Searching for time-dependent high-energy neutrino emission from X-ray binaries with IceCube

TL;DR

This study uses 7.5 years of IceCube data to search for time-dependent high-energy neutrino emission from X-ray binaries, setting upper limits and comparing with theoretical models.

Contribution

It presents the first time-dependent analysis of neutrino emission from X-ray binaries using IceCube data, constraining theoretical predictions.

Findings

No significant neutrino signal detected

Upper limits set on neutrino fluxes from X-ray binaries

Results compared with existing theoretical models

Abstract

X-ray binaries are long-standing source candidates of Galactic cosmic rays and neutrinos. The compact object in a binary system can be the site for cosmic-ray acceleration, while high-energy neutrinos can be produced by the interactions of cosmic rays in the jet of the compact object, the stellar wind, or the atmosphere of the companion star. We report a time-dependent study of high-energy neutrinos from X-ray binaries with IceCube using 7.5 years of muon neutrino data and X-ray observations. In the absence of significant correlation, we report upper limits on the neutrino fluxes from these sources and provide a comparison with theoretical predictions.