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Carpet-3 detection of a photonlike air shower with estimated primary energy above 100 TeV in a spatial and temporal coincidence with GRB 221009A

D. D. Dzhappuev1, I. M. Dzaparova1, T. A. Dzhatdoev1,2, E. A. Gorbacheva1, I. S. Karpikov1, M. M. Khadzhiev1, N. F. Klimenko1, A. U. Kudzhaev1, A. N. Kurenya1 et al. (Carpet–3 Group)

A. N. Kurenya1, A. S. Lidvansky1, O. I. Mikhailova1, V. B. Petkov1, E. I. Podlesnyi3, N. A. Pozdnukhov1,*, V. S. Romanenko1, G. I. Rubtsov1, S. V. Troitsky1,2, I. B. Unatlokov1, N. A. Vasiliev2, A. F. Yanin1, and K. V. Zhuravleva1 (Carpet–3 Group)

  • *Contact author: nikita.pozdnukhov1@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 111, 102005 – Published 16 May, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.102005

Abstract

The brightest cosmic gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever detected, GRB 221009A, was accompanied by photons of very high energies. These gamma rays may be used to test both the astrophysical models of the burst and our understanding of long-distance propagation of energetic photons, including potential new-physics effects. Here we present the observation of a photonlike air shower with the estimated primary energy of 300−38+43  TeV, coincident (with the chance probability of ∼9×10−3) with the GRB in its arrival direction and time. Making use of the upgraded Carpet-3 muon detector and new machine learning analysis, we estimate the probability that the primary was hadronic as ∼3×10−4. This is the highest-energy event possibly associated with any GRB.

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Phys. Rev. D 111, 102005– Published 16 May, 2025
  • Received 14 February 2025
  • Accepted 15 April 2025
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