Multi-Tracer Cross-Correlations of the Unresolved $\gamma$-Ray Sky

Abstract

Our understanding of the $\gamma$-ray sky has greatly advanced, yet studying the unresolved $\gamma$-ray background (UGRB) can unveil the nature of the faintest $\gamma$-ray source populations in the Universe. Statistical cross-correlations between the UGRB and tracers of large-scale cosmic structure allow us to infer which sources contribute the most to this emission. In this work, we examine the angular correlation between the UGRB and the matter distribution traced by galaxies, using twelve years of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) observations along with three years of Dark Energy Survey (DES) data. We detect a correlation with a signal-to-noise ratio of 7.85, primarily driven by large angular scales. We then perform a multi-tracer analysis that combines this measurement with the cross-correlation between $\gamma$ rays and DES weak lensing. The two single-tracer results are mutually consistent, and their combination yields a total significance of 10.31, firmly establishing the extragalactic origin of the UGRB. Intriguingly, the properties inferred for the sources contributing to the UGRB show departures from those of the resolved {\gamma}-ray population, suggesting that the faint end of the $\gamma$-ray sky is not a simple extrapolation of currently resolved sources.