Prof Subir Sarkar

Abstract:

A search for diffuse neutrinos with energies in excess of 105 GeV is conducted with AMANDA-II data recorded between 2000 and 2002. Above 107 GeV, the Earth is essentially opaque to neutrinos. This fact, combined with the limited overburden of the AMANDA-II detector (roughly 1.5 km), concentrates these ultra-high-energy neutrinos at the horizon. The primary background for this analysis is bundles of downgoing, high-energy muons from the interaction of cosmic rays in the atmosphere. No statistically significant excess above the expected background is seen in the data, and an upper limit is set on the diffuse all-flavor neutrino flux of E2Φ 90%Cl < 2.7 × 10-7 GeV cm-2 s -1 sr-1 valid over the energy range of 2 × 10 5 to 109 GeV. A number of models that predict neutrino fluxes from active galactic nuclei are excluded at the 90% confidence level. © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

It is likely that ultra-high energy cosmic rays contain a significant component of heavy or intermediate mass nuclei. The propagation of ultra-high energy nuclei through cosmic radiation backgrounds is more complicated than that of protons and its study has required the use of Monte Carlo techniques. We present an analytic method for calculating the spectrum and the composition at Earth of ultra-high energy cosmic rays which start out as heavy nuclei from their extragalactic sources. The results obtained are in good agreement with those obtained using numerical methods.

Abstract:

We present the results of the analysis of neutrino observations by the Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) correlated with photon observations of more than 400 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the northern hemisphere from 1997 to 2003. During this time period, AMANDA'S effective collection area for muon neutrinos was larger than that of any other existing detector. After the application of various selection criteria to our data, we expect ∼ 1 neutrino event and <2 background events. Based on our observations of zero events during and immediately prior to the GRBs in the data set, we set the most stringent upper limit on muon neutrino emission correlated with GRBs. Assuming a Waxman-Bahcall spectrum and incorporating all systematic uncertainties, our flux upper limit has a normalization at 1 PeVof E2Φv, ≤ 6.3 × 10-9 GeV cm-2 s-1 sr -1, with 90% of the events expected within the energy range of ∼ 10 TeV to ∼3 PeV The impact of this limit on several theoretical models of GRBs is discussed, as well as the future potential for detection of GRBs by next-generation neutrino telescopes. Finally, we briefly describe several modifications to this analysis in order to apply it to other types of transient point sources. © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.