A Search for Neutrinos from the Solar<i>hep</i>Reaction and the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Abstract

A search has been made for neutrinos from the hep reactionin the Sun and from the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB)using data collected during the first operational phase of the SudburyNeutrino Observatory, with an exposure of 0.65 kilotonne-years. For thehep neutrino search, two events are observed in the effective electronenergy range of 14.3 MeV&lt;Teff&lt;20 MeV where 3.1 backgroundevents are expected. After accounting for neutrino oscillations, an upperlimit of 2.3 x 104 cm-2s-1 at the 90 percent confidence level is inferredon the integral total flux of hep neutrinos. For DSNB neutrinos, noevents are observed in the effective electron energy range of 21 MeV&lt;Teff&lt;35 MeV and, consequently, an upper limit on the nu e componentof the DSNB fluxin the neutrino energy range of 22.9 MeV&lt;E nu&lt;36.9 MeV of 70 cm-2-1 is inferred at the 90 percent confidence level.This is an improvement by a factor of 6.5 on the previous best upperlimit on the hep neutrino flux and by two orders of magnitude on theprevious upper limit on the nu e component of the DSNB flux.