Detection Prospects for GeV Neutrinos from Collisionally Heated Gamma-ray Bursts with IceCube/DeepCore

TL;DR

This paper predicts the potential detection of 10-100 GeV neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts by IceCube/DeepCore, linking neutrino and gamma-ray emissions and highlighting implications for jet composition and Lorentz factors.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical relation between neutrino and gamma-ray luminosities in GRBs and estimates detection prospects using BATSE data.

Findings

A neutrino detection was possible with IceCube+DeepCore during 1991-2000.

Detection would inform on GRB jet composition and Lorentz factors.

Future IceCube upgrades could enhance detection prospects.

Abstract

Jet heating via nuclear collisions may be the main mechanism for gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission. Besides producing the observed gamma-rays, collisional heating must generate 10-100 GeV neutrinos, implying a close relation between the neutrino and gamma-ray luminosities. We exploit this theoretical relation to make predictions for possible GRB detections by IceCube+DeepCore. To estimate the expected neutrino signal, we use the largest sample of bursts observed by BATSE in 1991-2000. A GRB neutrino could have been detected if IceCube+DeepCore operated at that time. Detection of 10-100 GeV neutrinos would have significant implications, shedding light on the composition of GRB jets and their Lorentz factors. This could be an important target in designing future upgrades of the IceCube+DeepCore observatory.