A method for untriggered time-dependent searches for multiple flares from neutrino point sources

Understand

A method for a time-dependent search for flaring astrophysical sources which can be potentially detected by large neutrino experiments is presented.

• The method uses a time-clustering algorithm combined with an unbinned likelihood procedure.
• By including in the likelihood function a signal term which describes the contribution of many small clusters of signal-like events, this method provides an effective way for looking for weak neutrino flares over different time-scales.
• The method is sensitive to an overall excess of events distributed over several flares which are not individually detectable.