What does this research mean for the field?

Interpreting the KM3-230213A neutrino event as cosmogenic requires strongly evolving ultra-high-energy proton sources when considered in isolation, but this strong evolution is disfavored when incorporating null observations from the Pierre Auger and IceCube observatories. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This analysis explores the implications of the KM3NeT neutrino event KM3-230213A for ultra-high-energy proton sources and cosmic ray composition.

June 1, 2026Open Access

Implications of a Cosmogenic Origin of KM3-230213A for Ultra-high-energy Protons

Key Points

This analysis explores the implications of the KM3NeT neutrino event KM3-230213A for ultra-high-energy proton sources and cosmic ray composition.
Analyzed the neutrino event KM3-230213A from the KM3NeT experiment to evaluate UHECR sources.
Developed a two-population model for UHECRs with mixed-composition and subdominant UHE protons based on spectral data.
Incorporated data from Pierre Auger and IceCube observatories to assess the evolution of UHE proton sources.
The best fit model indicates a proton fraction of ∼20% at 20 EeV among UHECRs.
Evolving UHE proton sources consistent with high-luminosity active galactic nuclei are suggested but may conflict with null observations from other observatories.
The study provides 68% confidence level constraints on UHECR parameters, supporting a mixed-composition population.

Abstract

Abstract A significant neutrino event with an estimated energy between 72 PeV and 2.6 EeV was recently observed by the KM3NeT experiment (KM3-230213A). When interpreted as cosmogenic in origin, this event can provide constraints on several phenomenological parameters of ultra-high-energy (UHE) proton sources. In this study, we present the best fit to the spectrum and composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) that is consistent with multi-messenger constraints, including the detection of a single neutrino event by the KM3NeT detector at the energy range of KM3-230213A. From the best fit, we obtain the 68% CL constraints on the parameters of a two-population model of UHECRs, comprising a mixed-composition population and a subdominant UHE proton population. Our results indicate that the detection of a single neutrino event at the energy range of KM3-230213A solely with the KM3NeT exposure requires strongly evolving UHE proton sources, consistent with high-luminosity active galactic nuclei. On the other hand, including the null observations from the Pierre Auger and IceCube observatories disfavors such strong evolution. In both cases, the observed proton fraction of UHECRs is primarily constrained by the composition data to be ∼20% at 20 EeV.

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Cite This Study

Alhebsi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1d208702fbce9130636f5c https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae6452

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