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arXiv · astro-ph/9812407

Neutrino Oscillations and Blazars

Karl Mannheim
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Abstract

Three independent predictions follow from postulating the existence of protons co-accelerated with electrons in extragalactic jets (i) multi-TeV gamma ray emission from nearby blazars, (ii) extragalactic cosmic ray protons up to 10^20 eV, and (iii) extragalactic neutrinos up to 5 10^18 eV. Recent gamma ray observations of Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 employing the air-Cerenkov technique are consistent with the predicted gamma ray spectrum, if one corrects for pair attenuation on the infrared background. Prediction (ii) is consistent with cosmic ray data, if one requires that jets are responsible for at least a sizable fraction of the extragalactic gamma ray background. With kubic kilometer neutrino telescopes, it will be possible to test (iii), although the muon event rates are rather low. Neutrino oscillations can increase the event rate by inducing tau-cascades removing the Earth shadowing effect.

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Karl Mannheim. 1999-01-25. Neutrino Oscillations and Blazars. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0927-6505(99)00024-9

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