distinct from the normal or inverted ordering observed today. While cosmological measurements constrain the total energy density of neutrinos, they are not directly sensitive to a dynamically changing mass ordering unless future surveys achieve exceptional precision in detecting the distinct imprints of each mass eigenstate on large-scale structures. In this work, we investigate the impact of a dynamic neutrino mass spectrum on the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB), which is composed of neutrinos from all supernova explosions throughout cosmic history and is on the verge of experimental detection. Since neutrino oscillations are highly sensitive to the mass spectrum, we show that the electron neutrino survival probability carries distinct signatures of the evolving neutrino mass spectrum. Our results indicate that the resulting modifications to the DSNB spectrum would exhibit unique energy-dependent features. These features are distinguishable from the effects of significant astrophysical uncertainties, providing a potential avenue for probing the dynamic nature of neutrino masses.