First differential measurement of muon neutrino-nucleon cross section and flux in six TeV-scale energy bins using FASER at the LHC, with results consistent with Standard Model expectations.
Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino cross section with IceCube using Earth absorption
5 Pith papers cite this work, alongside 191 external citations. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
Neutrinos interact only very weakly, so they are extremely penetrating. However, the theoretical neutrino-nucleon interaction cross section rises with energy such that, at energies above 40 TeV, neutrinos are expected to be absorbed as they pass through the Earth. Experimentally, the cross section has been measured only at the relatively low energies (below 400 GeV) available at neutrino beams from accelerators \cite{Agashe:2014kda, Formaggio:2013kya}. Here we report the first measurement of neutrino absorption in the Earth, using a sample of 10,784 energetic upward-going neutrino-induced muons observed with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The flux of high-energy neutrinos transiting long paths through the Earth is attenuated compared to a reference sample that follows shorter trajectories through the Earth. Using a fit to the two-dimensional distribution of muon energy and zenith angle, we determine the cross section for neutrino energies between 6.3 TeV and 980 TeV, more than an order of magnitude higher in energy than previous measurements. The measured cross section is $1.30^{+0.21}_{-0.19}$ (stat.) $^{+0.39}_{-0.43}$ (syst.) times the prediction of the Standard Model \cite{CooperSarkar:2011pa}, consistent with the expectation for charged and neutral current interactions. We do not observe a dramatic increase in the cross section, expected in some speculative models, including those invoking new compact dimensions \cite{AlvarezMuniz:2002ga} or the production of leptoquarks \cite{Romero:2009vu}.
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Super-Kamiokande measures the flux-averaged muon neutrino and antineutrino charged-current cross section at 500-5000 GeV as (0.51 ± 0.11) × 10^{-38} cm² GeV^{-1}.
Proposes the Trinity air-shower imaging system for detecting ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos between 10^7 and 10^10 GeV to address IceCube neutrino sources, UHECR origins, and high-energy neutrino physics.
Phenomenological study predicting incomplete tau polarization at FASER2, observable neutrino and muon trident processes, and contributions to hadron structure from IceCube neutrino events.
High-energy astrophysical neutrinos enable stringent tests of physics beyond the Standard Model at energies and baselines unreachable by other means.
citing papers explorer
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First Measurement of the Muon Neutrino Interaction Cross Section and Flux as a Function of Energy at the LHC with FASER
First differential measurement of muon neutrino-nucleon cross section and flux in six TeV-scale energy bins using FASER at the LHC, with results consistent with Standard Model expectations.
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TeV-scale neutrino cross-section measurement using upward through-going muons in Super-Kamiokande
Super-Kamiokande measures the flux-averaged muon neutrino and antineutrino charged-current cross section at 500-5000 GeV as (0.51 ± 0.11) × 10^{-38} cm² GeV^{-1}.
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Trinity: An Air-Shower Imaging Instrument to detect Ultrahigh Energy Neutrinos
Proposes the Trinity air-shower imaging system for detecting ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos between 10^7 and 10^10 GeV to address IceCube neutrino sources, UHECR origins, and high-energy neutrino physics.
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Lepton interactions from GeV to EeV
Phenomenological study predicting incomplete tau polarization at FASER2, observable neutrino and muon trident processes, and contributions to hadron structure from IceCube neutrino events.
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Fundamental physics with high-energy cosmic neutrinos today and in the future
High-energy astrophysical neutrinos enable stringent tests of physics beyond the Standard Model at energies and baselines unreachable by other means.