Semi-analytic modeling of the EBL and consequences for extragalactic gamma-ray spectra

By R. Gilmore, R. Somerville, Joel R. Primack, A. Dom'inguez. 2011

271 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Attenuation of high-energy gamma rays by pair-production with UV, optical and IR extragalactic background light (EBL) photons provides a link between the history of galaxy formation and high-energy astrophysics. We present results from our latest semi-analytic models (SAMs), which employ the main ingredients thought to be important to galaxy formation and evolution, as well as an improved model for reprocessing of starlight by dust to mid- and far-IR wavelengths. These SAMs are based upon a Lambda-CDM hierarchical structural formation scenario, and are successful in reproducing a large variety of observational constraints such as number counts, luminosity and mass functions, and color bimodality. Our fiducial model is based upon a WMAP5 cosmology, and treats dust emission using empirical templates. This model predicts a background flux considerably lower than optical and near-IR measurements that rely on subtraction of zodiacal and galactic foregrounds, and near the lower bounds set by number counts of resolvable sources at a large number of wavelengths. We also show the results of varying cosmological parameters and dust attenuation model used in our SAM. For each EBL prediction, we show how the optical depth due to electron-positron pair-production is affected by redshift and gamma-ray energy, and the effect of gamma-ray absorption on the spectra of a variety of extragalactic sources. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our work, comparisons to other models and key measurements of the EBL and a discussion of how the burgeoning science of gamma-ray astronomy will continue to help constrain cosmology. The low EBL flux predicted by our fiducial model suggests an optimistic future for further studies of distant gamma-ray sources.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4da9ff3553e4bcaa917a6180c57149c4fb92d815

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. J. Biteau
2. Tim Huege
3. G. Rodighiero
4. Ralph Engel
5. M. Unger
6. R. Ulrich
7. A. V. Vliet
8. K. Kampert

In Nuclear and High Energy Physics

1. Tim Huege
2. J. Biteau
3. K. Kampert
4. M. Unger
5. Angela V. Olinto
6. Ralph Engel
7. R. Ulrich
8. P. Sommers

Citations in the corpus

• Cosmic-ray energy spectrum and composition up to the ankle - the case for a second Galactic component (2016, methodology): “…of light particles below the ankle is based on the same 1 CRPropa with the default TALYS photo-disintegration cross sections and the EBL model of Gilmore et al. (2012). physics, that is photo-disintegration of energetic nuclei in photon backgrounds, but considering this e↵ect already in…”
• Star-forming galaxies as the origin of diffuse high-energy backgrounds: gamma-ray and neutrino connections, and implications for starburst history (2014, unknown): “[5] and our model [63]).”
• The extragalactic background light revisited and the cosmic photon–photon opacity (Corrigendum) (2017, background): “This is the so-called “forward evolution” approach, advocated by Gilmore et al. (2012), among others.”
• Combined fit of spectrum and composition data as measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory (2016, methodology): “We describe now the results of the fit, taking as reference SimProp propagation with PSB cross sections, and using the Gilmore EBL model (SPG).”
• Open Questions in Cosmic-Ray Research at Ultrahigh Energies (2019, unknown): “The simulations were performed with CRPropa3 (Alves Batista et al., 2016) using the EBL model from Gilmore et al. (2012).”
• CRPropa 3—a public astrophysical simulation framework for propagating extraterrestrial ultra-high energy particles (2016, methodology): “[14].”