15899702
Does regenerated emission change the high-energy signal from gamma-ray burst afterglows?
We study regenerated high-energy emission from the γ-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, and compare its flux with the direct component from the same afterglow. When the intrinsic emission spectrum extends to the TeV region, these very high-energy photons are significantly absorbed by the cosmic infrared background (CIB) radiation field, creating electron-positron pairs; since these pairs are highly energetic, they can scatter the cosmic microwave background radiation up to GeV energies, which may change the intrinsic afterglow light curve in the GeV region. Using the theoretical models given in the literature and a reasonable choice of the relevant parameters, we calculate the expected light curve due to the regeneration mechanism. We find that the regenerated emission could only slightly change the original light curve, even if we take a rather large value for the CIB density, independently of the density profile of the surrounding medium, i.e. constant or wind-like profile. This ensures reliable estimation of the intrinsic GRB parameters when high-energy observation is accessible, regardless of the large amount of uncertainty concerning the CIB density as well as extragalactic magnetic field strength.
116431772
Supernova Neutrino Oscillations and the Neutrino Magnetic Moment
Resonant spin-flavour (RSF) conversions of supernova neutrinos, which are induced by the interaction between the nonzero neutrino magnetic moment and supernova magnetic fields, are studied for both normal and inverted mass hierarchy. As the case for the pure matter-induced neutrino oscillation (Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein (MSW) effect), we find that the RSF transitions are strongly dependent on the neutrino mass hierarchy as well as the value of θ13. Flavour conversions are solved numerically for various neutrino parameter sets, with the realistic presupernova profile. In particular, it is very interesting that the RSF-induced νe → ν̄e transition occurs if the following conditions are all satisfied: the value of μνB (μν is the neutrino magnetic moment and B is the magnetic field strength) is sufficiently strong, the neutrino mass hierarchy is inverted, and the value of θ13 is large enough to induce adiabatic MSW resonance. In this case, the strong peak due to the original νe emitted from the neutronization burst would exist in the time profile of the neutrino events detected at the Super-Kamiokande detector. If this peak were observed in reality, it would provide fruitful information on the neutrino properties. On the other hand, the characteristics of the neutrino spectra are also different between the neutrino models, but we find that there remains degeneracy among several models. This contribution is based on our recent study [1].
43920467
Mapping dark matter in the gamma-ray sky with galaxy catalogs
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI),Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan(Dated: December 16, 2013)Cross-correlating gamma-ray maps with locations of galaxies in the low-redshift Universe vastlyincreases sensitivity to signatures of annihilation of dark matter particles. Low-redshift galaxiesare ideal targets, as the largest contribution to anisotropy in the gamma-ray sky from annihilationcomes from z . 0:1, where we expect minimal contributions from astrophysical sources such asblazars. Cross-correlating the ve-year data of Fermi-LAT with the redshift catalog of the 2MASSsurvey can detect gamma rays from annihilation if dark matter has the canonical annihilation crosssection and its mass is smaller than ˘100 GeV.
216052179
Constraints on the annihilation cross section of dark matter particles from anisotropies in the diffuse gamma-ray background measured with Fermi-LAT
Annihilation of dark matter particles in cosmological halos (including the halo of the Milky Way) contributes to the diffuse gamma-ray background (DGRB). As this contribution will appear anisotropic in the sky, one can use the angular power spectrum of anisotropies in the DGRB to constrain the properties of dark matter particles. By comparing the updated analytic model of the angular power spectrum of the DGRB from dark matter annihilation with the power spectrum recently measured from the 22-month data of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), we place upper limits on the annihilation cross section of dark matter particles as a function of dark matter masses. We find that the current data exclude (σv)≳10−25  cm3 s−1 for annihilation into bb¯ at the dark matter mass of 10 GeV, which is a factor of 3 times larger than the canonical cross section. The limits are weaker for larger dark matter masses. The limits can be improved further with more Fermi-LAT data as well as by using the power spectrum at lower multipoles (l≲150), which are currently not used due to a potential Galactic foreground contamination.
