Cosmic and Galactic neutrino backgrounds from thermonuclear sources

We estimate energy spectra and fluxes at the Earth’s surface of the cosmic and Galactic neutrino backgrounds produced by thermonuclear reactions in stars. The extra-galactic component is obtained by combining the most recent estimates of the cosmic star formation history and the stellar initial mass function with accurate theoretical predictions of the neutrino yields all over the thermonuclear lifetime of stars of different masses. Models of the structure and evolution of the Milky Way are used to derive maps of the expected flux generated by Galactic sources as a function of sky direction. The predicted neutrino backgrounds depend only slightly on model parameters. In the relevant 50 keV–10 MeV window, the total flux of cosmic neutrinos ranges between 20 and 65 cm⁻² s⁻¹. Neutrinos reaching the Earth today have been typically emitted at redshift z2. Their energy spectrum peaks at E0.1–0.3 MeV. The energy and entropy densities of the cosmic background are negligible with respect to the thermal contribution of relic neutrinos originated in the early universe. In every sky direction, the cosmic background is outnumbered by the Galactic one, whose integrated flux amounts to 300–1000 cm⁻² s⁻¹. The emission from stars in the Galactic disk contributes more than 95% of the signal.     

Exact analysis of the combined data of SNO and Super-Kamiokande

Comparison of solar-neutrino signals in SNO [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 (2001) 071301] and Super-Kamiokande (SK) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 (2001) 5651] detectors results in discovery of ν_e→ν_μ,τ oscillations at level 3.1–3.3σ [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 (2001) 071301]. This comparison involves the assumption of neutrino spectrum and a choice for the thresholds of detection in both experiments. In this paper we obtain an exact formula for the comparison of the signals which is valid for arbitrary spectra and thresholds. We find that the no-oscillation hypothesis (astrophysical solutions) is excluded at 3.3σ. If the energy-dependent component of the survival probability for electron neutrinos is small as compared with the average value, i.e. in the case of small distortion of the observed spectrum, the oscillation hypothesis can also be tested to similar accuracy. The oscillation to sterile neutrino only, is excluded at 3.3σ level, and oscillation to active neutrinos is confirmed at 2.8σ.     

Gamma-ray burst neutrino background and star formation history in the universe

We estimate the flux of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) neutrino background and compute the event rate at SK and TITAND in the collapsar model, assuming that GRB formation rate is proportional to the star formation rate. We find that the predicted background neutrino flux is highly sensitive to unknown model parameters, mainly to the mass–accretion rate, to the fraction of disk energy emitted in thermal neutrinos (as opposed to emission through electromagnetic processes), and to the fraction of collapsar events leading to GRBs. The predicted neutrino flux varies over many orders of magnitude as the values of unknown model parameters are varied. We investigate the detection possibility of thermal neutrinos from collapsars which lead to GRBs by TITAND. We find that the GRB neutrino background might be detected by TITAND within 10 yrs only for the optimistic cases in which the average mass–accretion rate is high ( a few M s⁻¹), and the probability that one collapsar generates a GRB is high (f=0.5–1.0).     

Detecting neutrino transients with optical follow-up observations

A novel method is presented which will enhance the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to identify transient sources such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and core-collapse Supernovae (SNe). Triggered by the detection of high energy neutrino events from IceCube or other large scale neutrino telescopes, an optical follow-up program will allow the identification of the transient neutrino source. We show that once the follow-up program is implemented, the achievable sensitivity of IceCube to neutrinos from SNe and GRBs would increase by a factor of 2–3. The program can be realized with a small network of automated 1–2 m telescopes and has rather modest observing time requirements.     

Methods for point source analysis in high energy neutrino telescopes

Neutrino telescopes are moving steadily toward the goal of detecting astrophysical neutrinos from the most powerful galactic and extragalactic sources. Here we describe analysis methods to search for high energy point-like neutrino sources using detectors deep in the ice or sea. We simulate an ideal cubic kilometer detector based on real world performance of existing detectors such as AMANDA, IceCube, and ANTARES. An unbinned likelihood ratio method is applied, making use of the point spread function and energy distribution of simulated neutrino signal events to separate them from the background of atmospheric neutrinos produced by cosmic ray showers. The unbinned point source analyses are shown to perform better than binned searches and, depending on the source spectral index, the use of energy information is shown to improve discovery potential by almost a factor of two.     

A model independent approach to future solar neutrino experiments

We discuss here what model independent information about properties of neutrinos and of the sun can be obtained from future solar neutrino experiments (SNO, Super-Kamiokande). It is shown that in the general case of transitions of solar ν_e's into νμ and/or ντ the initial ⁸B neutrino flux can be measured by the observation of NC events. From the CC measurements the ν_e survival probability can be determined as a function of neutrino energy. The general case of transitions of solar ν_e's into active as well as sterile neutrinos is considered. A number of relations between measurable quantities the test of which will allow to answer the question whether there are sterile neutrinos in the solar neutrino flux on the earth are derived. Transitions of solar ν_e's into active and sterile states due to neutrino mixing and Dirac magnetic moments or into active left-handed neutrinos and active right-handed antineutrinos due to neutrino mixing and Majorana transition magnetic moments are also considered. It is shown that future solar neutrino experiments will allow to distinguish between the cases of Dirac and Majorana magnetic moments.     

