We have previously calculated the intergalactic background light (IBL) as a function of redshift in the far ultraviolet to near infrared range, based purely on data from deep galaxy surveys. Here we utilize similar methods to determine the mid- and f
ar infrared IBL out to a wavelength of 850 microns. Our approach enables us to constrain the range of photon densities, based on the uncertainties from observationally determined luminosity densities and colors. By also including the effect of the 2.7 K cosmic background photons, we determine 68% confidence upper and lower limits on the opacity of the universe to gamma-rays up to PeV energies. Our direct results on the IBL are consistent with those from complimentary gamma-ray analyses using observations from the Fermi $gamma$-ray space telescope and the H.E.S.S. air Cherenkov telescope. Thus, we find no evidence of previously suggested processes for the modification of gamma-ray spectra other than that of absorption by pair production alone.
High energy cosmic neutrino observations provide a sensitive test of Lorentz invariance violation, which may be a consequence of quantum gravity theories. We consider a class of non-renormalizable, Lorentz invariance violating operators that arise in
an effective field theory description of Lorentz invariance violation in the neutrino sector inspired by Planck-scale physics and quantum gravity models. We assume a conservative generic scenario for the redshift distribution of extragalactic neutrino sources and employ Monte Carlo techniques to describe superluminal neutrino propagation, treating kinematically allowed energy losses of superluminal neutrinos caused by both vacuum pair emission and neutrino splitting. We consider EFTs with both non-renormalizable CPT-odd and non-renormalizable CPT-even operator dominance. We then compare the spectra derived using our Monte Carlo calculations in both cases with the spectrum observed by IceCube in order to determine the implications of our results regarding Planck-scale physics. We find that if the drop off in the neutrino flux above ~2 PeV is caused by Planck scale physics, rather than by a limiting energy in the source emission, a potentially significant pileup effect would be produced just below the drop off energy in the case of CPT-even operator dominance. However, such a clear drop off effect would not be observed if the CPT-odd, CPT-violating term dominates.
