Characteristics of the Diffuse Astrophysical Electron and Tau Neutrino Flux with Six Years of IceCube High Energy Cascade Data

Aartsen MG, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alispach C, Andeen K, Anderson T, Ansseau , Anton G, Arguelles C, Auffenberg J, Axani S, Backes P, Bagherpour H, Bai X, Balagopal A, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Baum V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Tjus JB, Benzvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Bohm C, Boeser S, Botner O, Boettcher J, Bourbeau E, Bourbeau J, Bradascio F, Braun J, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burgman A, Buscher J, Busse RS, Carver T, Chen C, Cheung E, Chirkin D, Choi S, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dave P, 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 A, Diaz-Velez JC, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, Dvorak E, Eberhardt B, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Evenson PA, Fahey S, Fazely AR, Felde J, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghorbani K, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Grant D, Gregoire T, Griffith Z, Griswold S, Guender M, Guenduez M, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Hanson K, Haungs A, Hebecker D, Heereman D, Heix P, Helbing K, Hellauer R, Henningsen F, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Huennefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jero K, Jones BJP, Jonske F, Joppe R, Kang D, Kang W, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kim J, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Kittler T, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Koepke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Kowalski M, Krings K, Krueckl G, Kulacz N, Kurahashi N, Kyriacou A, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Leonard K, Lesiak-Bzdak M, Leszczynska A, Leuermann M, Liu QR, Lohfink E, Mariscal CJL, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Luenemann J, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Maggi G, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mallik P, Mallot K, Mancina S, Maris IC, Maruyama R, Mase K, Maunu R, Mcnally F, Meagher K, Medici M, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Merino G, Meures T, Micallef J, Mockler D, Momente G, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Muth P, Nagai R, Naumann U, Neer G, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Nygren DR, Pollmann AO, Oehler M, Olivas A, O'Murchadha A, O'Sullivan E, Palczewski T, Pandya H, Pankova D, Park N, Peiffer P, De Los Heros CP, Philippen S, Pieloth D, Pieper S, Pinat E, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Porcelli A, Price PB, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rauch L, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rehman A, Reimann R, Relethford B, Renschler M, Renzi G, Resconi E, Rhode W, Richman M, Robertson S, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk D, Safa , Herrera SES, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schroeder FG, Schumacher L, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Shefali S, Silva M, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Song M, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad RG, Stoel A, Strotjohann NL, Stuerwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada , Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Terliuk A, Tilav S, Tollefson K, Tomankova L, Toennis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Ty B, Unger E, Elorrieta MAU, Usner M, Vandenbroucke J, Van Driessche W, Van Eijk D, Van Eijndhoven N, Van Santen J, Verpoest S, Vraeghe M, Walck C, Wallace A, Wallraff M, Wandkowsky N, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Whelan BJ, Whitehorn N, Wiebe K, Wiebusch CH, Wille L, Williams DR, Wills L, Wolf M, Wood J, Wood TR, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Xu DL, Xu XW, Xu Y, Yanez JP, Yodh G, Yoshida S, Yuan T, Zoecklein M (2020)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Book Volume: 125

Journal Issue: 12

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.121104

Abstract

We report on the first measurement of the astrophysical neutrino flux using particle showers (cascades) in IceCube data from 2010-2015. Assuming standard oscillations, the astrophysical neutrinos in this dedicated cascade sample are dominated (similar to 90%) by electron and tau flavors. The flux, observed in the sensitive energy range from 16 TeV to 2.6 PeV, is consistent with a single power-law model as expected from Fermi-type acceleration of high energy particles at astrophysical sources. We find the flux spectral index to be gamma = 2.53 +/- 0.07 and a flux normalization for each neutrino flavor of phi(astro) = 1.66(-0.27)(+0.25) at E-0 = 100 TeV, in agreement with IceCube's complementary muon neutrino results and with all-neutrino flavor fit results. In the measured energy range we reject spectral indices gamma <= 2.28 at >= 3 sigma significance level. Because of high neutrino energy resolution and low atmospheric neutrino backgrounds, this analysis provides the most detailed characterization of the neutrino flux at energies below similar to 100 TeV compared to previous IceCube results. Results from fits assuming more complex neutrino flux models suggest a flux softening at high energies and a flux hardening at low energies (p value >= 0.06). The sizable and smooth flux measured below similar to 100 TeV remains a puzzle. In order to not violate the isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, it suggests the existence of astrophysical neutrino sources characterized by dense environments which are opaque to gamma rays.

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APA:

Aartsen, M.G., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J.A., Ahlers, M., Ahrens, M.,... Zoecklein, M. (2020). Characteristics of the Diffuse Astrophysical Electron and Tau Neutrino Flux with Six Years of IceCube High Energy Cascade Data. Physical Review Letters, 125(12). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.121104

MLA:

Aartsen, M. G., et al. "Characteristics of the Diffuse Astrophysical Electron and Tau Neutrino Flux with Six Years of IceCube High Energy Cascade Data." Physical Review Letters 125.12 (2020).

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