Prompt high-energy neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts in photospheric and synchrotron self-Compton scenarios

We investigate neutrino emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) under alternative scenarios for prompt emission (the photospheric and synchrotron self-Compton scenarios) rather than the classical optically thin synchrotron scenario. In the former scenario, we find that neutrinos from the pp reaction can be very important at energies around 10-100 TeV. They may be detected by IceCube/KM3Net and useful as a probe of baryon acceleration around/below the photosphere. In the latter scenario, we may expect about EeV pgamma neutrinos produced by soft photons. Predicted spectra are different from that in the classical scenario, and neutrinos would be useful as one of the clues to the nature of GRBs (the jet composition, emission radius, magnetic field and so on).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, replaced to match the final version published as PRD Rapid Communication, 78, 101302. Minor typos fixe

On photohadronic processes in astrophysical environments

We discuss the first applications of our newly developed Monte Carlo event generator SOPHIA to multiparticle photoproduction of relativistic protons with thermal and power law radiation fields. The measured total cross section is reproduced in terms of excitation and decay of baryon resonances, direct pion production, diffractive scattering, and non-diffractive multiparticle production. Non--diffractive multiparticle production is described using a string fragmentation model. We demonstrate that the widely used `$\Delta$--approximation' for the photoproduction cross section is reasonable only for a restricted set of astrophysical applications. The relevance of this result for cosmic ray propagation through the microwave background and hadronic models of active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts is briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages including 4 embedded figures, submitted to PAS

On the role of galactic magnetic halo in the ultra high energy cosmic rays propagation

The study of propagation of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) is a key step in order to unveil the secret of their origin. Up to now it was considered only the influence of the galactic and the extragalactic magnetic fields. In this article we focus our analysis on the influence of the magnetic field of the galaxies standing between possible UHECR sources and us. Our main approach is to start from the well known galaxy distribution up to 120 Mpc. We use the most complete galaxy catalog: the LEDA catalog. Inside a sphere of 120 Mpc around us, we extract 60130 galaxies with known position. In our simulations we assign a Halo Dipole magnetic Field (HDF) to each galaxy. The code developed is able to retro-propagate a charged particle from the arrival points of UHECR data across our galaxies sample. We present simulations in case of Virgo cluster and show that there is a non negligible deviation in the case of protons of $7 \times 10^{19}$ eV, even if the $B$ value is conservative. Then special attention is devoted to the AGASA triplet where we find that NGC3998 and NGC3992 could be possible candidates as sources.Comment: Version accepted from ApJ, 5 figure

Monte-Carlo simulations of photohadronic processes in astrophysics

A new Monte Carlo program for photohadronic interactions of relativistic nucleons with an ambient photon radiation field is presented. The event generator is designed to fulfil typical astrophysical requirements, but can also be used for radiation and background studies at high energy colliders such as LEP2 and HERA, as well as for simulations of photon induced air showers. We consider the full photopion production cross section from the pion production threshold up to high energies. It includes resonance excitation and decay, direct single pion production and diffractive and non-diffractive multiparticle production. The cross section of each individual process is calculated by fitting experimental data, while the kinematics is determined by the underlying particle production process. We demonstrate that our model is capable of reproducing known accelerator data over a wide energy range.Comment: 39 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Comp.Phys.Co

Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Signal from Nuclear Photodisintegration as a Probe of Extragalactic Sources of Ultrahigh-Energy Nuclei

It is crucial to identify the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) sources and probe their unknown properties. Recent results from the Pierre Auger Observatory favor a heavy nuclear composition for the UHECRs. Under the requirement that heavy nuclei survive in these sources, using gamma-ray bursts as an example, we predict a diagnostic gamma-ray signal, unique to nuclei - the emission of de-excitation gamma rays following photodisintegration. These gamma rays, boosted from MeV to TeV-PeV energies, may be detectable by gamma-ray telescopes such as VERITAS, HESS, and MAGIC, and especially the next-generation CTA and AGIS. They are a promising messenger to identify and study individual UHE nuclei accelerators.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in PRD, with extended descriptions. Conclusions unchange

Neutrino Fluxes from Active Galaxies: a Model-Independent Analysis

There are tantalizing hints that jets, powered by supermassive black holes at the center of active galaxies, are true cosmic proton accelerators. They produce photons of TeV energy, possible higher, and may be the enigmatic source of the highest energy cosmic rays. Photoproduction of neutral pions by accelerated protons on UV light is the source of the highest energy photons, in which most of the bolometric luminosity of the galaxy may be emitted. The case that proton beams power active galaxies is, however, far from conclusive. Neutrinos from the decay of charged pions represent an uncontrovertible signature for the proton induced cascades. We show that their flux can be estimated by model-independent methods, based on dimensional analysis and textbook particle physics. Our calculations also demonstrate why different models for the proton blazar yield very similar results for the neutrino flux, consistent with the ones obtained here.Comment: Latex 2.09 with epsf.sty. 12 pages, 2 postscript figures. Compressed postscript version of paper with figures also available soon at http://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1997/madph-97-982.ps.Z or at ftp://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1997/madph-97-982.ps.

A physical approach to modelling large-scale galactic magnetic fields

A convenient representation of the structure of the large-scale galactic magnetic field is required for the interpretation of polarization data in the sub-mm and radio ranges, in both the Milky Way and external galaxies. We develop a simple and flexible approach to construct parametrised models of the large-scale magnetic field of the Milky Way and other disc galaxies, based on physically justifiable models of magnetic field structure. The resulting models are designed to be optimised against available observational data. Representations for the large-scale magnetic fields in the flared disc and spherical halo of a disc galaxy were obtained in the form of series expansions whose coefficients can be calculated from observable or theoretically known galactic properties. The functional basis for the expansions is derived as eigenfunctions of the mean-field dynamo equation or of the vectorial magnetic diffusion equation. The solutions presented are axially symmetric but the approach can be extended straightforwardly to non-axisymmetric cases. The magnetic fields are solenoidal by construction, can be helical, and are parametrised in terms of observable properties of the host object, such as the rotation curve and the shape of the gaseous disc. The magnetic field in the disc can have a prescribed number of field reversals at any specified radii. Both the disc and halo magnetic fields can separately have either dipolar or quadrupolar symmetry. The model is implemented as a publicly available software package GalMag which allows, in particular, the computation of the synchrotron emission and Faraday rotation produced by the model's magnetic field. The model can be used in interpretations of observations of magnetic fields in the Milky Way and other spiral galaxies, in particular as a prior in Bayesian analyses. (Abridged.)Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&