Search

The large-scale diffuse $\gamma-$ray flux observed by Fermi-LAT in the 1-100 GeV energy range, parameterized as $\propto E^{-\Gamma}$, has a spectral index $\Gamma$ that depends on the distance from the Galactic center. This feature, if attributed to the diffuse emission produced by cosmic rays (CR) interactions with the interstellar gas, can be interpreted as the evidence of a progressive CR spectral hardening towards the Galactic center. This interpretation challenges the paradigm of uniform cosmic rays diffusion throughout the Galaxy. We report on the implications of TeV Pulsar Wind Nebulae observed by the HESS Galactic Plane Survey in the 1-100 TeV energy range for the interpretation of Fermi-LAT data. We argue that a relevant fraction of this population cannot be resolved by Fermi-LAT in the GeV domain providing a relevant contribution to the large-scale diffuse emission, viz. $\sim 30\%$ of the total diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission in the inner Galaxy. This additional component naturally accounts for a large part of the spectral index variation observed by Fermi-LAT, weakening the evidence of CR spectral hardening in the inner Galaxy.

H.E.S.S. has recently completed a systematic survey of the Galactic plane in the TeV energy domain. We analyze the flux, latitude and longitude distributions of $\gamma-$ray sources observed by H.E.S.S. in order to infer the properties of Galactic TeV source population. We show that the total Milky-Way luminosity in the 1-100 TeV energy range is $L_{\rm MW} = 1.7^{+0.5}_{-0.4}\times 10^{37} {\rm ergs}\,{\rm sec}^{-1}$. Evaluating the cumulative flux expected at Earth by the considered population, we show that H.E.S.S. unresolved sources provide a relevant contribution to the diffuse Galactic emission. Finally, in the hypothesis that the majority of bright sources detected by H.E.S.S. are powered by pulsar activity, like e.g. Pulsar Wind Nebulae or TeV halos, we estimate the main properties of the pulsar population., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures

Motivated by the findings of the OPERA experiment, we discuss the hypothesis that neutrino propagation does not obey Einstein special relativity. Under a minimal set of modifications of the standard model Lagrangian, we consider the implications of non standard neutrino propagation on the description of neutrino interactions and, specifically, on the pion decay processes. We show that all the different dispersion relations which have been proposed so far to explain OPERA results, imply huge departures from the standard expectations. The decay channel $\pi^+ \to e^+ \nu_{\rm e}$ becomes significantly larger than in the standard scenario, and may even dominate over $\pi^+ \to \mu^+ \nu_{\rm \mu}$. Moreover, the spectral distribution of neutrinos produced in the decay processes and the probability that a pion decays in flight in neutrinos show large deviations from the standard results., Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, version accepted in JHEP

What do we mean by neutrino astronomy? Which information is it able to provide us and which is its potential? To address these questions, we discuss three among the most relevant sources of neutrinos: the Sun; the core collapse supernovae; the supernova remnants. For each of these astronomical objects, we describe the state of the art, we present the expectations and we outline the most actual problems from the point of view of neutrino astronomy., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Presented at IFAE 2009. Accepted for Publication in Nuovo Cimento C

We describe possible scenarios of quark deconfinement in compact stars and we analyze their astrophysical implications. The quark deconfinement process can proceed rapidly, as a strong deflagration, releasing a huge amount of energy in a short time and generating an extra neutrino burst. If energy is transferred efficiently to the surface, like e.g. in the presence of convective instabilities, this burst could contribute to revitalize a partially failed SN explosion. We discuss how the neutrino observations from SN1987A would fit in this scenario. Finally, we focus on the fate of massive and rapidly rotating progenitors, discussing possible time separations between the moment of the core collapse and the moment of quark deconfinement. This mechanism can be at the basis of the interpretation of gamma ray bursts in which lines associated with heavy elements are present in the spectrum., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings "6th International Conference on Perspectives in Hadronic Physics", May 2008, Trieste