@Article{Amerio_etal2023, author="Amerio, A. and Cuoco, A. and Fornengo, N.", title="Extracting the gamma-ray source-count distribution below the Fermi-LAT detection limit with deep learning", journal="Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics", year="2023", publisher="IOP Publishing Ltd", volume="09", number="9", pages="029--39pp", optkeywords="gamma ray theory; Machine learning", abstract="We reconstruct the extra-galactic gamma-ray source-count distribution, or dN/dS, of resolved and unresolved sources by adopting machine learning techniques. Specifically, we train a convolutional neural network on synthetic 2-dimensional sky-maps, which are built by varying parameters of underlying source-counts models and incorporate the FermiLAT instrumental response functions. The trained neural network is then applied to the Fermi-LAT data, from which we estimate the source count distribution down to flux levels a factor of 50 below the Fermi-LAT threshold. We perform our analysis using 14 years of data collected in the (1, 10) GeV energy range. The results we obtain show a source count distribution which, in the resolved regime, is in excellent agreement with the one derived from cataloged sources, and then extends as dN/dS {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft} S-2 in the unresolved regime, down to fluxes of 5 center dot 10-12 cm-2 s-1. The neural network architecture and the devised methodology have the flexibility to enable future analyses to study the energy dependence of the source-count distribution.", optnote="WOS:001097055700001", optnote="exported from refbase (https://references.ific.uv.es/refbase/show.php?record=5785), last updated on Sat, 25 Nov 2023 13:36:55 +0000", issn="1475-7516", doi="10.1088/1475-7516/2023/09/029", opturl="https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.01947", opturl="https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2023/09/029", language="English" }