The Radio-Gamma Correlation In Starburst Galaxies

TL;DR

This paper models the correlation between radio and gamma-ray luminosities in starburst galaxies by analyzing cosmic ray interactions, successfully fitting observed data and identifying dominant particle acceleration and escape mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive steady-state model of cosmic ray populations in starburst galaxies that accounts for various energy losses and fits multi-wavelength observations.

Findings

Supernovae are primary accelerators in NGC 253, M82, NGC 4945.

Starburst galaxies are poor proton calorimeters with different escape mechanisms.

Secondary electrons are significant for radio flux but neutrino flux remains below detection limits.

Abstract

We present a systematic study of the non-thermal electron-proton plasma and its emission processes in starburst galaxies in order to explain the correlation between the luminosity in the radio band and the recently observed gamma luminosity. In doing so, a steady state description of the cosmic ray electrons and protons within the spatially homogeneous starburst is considered where continuous momentum losses are included as well as catastrophic losses due to diffusion and advection. The primary source of the relativistic cosmic rays, e.g. supernova remnants, provides a quasi-neutral plasma with a power law spectrum in momentum where we account for rigidity dependent differences between the electron and proton spectrum. We examine the resulting leptonic and hadronic radiation processes by synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, Bremsstrahlung and hadronic pion production. Finally, the observations of NGC 253, M82, NGC 4945 and NGC 1068 in the radio and gamma-ray band as well as the observed supernova rate are used to constrain a best-fit model. In the case of NGC 253, M82, NGC 4945 our model is able to accurately describe the data, showing that: (i) Supernovae are the dominant particle accelerators for NGC 253, M82 and NGC 4945, but not in the case of NGC 1068. (ii) All considered starburst galaxies are poor proton calorimeters in which for NGC 253 the escape is predominantly driven by the galactic wind, whereas the diffusive escape dominates in NGC 4945 and M82 (at energies > 1TeV). (iii) Secondary electrons from hadronic pion production are important to model the radio flux, but the associated neutrino flux is below the current observation limit.