Axions and SN 1987A.

Abstract

We consider the effect of free-streaming axion emission on numerical models for the cooling of the newly born neutron star associated with SN 1987A. We find that for an axion mass of greater than \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ eV, axion emission shortens the duration of the expected neutrino burst so significantly that it would be inconsistent with the neutrino observations made by the Kamiokande II and Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven detectors. However, we have not investigated the possibility that axion trapping (which should occur for masses \ensuremath{\ge}0.02 eV) sufficiently reduces axion emission so that axion masses greater than \ensuremath{\sim}2 eV would be consistent with the neutrino observations.