Ultra High Energy Neutrinos from Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows Using the Swift-UVOT Data

TL;DR

This study predicts ultra high energy neutrino fluxes from gamma-ray burst afterglows using Swift-UVOT data, concluding that such neutrinos are too weak for detection by current or upcoming neutrino observatories.

Contribution

It introduces a method to estimate neutrino fluxes from GRB afterglows based on UVOT data, providing the first such predictions and assessing their detectability.

Findings

Neutrino fluxes from GRB afterglows are too weak for detection.

Next-generation neutrino detectors are unlikely to observe these neutrinos.

The method links UV emission measurements to neutrino production estimates.

Abstract

We consider a sample of 107 Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) for which early UV emission was measured by Swift, and extrapolate the photon intensity to lower energies. Protons accelerated in the GRB jet may interact with such photons to produce charged pions and subsequently ultra high energy neutrinos $\varepsilon_\nu\geq 10^{16}$ eV. We use simple energy conversion efficiency arguments to predict the maximal neutrino flux expected from each GRB. We estimate the neutrino detection rate at large area radio based neutrino detectors and conclude that the early afterglow neutrino emission is too weak to be detected even by next generation neutrino observatories.