Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous transient events in the observed Universe. However, there is no direct observational evidence for what exactly drives a GRB. The most widely accepted model for these cosmic events is the fireball model where it is thought that a substantial fraction of the kinetic energy of the source is converted to gamma-radiation by shock accelerated electrons emitting synchrotron and inverse-Compton radiation. The acceleration of protons in the gamma-ray emitting region of the GRB has been hypothesized as well. In this hadronic acceleration model, it is predicted that protons may interact with gamma-ray photons to produce a burst of neutrinos at energy ∼10^14 eV during prompt emission and energy ∼10^18 eV during afterglow emission. Several experimental searches for these high energy neutrinos have been conducted and no GRB neutrinos have yet been found. The analytical prediction for neutrino flux has been replaced with a more thorough numerical prediction for neutrino flux. The neutron model of GRBs, where only neutrons can escape the GRB and reach Earth as cosmic rays, has been ruled out by the experimental work of IceCube and ANTARES. Upgraded versions of current experiments such as IceCube, ANTARES, ANITA and ARA, as well as new experiments such as KM3NeT, are preparing to probe and further constrain the fireball paradigm of GRB neutrino production.

This review includes:

1. Introduction
2. Early theoretical predictions for neutrino fluences due to GRBs
3. Overview of high energy neutrino experiments and related physics
4. Experimental searches for high energy neutrinos from GRBs
5. Prospects for detection of high energy neutrinos from GRBs

High Energy Neutrinos from Gamma Ray Bursts: Theoretical Predictions, Experimental Searches, and Prospects for Detection was originally written as a review submitted for my Ph.D. candidacy paper on Nov 23, 2015.

It has been edited for a “Short Read” on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing in Oct 2020. It is a public domain work.

Special thanks to the Connolly group at Ohio State University (OSU) and the physics and astronomy departments at OSU. Moreover, I am grateful for the contribution of each and every scientist and author listed in the “References” section of this review. This review would not be possible without their published science and hard work.

Please let me know if you find any mistakes or problems, I will fix them. My email is oindreeb@gmail.com. I am happy for this to be a living document. I am anxious to improve it but feel that it needs to be out at this point before that can happen.

Textbook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LS7Y6W2/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_dUGdGbKRSXSW9