Particle theory

Abstract:

This paper presents the results from point-like neutrino source searches using ten years of IceCube data collected between Apr.~6, 2008 and Jul.~10, 2018. We evaluate the significance of an astrophysical signal from a point-like source looking for an excess of clustered neutrino events with energies typically above $\sim1\,$TeV among the background of atmospheric muons and neutrinos. We perform a full-sky scan, a search within a selected source catalog, a catalog population study, and three stacked Galactic catalog searches. The most significant point in the Northern hemisphere from scanning the sky is coincident with the Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068, which was included in the source catalog search. The excess at the coordinates of NGC 1068 is inconsistent with background expectations at the level of $2.9\,\sigma$ after accounting for statistical trials. The combination of this result along with excesses observed at the coordinates of three other sources, including TXS 0506+056, suggests that, collectively, correlations with sources in the Northern catalog are inconsistent with background at 3.3$\,\sigma$ significance. These results, all based on searches for a cumulative neutrino signal integrated over the ten years of available data, motivate further study of these and similar sources, including time-dependent analyses, multimessenger correlations, and the possibility of stronger evidence with coming upgrades to the detector.

Abstract:

It is widely believed and in part established that exact global symmetries are inconsistent with quantum gravity. One then expects that approximate global symmetries can be quantitatively constrained by quantum gravity or swampland arguments. We provide such a bound for an important class of global symmetries: Those arising from a gauged $U(1)$ with the vector made massive via a Nambu-Goldstone mode. The latter is an axion which necessarily couples to instantons, and their action can be constrained, using both the electric and magnetic version of the axionic weak gravity conjecture, in terms of the cutoff of the theory. As a result, instanton-induced symmetry breaking operators with a suppression factor not smaller than $\exp(-M_{\rm P}^2/\Lambda^2)$ are present, where $\Lambda$ is a cutoff of the 4d effective theory. We provide a general argument and clarify the meaning of $\Lambda$. Simple 4d and 5d models are presented to illustrate this, and we recall that this is the standard way in which things work out in string compactifications with brane instantons. We discuss the relation of our constraint to bounds that can be derived from wormholes or gravitational instantons and to those motivated by black-hole effects at finite temperature. Finally, we discuss potential loopholes to our arguments.

Abstract:

In this paper we describe the first results of a compact imaging air-Cherenkov telescope, IceAct, operating in coincidence with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube) at the geographic South Pole. An array of IceAct telescopes (referred to as the IceAct project) is under consideration as part of the IceCube-Gen2 extension to IceCube. Surface detectors in general will be a powerful tool in IceCube-Gen2 for distinguishing astrophysical neutrinos from the dominant backgrounds of cosmic-ray induced atmospheric muons and neutrinos: the IceTop array is already in place as part of IceCube, but has a high energy threshold. Although the duty cycle will be lower for the IceAct telescopes than the present IceTop tanks, the IceAct telescopes may prove to be more effective at lowering the detection threshold for air showers. Additionally, small imaging air-Cherenkov telescopes in combination with IceTop, the deep IceCube detector or other future detector systems might improve measurements of the composition of the cosmic ray energy spectrum. In this paper we present measurements of a first 7-pixel imaging air Cherenkov telescope demonstrator, proving the capability of this technology to measure air showers at the South Pole in coincidence with IceTop and the deep IceCube detector.