Limit on the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
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(Published version)
Date
2009
Authors
Barber, K.
Bellido Caceres, J.
Clay, R.
Dawson, B.
Holmes, V.
Sorokin, J.
Wahrlich, P.
Whelan, B.
Winnick, M.
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Journal article
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Physical Review D: Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, 2009; 79(10):102001-01-102001-15
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J. Abraham... K. B. Barber... J. A. Bellido... R.W. Clay... B. R. Dawson... V. C. Holmes... J. Sorokin... P. Wahrlich...et al.(Pierre Auger Collaboration)
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Abstract
Data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory are used to establish an upper limit on the diffuse flux of tau neutrinos in the cosmic radiation. Earth-skimming ντ may interact in the Earth’s crust and produce a τ lepton by means of charged-current interactions. The τ lepton may emerge from the Earth and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a typical signature, a persistent electromagnetic component even at very large atmospheric depths. The search procedure to select events induced by τ decays against the background of normal showers induced by cosmic rays is described. The method used to compute the exposure for a detector continuously growing with time is detailed. Systematic uncertainties in the exposure from the detector, the analysis, and the involved physics are discussed. No τ neutrino candidates have been found. For neutrinos in the energy range 2×1017 eV<Eν<2×1019 eV, assuming a diffuse spectrum of the form Eν-2, data collected between 1 January 2004 and 30 April 2008 yield a 90% confidence-level upper limit of Eν2dNντ/dEν<9×10-8 GeV cm-2 s-1 sr-1.
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©2009 American Physical Society