Neutrino and gamma-ray astronomy in the era of multi-messenger astrophysics

par Dr Alberto Rosales De Leon (LPNHE/IN2P3)

lundi 20 mars 2023, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Paris

Amphi Charpak

The developments from the last 60 years in space and ground-based gamma-ray astronomy alongside neutrino detectors have allowed the current generation of observatories to make quasi-simultaneous observations of transient events, in which gamma-ray photons are detected alongside other cosmic messengers: neutrinos, gravitational waves (GWs), cosmic rays, and photons from a wide range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum (radio to X-ray). This approach is known as multi-messenger astronomy and represents a powerful tool to decipher some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe, by extrapolating valuable information from joint observations, that could not be obtained otherwise. In this talk, I will summarize the state of the art of gamma-ray follow-up observations from neutrino alerts, with a special emphasis on AGN and blazars. Blazars are an extremely luminous and highly variable type of AGN, which possess a relativistic jet with a small viewing angle towards the observer. IceCube results point towards the blazar TXS 0506+056 and the Seyfert Type 2 AGN NGC 1068 (M77) as potential neutrino candidates, which has detonated an ongoing discussion about these astrophysical sources and how they might be able to produce high-energy neutrinos. To finalize the talk, I will present the latest results obtained from simulations performed by the Neutrino Target of Opportunity (NToO) program for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which include the expected performance of the CTA Omega configuration array and an optimistic prediction of the potential science reach of the NToO program.

LPNHE_Seminar_20-03-23.pdf