Diffuse Gamma-Ray Background from Star-Forming Galaxies

Abstract

The origin of the extra-galactic gamma-ray background is a pressing cosmological mystery. The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has recently measured the intensity and spectrum of this background; both are substantially different from previous measurements. We present a novel calculation of the gamma-ray background from normal star-forming galaxies. Contrary to longstanding expectations, we find that numerous but individually faint normal galaxies may comprise the bulk of the Fermi signal, rather than rare but intrinsically bright active galaxies. This result has wide-ranging implications, including: the possibility to probe the cosmic star-formation history with gamma rays; the ability to infer the cosmological evolution of cosmic rays and galactic magnetic fields; and an increased likelihood to identify subdominant components from rare sources (e.g., dark matter annihilation).