학술논문
Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino interaction cross-section with IceCube using Earth absorption
Document Type
article
Author
Aartsen, MG; Hill, GC; Kyriacou, A; Robertson, S; Wallace, A; Whelan, BJ; Ackermann, M; Bernardini, E; Blot, S; Bradascio, F; Bretz, H-P; Brostean-Kaiser, J; Franckowiak, A; Jacobi, E; Karg, T; Kintscher, T; Kunwar, S; Nahnhauer, R; Satalecka, K; Spiering, C; Stachurska, J; Stasik, A; Strotjohann, NL; Terliuk, A; Usner, M; van Santen, J; Adams, J; Bagherpour, H; Aguilar, JA; Ansseau, I; Heereman, D; Meagher, K; Meures, T; O'Murchadha, A; Pinat, E; Raab, C; Ahlers, M; Koskinen, DJ; Larson, MJ; Medici, M; Rameez, M; Ahrens, M; Bohm, C; Dumm, JP; Finley, C; Flis, S; Hultqvist, K; Walck, C; Zoll, M; Al Samarai, I; Bron, S; Carver, T; Christov, A; Montaruli, T; Altmann, D; Anton, G; Gluesenkamp, T; Katz, U; Kittler, T; Tselengidou, M; Andeen, K; Plum, M; Anderson, T; DeLaunay, JJ; Dunkman, M; Eller, P; Huang, F; Keivani, A; Lanfranchi, JL; Pankova, DV; Tesic, G; Turley, CF; Weiss, MJ; Arguelles, C; Axani, S; Collin, GH; Conrad, JM; Moulai, M; Auffenberg, J; Brenzke, M; Glauch, T; Haack, C; Kalaczynski, P; Koschinsky, JP; Leuermann, M; Rdel, L; Reimann, R; Rongen, M; Saelzer, T; Schoenen, S; Schumacher, L; Stettner, J; Vehring, M; Vogel, E; Wallraff, M; Waza, A; Wiebusch, CH; Bai, X; Barron, JP; Giang, W
Source
Nature. 551(7682)
Subject
Language
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.