Abstract

The intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) in cosmic voids can be indirectly probed through its effect on electromagnetic cascades initiated by a source of TeV gamma rays, such as blazars, a subclass of active galactic nuclei. Blazars that are sufficiently luminous at TeV energies can produce secondary radiation from inverse Compton scattering of the electrons in the cascade, which can be observable provided that the IGMF is not too large. We reveiw recent work in the literature which utilizes this idea to derive constraints on the IGMF for three TeV-detected blazars-1ES 0229+200, 1ES 1218+304, and RGB J0710+591. Through a recently developed detailed Monte Carlo code, incorporating all major effects of QED and cosmological expansion, various systematic uncertainties in the modeling are highlighted and the implications on the lower limits are examined. It is shown that due to these uncertainties, a non-zero lower limit on the IGMF cannot be substantiated.

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