Probing UHECR production in Centaurus A using secondary neutrinos and gamma-rays

TL;DR

This study explores how ultra high energy cosmic rays from Centaurus A produce secondary neutrinos and gamma-rays, assessing the potential for current and future observatories to detect these signals and identify the source.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation of secondary neutrino and gamma-ray fluxes from UHECR interactions with background radiation, considering various magnetic field and composition models.

Findings

Detection of signals from Cen A is feasible within a few years with current observatories.

Results depend on the astrophysical models of magnetic fields and composition.

Secondary neutrino and gamma-ray fluxes can help identify Cen A as UHECR source.

Abstract

In this paper, the production of neutrinos and photons by ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) interacting with the extragalactic background radiation is studied. Centaurus A is assumed as the prime source of UHECR and the possibility to identify this source by detecting the secondary neutrinos and photons produced in the propagation of UHECR is investigated. Fifteen astrophysical models regarding three extragalactic magnetic fields (EGMF) and five composition abundances are simulated. The flux and arrival direction of neutrinos and photons are investigated. It is shown that the detection of a signal from Cen A with statistical significance is achievable by current observatories in a few years and by proposed experiments in the near future. The dependence of the results on the models is also presented.