Search for Neutrinos in Super-Kamiokande Associated with the GW170817 Neutron-star Merger

Collaboration
Feb 12, 2018
8 pages
Published in:
  • Astrophys.J.Lett. 857 (2018) 1, L4
  • Published: Apr 9, 2018
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Abstract: (IOP)
We report the results of a neutrino search in Super-Kamiokande (SK) for coincident signals with the first detected gravitational wave (GW) produced by a binary neutron-star merger, GW170817, which was followed by a short gamma-ray burst, GRB170817A, and a kilonova/macronova. We searched for coincident neutrino events in the range from 3.5 MeV to ∼100 PeV, in a time window ±500 s around the gravitational wave detection time, as well as during a 14-day period after the detection. No significant neutrino signal was observed for either time window. We calculated 90% confidence level upper limits on the neutrino fluence for GW170817. From the upward-going-muon events in the energy region above 1.6 GeV, the neutrino fluence limit is 16.0+0.7−0.6 (21.3+1.1−0.8) cm−2 cm−2 for muon neutrinos (muon antineutrinos), with an error range of ±5° around the zenith angle of NGC4993, and the energy spectrum is under the assumption of an index of −2. The fluence limit for neutrino energies less than 100 MeV, for which the emission mechanism would be different than for higher-energy neutrinos, is also calculated. It is 6.6 × 107 cm−2 for anti-electron neutrinos under the assumption of a Fermi–Dirac spectrum with average energy of 20 MeV.
Note:
  • 8 pages, 4 figures
  • astroparticle physics
  • gravitational waves
  • neutrinos
  • neutrino: energy
  • neutron star: binary
  • gamma ray: burst
  • gravitational radiation
  • gravitational radiation: direct detection
  • gravitational radiation: emission
  • KAMIOKANDE