High Energy Neutrinos from the Fermi Bubbles

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential detection of high-energy neutrinos from the Fermi Bubbles, which could reveal their hadronic origin and provide insights into their formation and nature.

Contribution

It proposes that neutrino observations can distinguish between hadronic and leptonic models of the Fermi Bubbles' gamma-ray emission.

Findings

Neutrino flux from Fermi Bubbles should be detectable above 20-50 TeV at km-scale detectors.

Detection or exclusion of neutrinos can discriminate between hadronic and leptonic models.

Neutrino observations can shed light on the origin and formation timescale of the Fermi Bubbles.

Abstract

Recently the Fermi-LAT data have revealed two gamma-ray emitting bubble-shaped structures at the Galactic center. If the observed gamma rays have hadronic origin (collisions of accelerated protons), the bubbles must emit high energy neutrinos as well. This new, Galactic, neutrino flux should trace the gamma ray emission in spectrum and spatial extent. Its highest energy part, above 20-50 TeV, is observable at a kilometer scale detector in the northern hemisphere, such as the planned KM3NeT, while interesting constraints on it could be obtained by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South pole. The detection or exclusion of neutrinos from the Fermi bubbles will discriminate between hadronic and leptonic models, thus bringing unique information on the still mysterious origin of these objects and on the time scale of their formation.