[Paper Review] The ANTARES Collaboration: Contributions to ICRC 2017 Part II: The multi-messenger program

ANTARES Collaboration, A. Albert+126 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Nov 4, 2017

Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena2 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents the ANTARES neutrino telescope's multi-messenger program at the 2017 International Cosmic Ray Conference, detailing time-dependent searches for high-energy neutrinos from blazars, X-ray and gamma-ray binaries, and transient sources like GRBs and fast radio bursts. It reports on real-time follow-up of gravitational wave triggers and cross-correlations with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, demonstrating ANTARES' role in multi-messenger astronomy through coordinated, multi-wavelength observations and coincidence analyses.

ABSTRACT

Papers on the ANTARES multi-messenger program, prepared for the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2017, Busan, South Korea) by the ANTARES Collaboration

Motivation & Objective

• To enhance multi-messenger astrophysics by enabling real-time coordination between neutrino, gamma-ray, and gravitational wave observations.
• To search for time-correlated neutrino emission from transient and variable sources such as flaring blazars and X-ray binaries.
• To investigate potential correlations between high-energy neutrinos detected by ANTARES and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays observed by Pierre Auger and Telescope Array.
• To develop and implement a real-time alert system for transient neutrino events to facilitate rapid follow-up by electromagnetic telescopes.
• To improve the sensitivity of neutrino searches by combining data from multiple astrophysical sources and observatories.

Proposed method

• Conducting time-dependent neutrino searches using the ANTARES neutrino telescope, focusing on flaring activity in blazars like Mrk 421 and Mrk 501.
• Performing cross-correlation analyses between ANTARES neutrino events and gravitational wave triggers from LIGO O1 using temporal and angular coincidence criteria.
• Applying coincidence searches with high-energy gamma-ray data from the HAWC observatory to identify potential neutrino emission from active galactic nuclei.
• Implementing a real-time alert system to disseminate neutrino candidate events to electromagnetic observatories for rapid follow-up.
• Using statistical methods to assess significance of correlations between ANTARES neutrino events and ultra-high-energy cosmic ray events from Pierre Auger and Telescope Array.
• Combining data from multiple observatories (ANTARES, HAWC, LIGO, Pierre Auger, Telescope Array) to improve sensitivity and reduce background in transient source searches.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Is there a significant time-correlated neutrino emission from flaring blazars such as Mrk 421 and Mrk 501?
• RQ2 Can high-energy neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) be detected by ANTARES through coincidence with GRB triggers?
• RQ3 Do neutrino events detected by ANTARES show a significant correlation with gravitational wave signals from LIGO O1?
• RQ4 Is there a measurable correlation between high-energy neutrinos observed by ANTARES and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays detected by Pierre Auger and Telescope Array?
• RQ5 Can real-time multi-messenger follow-up of neutrino alerts improve the detection of transient astrophysical sources?

Key findings

• No significant time-correlated neutrino emission was found from Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 during the HAWC observation period, setting upper limits on neutrino fluxes.
• No significant coincidence was observed between ANTARES neutrino events and gravitational wave triggers from LIGO O1, placing constraints on the neutrino emission from compact binary coalescences.
• No significant correlation was found between ANTARES high-energy neutrinos and GRB triggers, setting upper limits on neutrino emission from short-duration gamma-ray bursts.
• No significant correlation was observed between ANTARES neutrino events and ultra-high-energy cosmic ray events from Pierre Auger and Telescope Array, constraining models of cosmic ray and neutrino production in the same sources.
• The multi-messenger real-time follow-up system successfully disseminated alerts and enabled coordinated electromagnetic follow-up, demonstrating the feasibility of rapid response in neutrino astronomy.
• The combined analysis of multiple data streams improved sensitivity to transient sources and provided tighter constraints on source models than single-messenger studies.