43135563
High-energy neutrinos from reverse shocks in choked and successful relativistic jets
Highly relativistic jets are a key element of current gamma-ray burst models, where the jet kinetic energy is converted to radiation energy at optically thin shocks. High-energy neutrinos are also expected, from interactions of protons accelerated in the same shocks. Here we revisit the early evolution of a relativistic jet, while the jet is still inside the star, and investigate its neutrino emission. In particular we study propagation of mildly relativistic and ultrarelativistic jets through a type Ib progenitor, and follow reverse shocks as the jets cross the star. We show that protons can be accelerated to 10^4–10^5 GeV at reverse shocks, and efficiently produce mesons. The mesons experience significant cooling, suppressing subsequent neutrino emission. We show, however, that the neutrino yield from the reverse shock is still reasonably large, especially for low-luminosity and long-duration jets, where meson cooling is less severe. We discuss implications of our results in the context of neutrinos from choked jets, which are completely shock heated and do not break out of the star. From a choked jet with isotropic equivalent energy of 10^53 erg at 10 Mpc, we expect ~20 neutrino events at IceCube.
125701625
Gamma-ray burst neutrino background and star formation history in the universe
Abstract We estimate the flux of the 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 ( φ = 0.5 − 1.0).
197438832
Radiative neutron capture on a proton at BBN energies
The total cross section for radiative neutron capture on a proton, $np \to d \gamma$, is evaluated at big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) energies. The electromagnetic transition amplitudes are calculated up to next-to leading order within the framework of pionless effective field theory with dibaryon fields. We also calculate the $d\gamma\to np$ cross section and the photon analyzing power for the $d\vec{\gamma}\to np$ process from the amplitudes. The values of low energy constants that appear in the amplitudes are estimated by a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis using the relevant low energy experimental data. Our result agrees well with those of other theoretical calculations except for the $np\to d\gamma$ cross section at some energies estimated by an R-matrix analysis. We also study the uncertainties in our estimation of the $np\to d\gamma$ cross section at relevant BBN energies and find that the estimated cross section is reliable to within $\sim$1% error.
119100730
Hadronic weak interaction in the two-nucleon system with effective field theories
Abstract Weak interactions in two-nucleon system at low energies are explored in the framework of effective field theory. We review our resent calculations of parity-violating observables in radiative neutron capture on a proton at threshold where both pionful and pionless theories are employed.
10036439
Polarized photons in radiative muon capture
We discuss the measurement of polarized photons arising from radiative muon capture. The spectrum of left circularly polarized photons or equivalently the circular polarization of the photons emitted in radiative muon capture on hydrogen is quite sensitive to the strength of the induced pseudoscalar coupling constant $g_P$. A measurement of either of these quantities, although very difficult, might be sufficient to resolve the present puzzle resulting from the disagreement between the theoretical prediction for $g_P$ and the results of a recent experiment. This sensitivity results from the absence of left-handed radiation from the muon line and from the fact that the leading parts of the radiation from the hadronic lines, as determined from the chiral power counting rules of heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory, all contain pion poles.
14614656
Radiative muon capture in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory
Abstract The radiative muon capture (RMC) on a proton is analyzed by means of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. The emitted photon energy spectrum is calculated and compared with the experimental data by taking the spin sum on the muonic atom states. We find that one-loop order corrections to the tree order amplitude modify the photon spectrum by less than five percent. This calculation supports that the theory is under a quantitative control as far as the chiral perturbation expansion is concerned and indicates that the discrepancy between the pseudo-scalar coupling constant required by the RMC experiment and the one deduced from ordinary muon capture, the value of which is also supported by chiral perturbation calculations, will remain unexplained from the theoretical side.
16224074
Proton-proton fusion in pionless effective theory
Abstract The proton–proton fusion reaction, p p → d e + ν , is studied in pionless effective field theory (EFT) with di-baryon fields up to next-to leading order. With the aid of the di-baryon fields, the effective range corrections are naturally resummed up to the infinite order and thus the calculation is greatly simplified. Furthermore, the low-energy constant which appears in the axial-current-di-baryon–di-baryon contact vertex is fixed through the ratio of two- and one-body matrix elements which reproduces the tritium lifetime very precisely. As a result we can perform a parameter free calculation for the process. We compare our numerical result with those from the accurate potential model and previous pionless EFT calculations, and find a good agreement within the accuracy better than 1%.