Do high energy astrophysical neutrinos trace star formation?

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 2015 · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2015/12/029· OSTI ID:22525127

Emig, Kimberly; Windhorst, Rogier ^[1]; Lunardini, Cecilia ^[2]

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1. School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, 450 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1404 (United States)
2. Department of Physics, Arizona State University, 450 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1504 (United States)

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has provided the first map of the high energy (∼ 0.01–1 PeV) sky in neutrinos. Since neutrinos propagate undeflected, their arrival direction is an important identifier for sources of high energy particle acceleration. Reconstructed arrival directions are consistent with an extragalactic origin, with possibly a galactic component, of the neutrino flux. We present a statistical analysis of positional coincidences of the IceCube neutrinos with known astrophysical objects from several catalogs. When considering starburst galaxies with the highest flux in gamma-rays and infrared radiation, up to n=8 coincidences are found, representing an excess over the ∼4 predicted for the randomized, or ''null'' distribution. The probability that this excess is realized in the null case, the p-value, is p=0.042. This value falls to p=0.003 for a partial subset of gamma-ray-detected starburst galaxies and superbubble regions in the galactic neighborhood. Therefore, it is possible that starburst galaxies, and the typically hundreds of superbubble regions within them, might account for a portion of IceCube neutrinos. The physical plausibility of such correlation is discussed briefly.

• OSTI ID: 22525127
• Journal Information: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 2015; ISSN 1475-7516
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ACCELERATION
ASTROPHYSICS
CORRELATIONS
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
GALAXIES
GAMMA RADIATION
INFRARED RADIATION
PEV RANGE
PROBABILITY
SKY
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS