학술논문
Observation of an Unusual Upward-going Cosmic-ray-like Event in the Third Flight of ANITA
Document Type
Working Paper
Author
Gorham, P. W.; Rotter, B.; Allison, P.; Banerjee, O.; Batten, L.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechtol, K.; Belov, K.; Besson, D. Z.; Binns, W. R.; Bugaev, V.; Cao, P.; Chen, C. C.; Chen, C. H.; Chen, P.; Clem, J. M.; Connolly, A.; Cremonesi, L.; Dailey, B.; Deaconu, C.; Dowkontt, P. F.; Fox, B. D.; Gordon, J. W. H.; Hast, C.; Hill, B.; Hughes, K.; Huang, J. J.; Hupe, R.; Israel, M. H.; Javaid, A.; Lam, J.; Liewer, K. M.; Lin, S. Y.; Liu, T. C.; Ludwig, A.; Macchiarulo, L.; Matsuno, S.; Miki, C.; Mulrey, K.; Nam, J.; Naudet, C. J.; Nichol, R. J.; Novikov, A.; Oberla, E.; Olmedo, M.; Prechelt, R.; Prohira, S.; Rauch, B. F.; Roberts, J. M.; Romero-Wolf, A.; Russell, J. W.; Saltzberg, D.; Seckel, D.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Shiao, J.; Stafford, S.; Stockham, J.; Stockham, M.; Strutt, B.; Varner, G. S.; Vieregg, A. G.; Wang, S. H.; Wissel, S. A.
Source
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 161102 (2018)
Subject
Language
Abstract
We report on an upward traveling, radio-detected cosmic-ray-like impulsive event with characteristics closely matching an extensive air shower. This event, observed in the third flight of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a NASA-sponsored long-duration balloon payload, is consistent with a similar event reported in a previous flight. These events may be produced by the atmospheric decay of an upward-propagating $\tau$-lepton produced by a $\nu_{\tau}$ interaction, although their relatively steep arrival angles create tension with the standard model (SM) neutrino cross section. Each of the two events have $a~posteriori$ background estimates of $\lesssim 10^{-2}$ events. If these are generated by $\tau$-lepton decay, then either the charged-current $\nu_{\tau}$ cross section is suppressed at EeV energies, or the events arise at moments when the peak flux of a transient neutrino source was much larger than the typical expected cosmogenic background neutrinos.
Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Supplemental material available from corresponding author by request
Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Supplemental material available from corresponding author by request