High-Energy Neutrinos from Cosmic Rays

Abstract.

We introduce neutrino astronomy from the observational fact that Nature accelerates protons and photons to energies in excess of 10²⁰ and 10¹³ eV, respectively. Although the discovery of cosmic rays dates back close to a century, we do not know how and where they are accelerated. We review the facts as well as the speculations about the sources. Among these gamma ray bursts and active galaxies represent well-motivated speculations because these are also the sources of the highest energy gamma rays, with emission observed up to 20 TeV, possibly higher.

We discuss why cosmic accelerators are also expected to be cosmic beam dumps producing high-energy neutrino beams associated with the highest energy cosmic rays. Cosmic ray sources may produce neutrinos from MeV to EeV energy by a variety of mechanisms. The important conclusion is that, independently of the specific blueprint of the source, it takes a kilometer-scale neutrino observatory to detect the neutrino beam associated with the highest energy cosmic rays and gamma rays. The technology for commissioning such instruments exists.