Supernova neutrinos and the nu(tau) mass

We perform an extensive investigation of the sensitivity to non-vanishing nu(tau) mass in a large water Cerenkov detector, developing an analysis method for neutrino events originated by a supernova explosion. This approach, based on directional considerations, provides information almost independent of the supernova model. We analyze several theoretical models from numerical simulations and phenomenological models based on SN1987A data, and determine optimal values of the analysis parameters so as to reach the highest sensitivity to a non-vanishing nu(tau) mass. The minimal detectable mass is generally just above the cosmologically interesting range, m similar to 100 eV, in the case of a supernova explosion near the galactic center. For the case that no positive signal is obtained, observation of a neutrino burst with Super-Kamiokande will anyhow lower the present upper bound on nu(tau) mass to few hundred eV. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.