Optical observations reveal strong evidence for high-energy neutrino progenitor

• Published in: The Astrophysical Journal
• Main Authors: Lipunov, V.M., Böttcher, M., Kornilov, V.G., Zhirkov, V., Gorbovskoy, E.
• Other Authors: 24420530 - Böttcher, Markus
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 2020
• Subjects: Neutrino astronomy; Blazars; Active galactic nuclei; Automated telescopes; Automatic patrol telescopes; High energy astrophysics; Black holes; Particle astrophysics; Ultra-high-energy cosmic radiation; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/35064; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab96ba; https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab96ba

We present the earliest astronomical observation of a high-energy neutrino error box of which the variability was discovered after high-energy-neutrino detection. The one robotic telescope of the MASTER global international networks automatically imaged the error box of the very high-energy-neutrino event IceCube-170922A. Observations were carried out in minutes after the IceCube-170922A neutrino event was detected by the IceCube observatory at the South Pole. MASTER found the blazar TXS 0506+056 to be in the off-state after one minute and then switched to the on-state no later than two hours after the event. The effect is observed at a 50σ significance level. We also present own a unique 16 yr light curve of blazar TXS 0506+056 (518 data set)