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Gomez-Vargas, G. A., Lopez-Fogliani, D. E., Muñoz, C., Perez, A. D., & Ruiz de Austri, R. (2017). Search for sharp and smooth spectral signatures of μnu SSM gravitino dark matter with Fermi- LAT. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 047–23pp.
Abstract: The μnu SSM solves the μproblem of supersymmetric models and reproduces neutrino data, simply using couplings with right-handed neutrinos nu's. Given that these couplings break explicitly R parity, the gravitino is a natural candidate for decaying dark matter in the μnu SSM. In this work we carry out a complete analysis of the detection of μnu SSM gravitino dark matter through gamma-ray observations. In addition to the two-body decay producing a sharp line, we include in the analysis the three-body decays producing a smooth spectral signature. We perform first a deep exploration of the low-energy parameter space of the μnu SSM taking into account that neutrino data must be reproduced. Then, we compare the gamma-ray fluxes predicted by the model with Fermi-LAT observations. In particular, with the 95% CL upper limits on the total diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background using 50 months of data, together with the upper limits on line emission from an updated analysis using 69.9 months of data. For standard values of bino and wino masses, gravitinos with masses larger than about 4 GeV, or lifetimes smaller than about 10(28) s, produce too large fluxes and are excluded as dark matter candidates. However, when limiting scenarios with large and close values of the gaugino masses are considered, the constraints turn out to be less stringent, excluding masses larger than 17 GeV and lifetimes smaller than 4 x 10(25) s.
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Caballero, L., Albiol, F., Corbi Bellot, A., Domingo-Pardo, C., Leganes Nieto, J. L., Agramunt Ros, J., et al. (2018). Gamma-ray imaging system for real-time measurements in nuclear waste characterisation. J. Instrum., 13, P03016–23pp.
Abstract: Acompact, portable and large field-of-viewgamma camera that is able to identify, locate and quantify gamma-ray emitting radioisotopes in real-time has been developed. The device delivers spectroscopic and imaging capabilities that enable its use it in a variety of nuclear waste characterisation scenarios, such as radioactivity monitoring in nuclear power plants and more specifically for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The technical development of this apparatus and some examples of its application in field measurements are reported in this article. The performance of the presented gamma-camera is also benchmarked against other conventional techniques.
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Caron, S., Gomez-Vargas, G. A., Hendriks, L., & Ruiz de Austri, R. (2018). Analyzing gamma rays of the Galactic Center with deep learning. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 05(5), 058–24pp.
Abstract: We present the application of convolutional neural networks to a particular problem in gamma ray astronomy. Explicitly, we use this method to investigate the origin of an excess emission of GeV gamma rays in the direction of the Galactic Center, reported by several groups by analyzing Fermi-LAT data. Interpretations of this excess include gamma rays created by the annihilation of dark matter particles and gamma rays originating from a collection of unresolved point sources, such as millisecond pulsars. We train and test convolutional neural networks with simulated Fermi-LAT images based on point and diffuse emission models of the Galactic Center tuned to measured gamma ray data. Our new method allows precise measurements of the contribution and properties of an unresolved population of gamma ray point sources in the interstellar diffuse emission model. The current model predicts the fraction of unresolved point sources with an error of up to 10% and this is expected to decrease with future work.
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Keivani, A., Murase, K., Petropoulou, M., Fox, D. B., Cenko, S. B., Chaty, S., et al. (2018). A Multimessenger Picture of the Flaring Blazar TXS 0506+056: Implications for High-energy Neutrino Emission and Cosmic-Ray Acceleration. Astrophys. J., 864(1), 84–16pp.
Abstract: Detection of the IceCube-170922A neutrino coincident with the flaring blazar TXS 0506+056, the first and only similar to 3 sigma high-energy neutrino source association to date, offers a potential breakthrough in our understanding of high-energy cosmic particles and blazar physics. We present a comprehensive analysis of TXS. 0506+056 during its flaring state, using newly collected Swift, NuSTAR, and X-shooter data with Fermi observations and numerical models to constrain the blazar's particle acceleration processes and multimessenger (electromagnetic (EM) and high-energy neutrino) emissions. Accounting properly for EM cascades in the emission region, we find a physically consistent picture only within a hybrid leptonic scenario, with gamma-rays produced by external inverse-Compton processes and high-energy neutrinos via a radiatively subdominant hadronic component. We derive robust constraints on the blazar's neutrino and cosmic-ray emissions and demonstrate that, because of cascade effects, the 0.1-100 keV emissions of TXS. 0506+056 serve as a better probe of its hadronic acceleration and highenergy neutrino production processes than its GeV-TeV emissions. If the IceCube neutrino association holds, physical conditions in the TXS. 0506+056 jet must be close to optimal for high-energy neutrino production, and are not favorable for ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray acceleration. Alternatively, the challenges we identify in generating a significant rate of IceCube neutrino detections from TXS. 0506+056 may disfavor single-zone models, in which.-rays and high-energy neutrinos are produced in a single emission region. In concert with continued operations of the high-energy neutrino observatories, we advocate regular X-ray monitoring of TXS. 0506+056 and other blazars in order to test single-zone blazar emission models, clarify the nature and extent of their hadronic acceleration processes, and carry out the most sensitive possible search for additional multimessenger sources.
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ANTARES and IceCube Collaborations(Albert, A. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Coleiro, A., Colomer, M., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., et al. (2018). Joint Constraints on Galactic Diffuse Neutrino Emission from the ANTARES and IceCube Neutrino Telescopes. Astrophys. J. Lett., 868(2), L20–7pp.
Abstract: The existence of diffuse Galactic neutrino production is expected from cosmic-ray interactions with Galactic gas and radiation fields. Thus, neutrinos are a unique messenger offering the opportunity to test the products of Galactic cosmic-ray interactions up to energies of hundreds of TeV. Here we present a search for this production using ten years of Astronomy with a Neutrino Telescope and Abyss environmental RESearch (ANTARES) track and shower data, as well as seven years of IceCube track data. The data are combined into a joint likelihood test for neutrino emission according to the KRA(gamma) model assuming a 5 PeV per nucleon Galactic cosmic-ray cutoff. No significant excess is found. As a consequence, the limits presented in this Letter start constraining the model parameter space for Galactic cosmic-ray production and transport.
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