Revised predictions of neutrino fluxes from Pulsar Wind Nebulae

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential hadronic contribution to TeV gamma-ray emission from Pulsar Wind Nebulae and predicts associated neutrino fluxes, using IceCube data to constrain models and estimate neutrino detection prospects.

Contribution

It introduces a model considering relativistic hadrons in PWNe and estimates neutrino fluxes, providing new constraints based on IceCube non-detections.

Findings

Hadronic contribution to TeV emission is constrained by IceCube data.

Predicted neutrino fluxes from PWNe are within detectable range for KM3Net.

Constraints suggest a limited role of hadrons in TeV gamma-ray production.

Abstract

Several Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) have been detected in the TeV band in the last decade.The TeV emission is typically interpreted in a purely leptonic scenario, but this usually requires that the magnetic field in the Nebula be much lower than the equipartition value and the assumption of an enhanced target radiation at IR frequencies. In this work we consider the possibility that, in addition to the relativistic electrons, also relativistic hadrons are present in these nebulae. Assuming that part of the emitted TeV photons are of hadronic origin, we compute the associated flux of $\sim 1-100$ TeV neutrinos. We use the IceCube non detection to put constraints on the fraction of TeV photons that might be contributed by hadrons and estimate the number of neutrino events that can be expected from these sources in ANTARES and in KM3Net.