Probing the IGMF with the next generation Cherenkov telescopes

Abstract

Intergalactic space is believed to contain non-zero magnetic fields (the Intergalactic Magnetic Field: IGMF) which at scales of Mpc would have intensities below $10^{-9}$ G. Very high energy (VHE $>$100 GeV) gamma rays coming from blazars can produce e$^+$e$^-$ pairs when interacting with the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) and the Cosmic Microwave Background, generating an electromagnetic cascade of Mpc scale. The IGMF may produce a detectable broadening of the emission beam that could lead to important constrains both on the IGMF intensity and its coherence length. Using the Monte Carlo-based Elmag code, we simulate the electromagnetic cascade corresponding to two detected TeV sources: PKS 2155-304 visible from the South and H1426+428 visible from the North. Assuming an EBL model and intrinsic spectral properties of the sources we obtain the spectral and angular distribution of photons when they arrive at Earth. We include the response of the next generation Cherenkov telescopes by using simplified models for CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array)-south and CTA-north based on a full simulation of each array performance. Combining the instrument properties with the simulated source fluxes, we calculate the telescope point spread function for null and non-null IGMF intensities and develop a method to test the statistical feasibility of detecting IGMF imprints by comparing the resulting angular distributions. Our results show that for the analysed source PKS 2155-304 corresponding to the southern site, CTA should be able to detect IGMF with intensities stronger than 10$^{-14.5}$G within an observation time of $\sim$100 hours.