Gamma-Ray Puzzles in Cygnus X: Implications for High-Energy Neutrinos
arXiv:1703.02590 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.96.043011
Abstract
The Cygnus X region contains giant molecular cloud complexes and populous associates of massive young stars. The discovery of spatially extended, hard gamma-ray emission in Cygnus X by both Milagro and Fermi indicates that Cygnus X is also a potential source of high-energy Galactic neutrinos. Here, we adapt our single-zone model for cosmic ray interactions in the central molecular zones of starburst galaxies for use in Cygnus X. We calculate the potential neutrino flux corresponding to the hard gamma-ray emission from the "Cygnus Cocoon" and to the soft, diffuse interstellar gamma-ray emission. We check our results by comparing the corresponding gamma-ray emission against the Fermi interstellar emission model and Milagro, ARGO-YBJ, and HAWC observations. In comparing our results against a recent IceCube analysis and the current sensitivity limits, we find that neutrino emission from the Cocoon has a large enough flux that it could plausibly be detected, provided hadronic interactions are occurring at sufficiently high energies. High-energy neutrinos from Cygnus X would provide direct evidence for the presence of as yet unidentified PeV energy accelerators in the Galactic disk.
accepted for publication in Phys Rev D, 9 pages, 5 figures
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- Observation of photons above 300 TeV associated with a high-energy neutrino from the Cygnus region
- Multi-messenger-Athena Synergy White Paper
- Origin of Galactic sub-PeV diffuse gamma-ray emission: Constraints from high-energy neutrino observations
- Multiple emission components in the Cygnus cocoon detected from Fermi-LAT observations
- Identifying Galactic Sources of High-Energy Neutrinos
- Probing the origin of cosmic rays in Cygnus Cocoon using ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray and neutrino observations
- Secondary Radio and X-ray Emissions from Galaxy Mergers
- Detecting the brightest HAWC sources with IceCube in the upcoming years
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