Cross-correlating IceCube neutrinos with a large set of galaxy samples around redshift z ~ 1

TL;DR

This study investigates potential correlations between high-energy astrophysical neutrinos detected by IceCube and large-scale structure tracers like galaxy catalogs, aiming to identify neutrino sources and improve understanding of their origins.

Contribution

It performs the first comprehensive cross-correlation analysis between IceCube neutrinos and multiple galaxy samples across a broad redshift range, providing new constraints on neutrino source models.

Findings

No definitive correlation detected

Hints of a possible positive correlation

Forecasts future improvements with advanced detectors

Abstract

The IceCube neutrino telescope has detected a diffuse flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, but the sources of this flux have largely remained elusive. Using the 10-year IceCube public dataset, we search for correlations between neutrino events and tracers of large-scale structure (LSS). We conduct a combined cross-correlation analysis using several wide-area galaxy catalogs spanning a redshift range of z = 0.1 to z ~ 2.5 as well as maps of the cosmic infrared background. We do not detect a definitive signal, but find tantalizing hints of a potential positive correlation between neutrinos and the tracers of LSS. We additionally construct a simple model to interpret galaxy-neutrino cross-correlations in terms of the redshift distribution of neutrino sources. We put upper limits on the clustering amplitude of neutrinos based on the measured cross-correlations with galaxies and forecast the improvements on these constraints that can be obtained using future detectors. We show that, in the future, neutrino-galaxy cross-correlations should be a powerful probe to constrain properties of neutrino source populations.