High-energy Neutrinos from Stellar Explosions in Active Galactic Nuclei Accretion Disks

Abstract

Some catastrophic stellar explosions, such as supernovae (SNe), compact binary coalescences, and microtidal disruption events, are believed to be embedded in the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We show high-energy neutrinos can be produced efficiently through pp interactions between shock-accelerated cosmic rays and AGN disk materials shortly after the explosion ejecta shock breaks out of the disk. AGN stellar explosions are ideal targets for joint neutrino and electromagnetic (EM) multimessenger observations. Future EM follow-up observations of neutrino bursts can help us search for yet-discovered AGN stellar explosions. We suggest that AGN stellar explosions could potentially be important astrophysical neutrino sources. The contribution from AGN stellar explosions to the observed diffuse neutrino background depends on the uncertain local event rate densities of these events in AGN disks. By considering thermonuclear SNe, core-collapse SNe, gamma-ray burst associated SNe, kilonovae, and choked GRBs in AGN disks with known theoretical local event rate densities, we show that these events may contribute to ≲10% of the observed diffuse neutrino background.