Hadronuclear interpretation of the possible neutrino emission from PKS B1424-418, GB6 J1040+0617 and PKS 1502+106

In addition to neutrino event IceCube-170922A which is observed to be associated with a γ-ray flare from blazar TXS 0506+056, there are also several neutrino events that may be associated with blazars. Among them, PKS B1424-418, GB6 J1040+0617 and PKS 1502+106 are low synchrotron peaked sources, which are usually believed to have the broad line region in the vicinity of the central black hole. They are considered as counterparts of IceCube event 35, IceCube-141209A and IceCube-190730A, respectively. By considering the proton-proton (pp) interactions between the dense gas clouds in the broad line region and the relativistic protons in the jet, we show that the pp model that is applied in this work can not only reproduce the multi-waveband spectral energy distribution but also suggest a considerable annual neutrino detection rate. We also discuss the emission from the photopion production and Bethe-Heitler pair production with a sub-Eddington jet power that is suggested in our model and find that it has little effect on the spectrum of total emission for all of three sources.

Neutrino physics with an opaque detector

In 1956 Reines & Cowan discovered the neutrino using a liquid scintillator detector. The neutrinos interacted with the scintillator, producing light that propagated across transparent volumes to surrounding photo-sensors. This approach has remained one of the most widespread and successful neutrino detection technologies used since. This article introduces a concept that breaks with the conventional paradigm of transparency by confining and collecting light near its creation point with an opaque scintillator and a dense array of optical fibres. This technique, called LiquidO, can provide high-resolution imaging to enable efficient identification of individual particles event-by-event. A natural affinity for adding dopants at high concentrations is provided by the use of an opaque medium. With these and other capabilities, the potential of our detector concept to unlock opportunities in neutrino physics is presented here, alongside the results of the first experimental validation.