Supernova neutrino detection in Borexino

We calculated the expected neutrino signal in Borexino from a typical Type II supernova at a distance of 10 kpc. A burst of around 110 events would appear in Borexino within a time interval of about 10 s. Most of these events would come from the reaction channel v̄_e + p → e⁺ + n, while about 30 events would be induced by the interaction of the supernova neutrino flux on ¹²C in the liquid scintillator. Borexino can clearly distinguish between the neutral-current excitations ¹²C(v, v′)¹²C*(15.11 MeV) and the charged-current reactions ¹²C(v_e, e^-)¹²N and ¹²C(v̄_e,e⁺)¹²B, via their distinctive event signatures. The ratio of the charged-current to neutral-current neutrino event rates and their time profiles with respect to each other can provide a handle on supernova and non-standard neutrino physics (mass and flavor oscillations).