The IceCube observatory detected a neutrino flux from an area where a surge of gravitational waves was detected at the same time by the LIGO and VIRGO telescopes, and gamma radiation was also detected using the HAWC telescope. This was announced on Twitter by the American astrophysicist Daniel Hoack. He also drew attention to a possible connection between these three cosmic phenomena.
Yesterday LIGO-Virgo reported a significant gravitational wave event, with at least one low-mass component
Then, IceCube reported a neutrino event, arriving 43sec before the LV event and overlapping the GW localization.
& HAWC reports a 4.6sigma gamma ray in the same region https://t.co/sNlCf7gxFr
It is known that the fusion of small black holes and neutron stars can generate gravitational waves. According to Joach, LIGO and VIRGO could register just this phenomenon. Theoretically recorded neutrino flux and gamma radiation could also be caused by fusion. However, the neutrino flux arrived on Earth 43 seconds earlier than gravitational waves, while gamma radiation arrived 80 seconds later. Due to this time difference for scientists, the connection between the three signals coming from one area of the sky remains unclear.
“The sequence of events seems strange: I don’t understand how it is possible that 43 seconds before the confluence of a neutron star and a black hole (if that was it) a neutrino burst occurs, and 80 seconds after this fusion - emission of photons with an energy of about 100 GeV . In addition, a particle (like a proton) could participate in the phenomenon recorded by the HAWC observatory, ”Hoak said on Twitter.
The timing of the events seems odd; I'm not sure how you get a neutrino 43sec before a NS-BH merger (if that's what it is), and a ~ 100Gev photon 80sec after. Also the HAWC event might be a particle (like a proton) instead of a photon.
- Daniel Hoak (@DanHoak) December 17, 2019As a Russian astrophysicist, professor at the Physics Department of Moscow State University, head of the scientific group of the LIGO international collaboration from Russia, Valery Mitrofanov, said in a conversation with RT that the doubts of his American colleague can be justified, since gravitational waves, neutrino beams and gamma radiation propagate at the speed of light, and the discrepancy in time suggests that the phenomena may not be directly related.
- LIGO Observatory
- © LIGO / Caltech / MIT / Jeff Kissel
“The official LIGO document says that on December 16 a surge in gravitational waves was recorded. IceCube and HAWC also received signals. Now all that remains is to assume what kind of connection there may be between them. Typically, the outcome of such events is a thorough study and comparison of facts. Scientists can take several months to do such a job, ”said Professor Mitrofanov.
According to the Russian astrophysicist, to determine the causes of a mysterious accident in space, scientists from three different collaborations (LIGO and VIRGO, IceCube and HAWC) will need to verify the data and conduct a thorough analysis.
“The area of the sky from which the signals are obtained is quite wide. Perhaps colleagues from IceCube and HAWC will be able to more accurately determine the location, narrow the search and say something else, ”added the Russian scientist.
The difference in the time of receiving signals, according to Professor Mitrofanov, can also not be explained by equipment out of sync or other technical error, since nothing similar was noted before.