Gamma Rays from Star Formation in Clusters of Galaxies

TL;DR

This paper estimates gamma-ray emission from star formation in galaxy clusters using infrared and radio data, suggesting that star formation significantly contributes to gamma-ray signals detectable by current and future telescopes.

Contribution

It applies known relationships between star formation indicators and gamma-ray luminosity to galaxy clusters, providing lower limits and predicting detectability with Fermi-LAT and CTA.

Findings

Lower limits on gamma-ray emission are close to current upper limits.

Star formation likely contributes significantly to gamma-ray emission in some clusters.

Future observations with Fermi-LAT and CTA could detect these gamma rays.

Abstract

Star formation in galaxies is observed to be associated with gamma-ray emission. The detection of gamma rays from star-forming galaxies by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has allowed the determination of a functional relationship between star formation rate and gamma-ray luminosity (Ackermann et. al. 2012). Since star formation is known to scale with total infrared (8-1000 micrometers) and radio (1.4 GHz) luminosity, the observed infrared and radio emission from a star-forming galaxy can be used to quantitatively infer the galaxy's gamma-ray luminosity. Similarly, star forming galaxies within galaxy clusters allow us to derive lower limits on the gamma-ray emission from clusters, which have not yet been conclusively detected in gamma rays. In this study we apply the relationships between gamma-ray luminosity and radio and IR luminosities derived in Ackermann et. al. 2012 to a sample of galaxy clusters from Ackermann et. al. 2010 in order to place lower limits on the gamma-ray emission associated with star formation in galaxy clusters. We find that several clusters have predicted lower limits on gamma-ray emission that are within an order of magnitude of the upper limits derived in Ackermann et. al. 2010 based on non-detection by Fermi-LAT. Given the current gamma-ray limits, star formation likely plays a significant role in the gamma-ray emission in some clusters, especially those with cool cores. We predict that both Fermi-LAT over the course of its lifetime and the future Cherenkov Telescope Array will be able to detect gamma-ray emission from star-forming galaxies in clusters.