TeV-PeV Neutrinos from Giant Flares of Magnetars and the Case of SGR 1806-20

Abstract

We estimate the high energy neutrino flux from the giant flare of SGR 1806-20 on December 27, 2004, which irradiated Earth with a gamma-ray flux ~10^4 times larger than the most luminous gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) ever detected. The Antarctic Cherenkov neutrino detector AMANDA was on-line during the flare, and may either have detected high energy neutrinos for the first time from a cosmic point source, or put constraints on the flare mechanism of magnetars. If TeV neutrinos are detected, one would expect also detectable EeV cosmic rays and possibly TeV gamma-ray emission in coincidence.

Comments: 11 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in ApJ