Stopping power of matter and energy losses of solar neutrinos

The effects of neutrino mass and oscillations are investigated in the calculations of energy losses of solar neutrinos. In these calculations, we take into account the full energy dependence of the stopping power of matter for neutrinos. The case of Majorana neutrinos are also investigated. It is found that the total losses of energy of solar neutrinos are too small to account for the solar neutrino problem.     

History of neutrino telescope/astronomy

Neutrinos represent a new window to the Universe. In this paper we discuss the attempts to detect neutrinos, starting with the Homestake experiment, which showed the deficit of solar neutrinos. The detection of neutrinos from SN 1987A gave a new impetus to neutrino research. By using successive generations of neutrino detectors it was possible to show that the solar neutrino deficit could be explained by a flavor change of massive neutrinos. With the latest detector, kamLAND, it is possible to investigate the interior of the Earth through the detection of geoneutrinos.     

Potential neutrino signals in a northern hemisphere neutrino telescope from galactic gamma-ray sources

Neutrino energy spectra have been calculated based on the recently measured energy spectra of Galactic very high energy γ-ray sources. Based on these neutrino spectra the expected event rates in the ANTARES neutrino telescope and KM3NeT, a future neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea with an instrumented volume of one km³, have been calculated. For the brightest γ-ray sources we find event rates of the order of one neutrino per year. Although the neutrino event rates are comparable to the background from atmospheric neutrinos the detection of individual sources seems possible.     

高能中微子和极高能宇宙线起源天体的理论研究

极高能宇宙线一般指来自地外的能量高于1018电子伏特(eV)的高能质子与原子核,其起源的研究一直是高能天体物理和粒子天体物理领域的热点问题.近年随着一些大型探测器(如Pierre Auger天文台)的运行,极高能宇宙线的研究取得很大进展.然而由于极高能宇宙线事例相对较少及其在从源到地球传播过程中的复杂性(如与宇宙微波背景辐射以及磁场的作用),需要通过观测这些宇宙线在强子反应中产生的次级粒子(如中微子)来获得其起源的额外信息.最近,位于南极的IceCube中微子天文台探测到了54个能量分布在60TeV{3PeV内的中微子事例,开启了高能中微子天文学的新时代.在本文中,我们研究了高能中微子、极高能宇宙线的天体物理起源以及它们之间可能的联系.     

Galactic gamma halo by heavy neutrino annihilations?

The diffused gamma halo around our Galaxy recently discovered by EGRET could be produced by annihilations of heavy relic neutrinos N (of fourth generation), whose mass is within a narrow range (M_Z/2<m_N<M_Z). Neutrino annihilation in the halo may lead to either ultrarelativistic electron pairs whose Inverse Compton Scattering on infrared and optical galactic photons could be the source of observed GeV gamma rays, or prompt 100 MeV–1 GeV photons (due to neutral pion secondaries) born by reactions. The consequent gamma flux (10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ cm⁻² s⁻¹ sr⁻¹) is well comparable to the EGRET observed one, and it is also compatible with the narrow window of neutrino mass 45 GeV <m_N<50 GeV, recently required to explain the underground DAMA signals.The presence of heavy neutrinos of fourth generation do not contribute much to solve the dark matter problem of the Universe, but may be easily detectable by outcoming LEP II data.     

Tomography of the Earth’s core using supernova neutrinos

We investigate the possibility to use the neutrinos coming from a future galactic supernova explosion to perform neutrino oscillation tomography of the Earth’s core. We propose to use existing or planned detectors, resulting in an additional payoff. Provided that all of the discussed uncertainties can be reduced as expected, we find that the average matter densities of the Earth’s inner and outer cores could be measured with a precision competitive with geophysics. However, since seismic waves are more sensitive to matter density jumps than average matter densities, neutrino physics would give partly complementary information.     

LS I +61 303 as a potential neutrino source on the light of magic results

Very high energy γ-rays have recently been detected from the microquasar LS I +61 303 using the MAGIC telescope. A phenomenological study on the concomitant neutrinos that would be radiated if the γ-ray emission is hadronic in origin is herein presented. Neutrino oscillations are considered, and the expected number of events in a km-scale detector such as ICECUBE is computed under different assumptions including orbital periodicity and modulation, as well as different precision in the modeling of the detector. We argue that the upper limits already imposed on the neutrino emission of LS I +61 303 using AMANDA-II and the forthcoming measurements by ICECUBE may significantly constrain – in an independent and unbiased way – the γ-ray to neutrino flux ratio, and thus the possibility of a hadronic origin of the γ-rays. The viability of hadronic models based on wind–jet interactions in the LS +61 303 system after MAGIC measurements is discussed.     

