The discovery of 25 neutrinos from the SN1987A core-collapse supernova (CCSN) by the Super-Kamiokande, IMB, and Baksan experiments marked the beginning of neutrino astronomy. A future observation of supernova neutrinos with current or upcoming experiments could provide crucial insights into the underlying mechanism of CCSNe, which remains poorly understood. However, due to the low interaction rate of neutrinos, experiments are only sensitive to nearby supernovae. Since such events are rare, it is essential to optimize the detection channels of all available experiments.
In this presentation, I will focus on new dedicated observables at KM3NeT, which improve the modeling of the main backgrounds at the detector and, more importantly, extend KM3NeT’s distance horizon to CCSNe compared to a previous analysis. KM3NeT is a neutrino telescope currently under construction and taking data in the Mediterranean Sea. This improvement is crucial for enhancing sensitivity to a nearby supernova, during partial detector construction. Finally, I will briefly present a strategy that can be used to extract information on the supernova’s distance.