High Energy neutrino signals from the Epoch of Reionization

TL;DR

This paper estimates high energy neutrino signals from the first stars during reionization, finding they are undetectable with current technology, thus limiting their use as probes of Population III stars.

Contribution

It provides a revised estimate of neutrino emissions from Population III stars using new models and constraints, contrasting previous assumptions.

Findings

Neutrinos from Population III stars are below detection thresholds.

Current and near-future neutrino telescopes cannot observe these signals.

Neutrino emissions from Population III stars are not viable for probing early stars.

Abstract

We perform a new estimate of the high energy neutrinos expected from GRBs associated with the first generation of stars in light of new models and constraints on the epoch of reionization and a more detailed evaluation of the neutrino emission yields. We also compare the diffuse high energy neutrino background from Population III stars with the one from "ordinary stars" (Population II), as estimated consistently within the same cosmological and astrophysical assumptions. In disagreement with previous literature, we find that high energy neutrinos from Population III stars will not be observable with current or near future neutrino telescopes, falling below both IceCube sensitivity and atmospheric neutrino background under the most extreme assumptions for the GRB rate. This rules them out as a viable diagnostic tool for these still elusive metal-free stars.