Neutrino -- Dark Matter Scattering and Coincident Detections of UHE Neutrinos with EM Sources

Abstract

The scattering of neutrinos off dark matter can induce time delays in their propagation compared to that of photons, which would wash out correlations between ultra-high-energy neutrinos and electromagnetic observations of their sources - while preserving the observed diffuse neutrino flux. This may explain the significant discrepancy between predictions of neutrino fluxes from gamma ray bursts and the lack of neutrinos correlated with EM observations of GRBs. Conversely, the detection of an UHE neutrino in association with a source provides a strong constraint on such interactions. We consider an effective model of dark photon dark matter interacting with neutrinos which exhibits this effect.

Comments: Accepted to JCAP; parameter space has changed but conclusions have not