Search for transient optical counterparts to high-energy IceCube neutrinos with Pan-STARRS1

Kankare E, Huber M, Smartt SJ, Chambers K, Smith KW, Mcbrien O, Chen TW, Flewelling H, Lowe T, Magnier E, Schultz A, Waters C, Wainscoat RJ, Willman M, Wright D, Young D, Aartsen MG, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alispach C, Altmann D, Andeen K, Anderson T, Ansseau , Anton G, Arguelles C, Auffenberg J, Axani S, Backes P, Bagherpour H, Bai X, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Baum , Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Tjus JB, Benzvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Bohm C, Boerner M, Boeser S, Botner O, Bourbeau E, Bourbeau J, Bradascio F, Braun J, Bretz HP, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burgman A, Busse RS, Carver T, Chen C, Cheung E, Chirkin D, Clark K, Classen L, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dave P, De Andre JPAM, De Clercq C, Delaunay JJ, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, De Ridder S, Desiati P, De Vries KD, De Wasseige G, De With M, Deyoung T, Diaz-Velez JC, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, Dvorak E, Eberhardt B, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Evenson PA, Fahey S, Fazely AR, Felde J, Filimonov K, Finley C, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghorbani K, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Grant D, Griffith Z, Guenduez M, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halve L, Halzen F, Hanson K, Hebecker D, Heereman D, Helbing K, Hellauer R, Henningsen F, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Hultqvist K, Huennefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jacobi E, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jero K, Jones BJP, Kalaczynski P, Kang W, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Keivani A, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kim J, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Kittler T, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Koepke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Kowalski M, Krings K, Krueckl G, Kulacz N, Kunwar S, Kurahashi N, Kyriacou A, Labare M, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Leonard K, Leuermann M, Liu QR, Lohfink E, Mariscal CJL, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Lunemann J, Luszczak W, Madsen J, Maggi G, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mallot K, Mancina S, Mari IC, Maruyama R, Mase K, Maunu R, Meagher K, Medici M, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Menne T, Merino G, Meures T, Miarecki S, Micallef J, Momente G, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Moulai M, Nagai R, Nahnhauer R, Nakarmi P, Naumann U, Neer G, Niederhausen H, Nowicki SC, Nygren DR, Pollmann AO, Olivas A, O'Murchadha A, O'Sullivan E, Palczewski T, Pandya H, Pankova D, Park N, Peiffer P, De Los Heros CP, Pieloth D, Pinat E, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Price PB, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rauch L, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Reimann R, Relethford B, Renzi G, Resconi E, Rhode W, Richman M, Robertson S, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk D, Safa , Herrera SES, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schumacher L, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Silva M, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Song M, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stasik A, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad RG, Stossl A, Strotjohann NL, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Sutherland M, Taboada , Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Terliuk A, Tilav S, Tomankova L, Tonnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Ty B, Unger E, Elorrieta MAU, Usner M, Vandenbroucke J, Van Driessche W, Van Eijk D, Van Eijndhoven N, Vanheule S, Van Santen J, Vraeghe M, Walck C, Wallace A, Wallraff M, Wandkowsky N, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Westerhoff S, Whelan BJ, Whitehorn N, Wiebe K, Wiebusch CH, Wille L, Williams DR, Wills L, Wolf M, Wood J, Wood TR, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Xu DL, Xu XW, Xu Y, Yanez JP, Yodh G, Yoshida S, Yuan T, Nordin J (2019)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Book Volume: 626

Article Number: A117

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935171

Abstract

In order to identify the sources of the observed diffuse high-energy neutrino flux, it is crucial to discover their electromagnetic counterparts. To increase the sensitivity of detecting counterparts of transient or variable sources by telescopes with a limited field of view, IceCube began releasing alerts for single high-energy (Eνâ> â60 TeV) neutrino detections with sky localisation regions of order 1° radius in 2016. We used Pan-STARRS1 to follow-up five of these alerts during 2016-2017 to search for any optical transients that may be related to the neutrinos. Typically 10-20 faint (miP1âââ22.5 mag) extragalactic transients are found within the Pan-STARRS1 footprints and are generally consistent with being unrelated field supernovae (SNe) and AGN. We looked for unusual properties of the detected transients, such as temporal coincidence of explosion epoch with the IceCube timestamp, or other peculiar light curve and physical properties. We found only one transient that had properties worthy of a specific follow-up. In the Pan-STARRS1 imaging for IceCube-160427A (probability to be of astrophysical origin of ∼50%), we found a SN PS16cgx, located at 10.0′ from the nominal IceCube direction. Spectroscopic observations of PS16cgx showed that it was an H-poor SN at redshift zâ=â0.2895â ±â 0.0001. The spectra and light curve resemble some high-energy Type Ic SNe, raising the possibility of a jet driven SN with an explosion epoch temporally coincident with the neutrino detection. However, distinguishing Type Ia and Type Ic SNe at this redshift is notoriously difficult. Based on all available data we conclude that the transient is more likely to be a Type Ia with relatively weak Siâ» II absorption and a fairly normal rest-frame r-band light curve. If, as predicted, there is no high-energy neutrino emission from Type Ia SNe, then PS16cgx must be a random coincidence, and unrelated to the IceCube-160427A. We find no other plausible optical transient for any of the five IceCube events observed down to a 5σ limiting magnitude of miP1â≈â22 mag, between 1 day and 25 days after detection.

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How to cite

APA:

Kankare, E., Huber, M., Smartt, S.J., Chambers, K., Smith, K.W., Mcbrien, O.,... Nordin, J. (2019). Search for transient optical counterparts to high-energy IceCube neutrinos with Pan-STARRS1. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 626. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201935171

MLA:

Kankare, E., et al. "Search for transient optical counterparts to high-energy IceCube neutrinos with Pan-STARRS1." Astronomy & Astrophysics 626 (2019).

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