The local-filament pattern in the anomalous transparency of the Universe for energetic gamma rays
arXiv:2004.08321 · doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09051-6
Abstract
The propagation length of high-energy photons through the Universe is limited by pair production on the extragalactic background radiation. Previous studies reported discrepancies between predicted and observed attenuation, suggesting explanations in terms of new physics. However, these effects are dominated by a limited number of observed sources, while many do not show any discrepancy. Here, we consider the distribution in the sky of these apparently anomalous objects, selected in two very different approaches: the study of unphysical hardenings at distance-dependent energies in deabsorbed spectra of TeV blazars, and the observation of ultra-high-energy air showers from the directions of BL Lac type objects. In both cases, directions to the anomalous sources follow the projected local distribution of galaxies: all the distant sources, contributing to the anomalies, are seen through the local filament. This matches the prediction of the proposed earlier explanation of the anomalies based on mixing of photons with axion-like particles in the filament's magnetic field. For ultra-high energies, this axion interpretation may be tested by the search of primary gamma rays.
arXiv comment9 pages EPJC style. V2: extended discussion, results unchanged. Version accepted by Eur. Phys. J. C
References in corpus (47)
- The Cosmic Infrared Background: Measurements and Implications
- The 2MASS Redshift Survey - Description and Data Release
- Any Light Particle Search II -- Technical Design Report
- Constrained Simulations of the Magnetic Field in the Local Universe and the Propagation of UHECRs
- Evidence for a new light spin-zero boson from cosmological gamma-ray propagation?
- Blazars as Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic-Ray Sources: Implications for TeV Gamma-Ray Observations
- The extragalactic background light, the Hubble constant, and anomalies: conclusions from 20 years of TeV gamma-ray observations
- An infrared background--TeV gamma-ray crisis?
- The Milky Way as a Kiloparsec-Scale Axionscope
- A -ray determination of the Universe's star-formation history
- A radio ridge connecting two galaxy clusters in a filament of the cosmic web
- Indications for a pair-production anomaly from the propagation of VHE gamma-rays
- Role of line-of-sight cosmic ray interactions in forming the spectra of distant blazars in TeV gamma rays and high-energy neutrinos
- Secondary photons and neutrinos from cosmic rays produced by distant blazars
- Hardening of TeV gamma spectrum of AGNs in galaxy clusters by conversions of photons into axion-like particles
- Cosmography of the Local Universe
- The toes of the ultra high energy cosmic ray spectrum
- Super-GZK Photons from Photon-Axion Mixing
- Photon-axion mixing and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays from BL Lac type objects -- Shining light through the Universe
- Connecting blazars with ultra high energy cosmic rays and astrophysical neutrinos
- 5@5 - a 5 GeV energy threshold array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes at 5 km altitude
- On the impact of magnetic-field models in galaxy clusters on constraints on axion-like particles from the lack of irregularities in high-energy spectra of astrophysical sources
- Constraints on violation of Lorentz invariance from atmospheric showers initiated by multi-TeV photons
- Analysis of large-scale anisotropy of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in HiRes data
- Testing large-scale (an)isotropy of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
- Sensitivity of cosmic-ray experiments to ultra-high-energy photons: reconstruction of the spectrum and limits on the superheavy dark matter
- The 2MASS Redshift Survey in the Zone of Avoidance
- Prospective constraints on Lorentz violation from ultrahigh-energy photon detection
- On the hadronic cascade scenario for extreme BL Lacs
- Disentangling Hadronic and Leptonic Cascade Scenarios from the Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission of Distant Hard-Spectrum Blazars
- Bethe-Heitler cascades as a plausible origin of hard spectra in distant TeV blazars
- A Correlation Between Hard Gamma-ray Sources and Cosmic Voids Along the Line of Sight
- Anisotropy test of the axion-like particle Universe opacity effect: a case for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
- Cuts and penalties: comment on "The clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and their sources"
- Towards a medium-scale axion helioscope and haloscope
- Electromagnetic cascade masquerade: a way to mimic --axion-like particle mixing effects in blazar spectra
- Extragalactic Background Light: Inventory of light throughout the cosmic history
- Lorentz Invariance Violation Effects on Gamma-Gamma Absorption and Compton Scattering
- Axion-like particles and the propagation of gamma rays over astronomical distances
- Towards discrimination between galactic and intergalactic axion-photon mixing
- Flux calculations in an inhomogeneous Universe: weighting a flux-limited galaxy sample
- Estimate of the correlation signal between cosmic rays and BL Lacs in future data
- Putting the hadron beam scenario for extreme blazars to the test with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
- Is astronomy possible with neutral ultra-high energy cosmic ray particles existing in the Standard Model?
- Constraining the star formation rate with the extragalactic background light
- Search for anomalous features in gamma-ray blazar spectra corrected for the absorption on the extragalactic background light
- Maximum Likelihood Method for Cross Correlations with Astrophysical Sources