Measurements using the inelasticity distribution of multi-TeV neutrino interactions in IceCube

Aartsen MG, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Al Samarai I, Altmann D, Andeen K, Anderson T, Ansseau I, Anton G, Arguelles C, Auffenberg J, Axani S, Backes P, Bagherpour H, Bai X, Barbano A, Barron JP, Barwick SW, Baum V, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Tjus JB, Becker KH, Benzvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Bohm C, Boerner M, Bos F, Boeser S, Botner O, Bourbeau E, Bourbeau J, Bradascio F, Braun J, Brenzke M, Bretz HP, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burgman A, Busse RS, Carver T, Cheung E, Chirkin D, Clark K, Classen L, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dave P, Day M, De Andre JPAM, De Clercq C, Delaunay JJ, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, De Ridder S, Desiati P, De Vries KD, De Wasseige G, De With M, Deyoung T, Diaz-Velez JC, Di Lorenzo V, Dujmovic H, Dumm JP, Dunkman M, Dvorak E, Eberhardt B, Ehrhardt T, Eichmann B, Eller P, Evenson PA, Fahey S, Fazely AR, Felde J, Filimonov K, Finley C, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghorbani K, Giang W, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Grant D, Griffith Z, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halve L, Halzen F, Hanson K, Hebecker D, Heereman D, Helbing K, Hellauer R, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Hultqvist K, Hunnefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jacobi E, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jero K, Jones BJP, Kalaczynski P, Kang W, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Keivani A, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kim J, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Kittler T, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Koepke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koschinsky JP, Koskinen DJ, Kowalski M, Krings K, Kroll M, Krueckl G, Kunwar S, Kurahashi N, Kyriacou A, Labare M, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Leonard K, Leuermann M, Liu QR, Lohfink E, Mariscal CJL, Lu L, Lunemann J, Luszczak W, Madsen J, Maggi G, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Maris IC, Maruyama R, Mase K, Maunu R, Meagher K, Medici M, Meier M, Menne T, Merino G, Meures T, Miarecki S, Micallef J, Momente G, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Moulai M, Nagai R, Nahnhauer R, Nakarmi P, Naumann U, Neer G, Niederhausen H, Nowicki SC, Nygren DR, Pollmann AO, Olivas A, O'Murchadha A, O'Sullivan E, Palczewski T, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Peiffer P, Pepper JA, De Los Heros CPPE, Pieloth D, Pinat E, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Price PB, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Rameez M, Rauch L, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Reimann R, Relethford B, Renzi G, Resconi E, Rhode W, Richman M, Robertson S, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk D, Safa I, Herrera SES, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schoeneberg S, Schumacher L, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Song M, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stasik A, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad RG, Stossl A, Strotjohann NL, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Sutherland M, Taboada I, Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Terliuk A, Tilav S, Toale PA, Tobin MN, Tonnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turley CF, Ty B, Unger E, Elorrieta MAU, Usner M, Vandenbroucke J, Van Driessche W, Van Eijk D, Van Eijndhoven N, Vanheule S, Van Santen J, Vraeghe M, Walck C, Wallace A, Wallraff M, Wandler FD, Wandkowsky N, Watson TB, Waza A, Weaver C, Weiss MJ, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Westerhoff S, Whelan BJ, Whitehorn N, Wiebe K, Wiebusch CH, Wille L, Williams DR, Wills L, Wolf M, Wood J, Wood TR, Woolsey E, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Xu DL, Xu XW, Xu Y, Yanez JP, Yodh G, Yoshida S, Yuan T (2019)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Book Volume: 99

Journal Issue: 3

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.99.032004

Abstract

Inelasticity, the fraction of a neutrino's energy transferred to hadrons, is a quantity of interest in the study of astrophysical and atmospheric neutrino interactions at multi-TeV energies with IceCube. In this work, a sample of contained neutrino interactions in IceCube is obtained from five years of data and classified as 2650 tracks and 965 cascades. Tracks arise predominantly from charged-current nu(mu) interactions, and we demonstrate that we can reconstruct their energy and inelasticity. The inelasticity distribution is found to be consistent with the calculation of Cooper-Sarkar et al. across the energy range from similar to 1 to similar to 100 TeV. Along with cascades from neutrinos of all flavors, we also perform a fit over the energy, zenith angle, and inelasticity distribution to characterize the flux of astrophysical and atmospheric neutrinos. The energy spectrum of diffuse astrophysical neutrinos is described well by a power law in both track and cascade samples, and a best-fit index gamma = 2.62 +/- 0.07 is found in the energy range from 3.5 TeV to 2.6 PeV. Limits are set on the astrophysical flavor composition and are compatible with a ratio of (1/3 : 1/3 : 1/3)(circle plus). Exploiting the distinct inelasticity distribution of nu(mu) and (nu) over bar (mu) interactions, the atmospheric nu(mu) to (nu) over bar (mu) flux ratio in the energy range from 770 GeV to 21 TeV is found to be 0.77(-0.25)(+0.44) times the calculation by Honda et al. Lastly, the inelasticity distribution is also sensitive to neutrino charged-current charm production. The data are consistent with a leading-order calculation, with zero charm production excluded at 91% confidence level. Future analyses of inelasticity distributions may probe new physics that affects neutrino interactions both in and beyond the Standard Model.

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How to cite

APA:

Aartsen, M.G., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J.A., Ahlers, M., Ahrens, M.,... Yuan, T. (2019). Measurements using the inelasticity distribution of multi-TeV neutrino interactions in IceCube. Physical Review D, 99(3). https://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.99.032004

MLA:

Aartsen, M. G., et al. "Measurements using the inelasticity distribution of multi-TeV neutrino interactions in IceCube." Physical Review D 99.3 (2019).

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