Sensitivity Study Of Coherent Multi-messenger Astrophysical Event analysis

Open Access
- Author:
- Fixelle, Joshua Nathaniel
- Area of Honors:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Miles Smith, Thesis Supervisor
David Miller, Thesis Supervisor
Christine Masters, Thesis Honors Advisor
William Nielsen Brandt, Thesis Honors Advisor
Judith A Todd Copley, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Multi Messenger Astrophysics
Detection Theory
Gamma Ray Burts
Computational Statistics - Abstract:
- The concept of multi-messenger event detection has long been explored in the context of abovethreshold analysis performed by the IceCube collaboration using Swift BAT and by the Amanda collaboration using BATSE. While these investigations produced null results, they left the event space of sub-threshold events untouched. This untapped event space, combined with the addition of new observatories for various bands and messenger types, provides the obvious niche for a GBN style network to exist: AMON. Important theory and concepts for hypothesis testing and event correlations were developed and brought into the context of multi-messenger astrophysics. Toy models were then developed for relevant neutrino and gamma-ray observatories, along with a model for neutrino-gamma source spectrum via the Guetta model. Monte-Carlo models were considered for pair-wise detection between sub-threshold IceCube neutrino doublets, sub-threshold neutrino-gamma doublets with Swift BAT, and with sub-threshold higher multiplicity neutrinogamma coincidences with Fermi LAT. Several detection methods were considered and compared to a status quo analyses of neutrino doublets by IceCube, demonstrating a significant sensitivity gain in previously un-excluded parameter space.