GPS-Synchronized Monitoring of Supernova Bursts in PandaX-4T: Enabling a Neutrino Trigger for Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Abstract: The landmark detection of neutrinos from SN 1987A marked the dawn of a new era in astrophysics, unequivocally establishing them as indispensable probes for investigating stellar evolution and supernova dynamics. Today, supernova burst neutrinos can be observed through coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering in tonne-scale liquid xenon detectors designed for direct dark matter detection. Capitalizing on this capability, we have developed and deployed a real-time supernova monitoring system for the PandaX-4T experiment. This system incorporates a GPS module providing millisecond-level timing precision, achieves a low false-alarm rate, and maintains high sensitivity to galactic supernova events. This robust methodology is directly scalable and slated for implementation in the next-generation PandaX-20T experiment.