Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino interaction cross-section with IceCube using Earth absorption
Date
2017
Authors
Aartsen, M.
Hill, G.
Kyriacou, A.
Robertson, S.
Wallace, A.
Whelan, B.
Ackermann, M.
Bernardini, E.
Blot, S.
Bradascio, F.
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Journal article
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Nature, 2017; 551(7682):596-600
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Mark G Aartsen, Gary C Hill, Alexander L Kyriacou, Sally A Robertson, Alexander L Wallace, Benjamin J Whelan ... et al.
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Abstract
Neutrinos interact only very weakly, so they are extremely penetrating. The theoretical neutrino-nucleon interaction cross-section, however, increases with increasing neutrino energy, and neutrinos with energies above 40 teraelectronvolts (TeV) are expected to be absorbed as they pass through the Earth. Experimentally, the cross-section has been determined only at the relatively low energies (below 0.4 TeV) that are available at neutrino beams from accelerators. Here we report a measurement of neutrino absorption by the Earth using a sample of 10,784 energetic upward-going neutrino-induced muons. The flux of high-energy neutrinos transiting long paths through the Earth is attenuated compared to a reference sample that follows shorter trajectories. Using a fit to the two-dimensional distribution of muon energy and zenith angle, we determine the neutrino-nucleon interaction cross-section for neutrino energies 6.3-980 TeV, more than an order of magnitude higher than previous measurements. The measured cross-section is about 1.3 times the prediction of the standard model, consistent with the expectations for charged- and neutral-current interactions. We do not observe a large increase in the cross-section with neutrino energy, in contrast with the predictions of some theoretical models, including those invoking more compact spatial dimensions or the production of leptoquarks. This cross-section measurement can be used to set limits on the existence of some hypothesized beyond-standard-model particles, including leptoquarks.
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