paper

A view of prompt atmospheric neutrinos with IceCube

arXiv:1302.0127 · doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2013.04.105

Abstract

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced in air showers, when cosmic ray primaries hit the Earth's atmosphere and interact hadronically. The conventional neutrino flux, which dominates the neutrino data measured in the GeV to TeV range by neutrino telescopes, is produced by the decay of charged pions and kaons. Prompt atmospheric neutrinos are produced by the decay of heavier mesons typically containing a charm quark. Their production is strongly suppressed, but they are expected to exhibit a harder energy spectrum. Hence, they could dominate the atmospheric neutrino flux at energies above ~ 100 TeV. Such a prompt atmospheric flux component has not yet been observed. Therefore, it is an interesting signal in a diffuse neutrino search, but also a background in the search for a diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux. The sensitivity of diffuse neutrino searches with the IceCube Neutrino observatory has reached the level of theoretical expectations of prompt neutrino fluxes, and recent results are presented.

3 pages, 4 figures, in proceedings of NOW 2012. Version 2 corrects an overestimation of the upper limit on the prompt neutrino flux becoming apparent after an improved statistical treatment. The conclusions are unchanged. This version supersedes those published in Nuclear Physics B (Proceedings Supplements) (2013), pp. 266-268, DOI 10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2013.04.105

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