Are diffuse high energy neutrinos and γ-rays from starburst galaxies observable?

Loeb and Waxman have argued that high energy neutrinos from the decay of pions produced in interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar gas in starburst galaxies would be produced with a large enough flux to be observable. Their model is reexamined here and we obtain an upper limit to the diffuse neutrino flux from starburst galaxies. The upper limit obtained here is a factor of 5 lower than the flux which they predict. Our predicted neutrino flux would be below the atmospheric neutrino foreground flux at energies below 300 TeV and therefore would be unobservable. Compared with predicted fluxes from other extragalactic high energy neutrino sources, starburst neutrinos with PeV energies would have a flux considerably below that predicted for AGN models.

We also estimate an upper limit for the diffuse GeV γ-ray flux from starbust galaxies to be of the observed γ-ray background, much less than the component from unresolved blazars and more than an order of magnitude below the estimate of Thompson et al.     

Flux limits on ultra high energy neutrinos with AMANDA-B10

Data taken during 1997 with the AMANDA-B10 detector are searched for a diffuse flux of neutrinos of all flavors with energies above 10¹⁶ eV. At these energies the Earth is opaque to neutrinos, and thus neutrino induced events are concentrated at the horizon. The background are large muon bundles from down-going atmospheric air shower events. No excess events above the background expectation are observed and a neutrino flux following E⁻², with an equal mix of all flavors, is limited to E²Φ(10¹⁵ eV < E < 3 × 10¹⁸ eV)  0.99 × 10⁻⁶ GeV cm⁻² s⁻¹ sr⁻¹ at 90% confidence level. This is the most restrictive experimental bound placed by any neutrino detector at these energies. Bounds to specific extraterrestrial neutrino flux predictions are also presented.     

Compton scattered transition radiation from very high energy particles

X-ray transition radiation can be used to measure the Lorentz factor of relativistic particles. At energies approaching γ=E/mc²=10⁵, transition radiation detectors can be optimized by using thick (5–10 mil) foils with large (5–10 mm) spacings. This implies X-ray energies 100 keV and the use of scintillators as the X-ray detectors. Compton scattering of the X-rays out of the particle beam then becomes an important effect. We discuss the design of very high energy detectors, the use of metal radiator foils rather than the standard plastic foils, inorganic scintillators for detecting Compton scattered transition radiation, and the application to the ACCESS cosmic ray experiment.     

A MC approach to simulate up- and down-going neutrino showers including local topographic conditions

The extragalactic flux of protons is predicted to be suppressed above the famous Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin cut-off at about E_GZK  50 EeV due to the resonant photo-pion production with the cosmic microwave background. Current cosmic ray data do not give a conclusive confirmation of the GZK cut-off and the quest about the origin and the chemical composition of the highest energy cosmic rays is still open. Amongst other particles neutrinos are expected to add to the composition of the cosmic radiation at highest energies. We present an approach to simulate neutrino induced air showers by a full Monte Carlo simulation chain. Starting with neutrinos at the top of the atmosphere, the performed simulations take into account the details of the neutrino propagation inside the Earth and atmosphere as well as inside the surrounding mountains. The products of the interactions are input for air shower simulations. The mountains are modelled by means of a digital elevation map. To exemplify the potential and features of the developed tools we study the possibility to detect neutrino induced extensive air showers with the fluorescence detector set-up of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Both, down-going neutrinos and up-going neutrinos are simulated and their rates are determined. To evaluate the sensitivity, as a function of the incoming direction, the aperture, the acceptance and the total observable event rates are calculated for the Waxman–Bahcall (WB) bound.     

The neutrino radiation for a hot neutron star formation and the envelope outburst problem

With the equations of neutrino heat conductivity being used, the neutrino light curve is calculated for the spherically symmetrical collapse of an iron-oxygen 2M star (Figure 1) up to the formation of a hot hydrostatically equilibrium neutron star. The total energy, radiated in the form of muon and electron neutrinos, is 5.8×10⁵³ erg (0.16Mc ²). The mean neutrino particle energy is 12 MeV for all the time the collapse proceeds. The maximum neutrino luminosity value is equal to 3×10⁵³ erg s^–1. For a 10M star collapse, the luminosity maximum 3×10⁵⁴ erg s^–1 takes place just at the moment of the formation of a black hole inside the collapsing star. The total radiated energy in this case is about 0.08Mc ². The set of calculations, allowing for the deposition of momentum by means of neutrino-nuclear coherent scattering, brings us to a conclusion that the envelope outburst is only possible if the scattering cross-section is 50 times larger than the value experimentally accepted (inequality 20)).