We revisit neutrino oscillations in matter considering the open quantum system framework which allows to introduce possible decoherence effects generated by New Physics in a phenomenological manner. We assume that the decoherence parameters $γ_{ij}$ may depend on the neutrino energy, as $γ_{ij}=γ_{ij}^{0}(E/\text{GeV})^n$ $(n = 0,\pm1,\pm2) $. The case of non-uniform matter is studied in detail, both within the adiabatic approximation and in the more general non-adiabatic case. In particular, we develop a consistent formalism to study the non-adiabatic case dividing the matter profile into an arbitrary number of layers of constant densities. This formalism is then applied to explore the sensitivity of IceCube and DeepCore to this type of effects. Our study is the first atmospheric neutrino analysis where a consistent treatment of the matter effects in the three-neutrino case is performed in presence of decoherence. We show that matter effects are indeed extremely relevant in this context. We find that IceCube is able to considerably improve over current bounds in the solar sector ($γ_{21}$) and in the atmospheric sector ($γ_{31}$ and $γ_{32}$) for $n=0,1,2$ and, in particular, by several orders of magnitude (between 3 and 9) for the $n=1,2$ cases. For $n=0$ we find $γ_{32},γ_{31}< 4.0\cdot10^{-24} (1.3\cdot10^{-24})$ GeV and $γ_{21}<1.3\cdot10^{-24} (4.1\cdot10^{-24})$ GeV, for normal (inverted) mass ordering.
While the low-energy excess observed at MiniBooNE remains unchallenged, it has become increasingly difficult to reconcile it with the results from other sterile neutrino searches and cosmology. Recently, it has been shown that non-minimal models with new particles in a hidden sector could provide a better fit to the data. As their main ingredients they require a GeV-scale $Z'$, kinetically mixed with the photon, and an unstable heavy neutrino with a mass in the 150 MeV range that mixes with the light neutrinos. In this letter we point out that atmospheric neutrino experiments (and, in particul…
Exploring Long-Range Interactions in the Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations at IceCube DeepCore
Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Sainik School Post, Bhubaneswar 751005, India（印度物理研究所）；Department of Physics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India（阿利加尔穆斯林大学物理系）
New physics in neutrino sector can reveal itself via non-standard neutrino interactions which can result in modification of the standard picture of neutrino propagation in matter. Experiments with atmospheric neutrinos has been used to probe this scenario. Using publicly available three-year low energy data in IceCube DeepCore we place bounds on the parameters $ε_{αβ}$ of non-standard neutrino interactions in propagation. We obtain restrictive constraints not only for $μτ$ sector but also for flavor changing interactions involving electron neutrinos.
For a class of macroscopic dark matter models, inelastic scattering of dark matter off a nucleus can generate electromagnetic signatures with GeV-scale energy. The IceCube detector, with its kilometer-scale size, is ideal for directly detecting such inelastic scattering. Based on the slow particle trigger for the DeepCore detector, we perform a detailed signal and background simulation to estimate the discovery potential. For order 1 GeV deposited energy in each interaction, we find that IceCube can probe the dark matter masses up to one gram.
Self-interacting dark matter models constitute an attractive solution to problems in structure formation on small scales. A simple realization of these models considers the dark force mediated by a light particle which can couple to the Standard Model through mixings with the photon or the $Z$ boson. Within this scenario we investigate the sensitivity of the IceCube-DeepCore and PINGU neutrino telescopes to the associated muon neutrino flux produced by dark matter annihilations in the Sun. Despite the model's simplicity, several effects naturally appear: momentum suppressed capture by nuclei, …
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are well-motivated candidates for Dark Matter (DM). WIMP models often include self-annihilation into Standard Model particles such as neutrinos which could potentially be detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Various searches for a dark matter induced signal have been performed with the existing IceCube detector. However, since there is so far no evidence for WIMPs at TeV scales, more attention is brought to DM candidates at GeV masses, for which the IceCube detector is not sensitive due to its energy threshold. The IceCube collaboration is …
The Neutrino Mass Ordering (NMO) remains one of the outstanding questions in the field of neutrino physics. One strategy to measure the NMO is to observe matter effects in the oscillation pattern of atmospheric neutrinos above $\sim 1\,\mathrm{GeV}$, as proposed for several next-generation neutrino experiments. Moreover, the existing IceCube DeepCore detector can already explore this type of measurement. We present rthe development and application of two independent analyses to search for the signature of the NMO with three years of DeepCore data. These analyses include a full treatment of sys…
We study the capabilities of IceCube to search for sterile neutrinos with masses above 10 eV by analyzing its $ν_μ$ disappearance atmospheric neutrino sample. We find that IceCube is not only sensitive to the mixing of sterile neutrinos to muon neutrinos, but also to the more elusive mixing with tau neutrinos through matter effects. The currently released 1-year data shows a mild (around 2$σ$) preference for non-zero sterile mixing, which overlaps with the favoured region for the sterile neutrino interpretation of the ANITA upward shower. Although the null results from CHORUS and NOMAD on $ν_μ…
We calculate the sensitivity of next generation neutrino telescopes to the 28 (isoscalar and isovector) coupling constants defining the non-relativistic effective theory of (spin 1/2) dark matter (DM)-nucleon interactions. We take as a benchmark detector the proposed Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU), although our results are valid for any other neutrino telescope of similar effective volume. We express PINGU's sensitivity in terms of $5σ$ sensitivity contours in the DM-mass - coupling constant plane, and compare our sensitivity contours with the 90% C.L. exclusion limits on th…
We report constraints on nonstandard neutrino interactions (NSI) from the observation of atmospheric neutrinos with IceCube, limiting all individual coupling strengths from a single dataset. Furthermore, IceCube is the first experiment to constrain flavor-violating and nonuniversal couplings simultaneously. Hypothetical NSI are generically expected to arise due to the exchange of a new heavy mediator particle. Neutrinos propagating in matter scatter off fermions in the forward direction with negligible momentum transfer. Hence the study of the matter effect on neutrinos propagating in the Eart…
The Sun provides an excellent target for studying spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering due to its high matter density and abundant hydrogen content. Dark matter particles from the Galactic halo can elastically interact with Solar nuclei, resulting in their capture and thermalization in the Sun. The captured dark matter can annihilate into Standard Model particles including an observable flux of neutrinos. We present the results of a search for low-energy ($<$ 500 GeV) neutrinos correlated with the direction of the Sun using 7 years of IceCube data. This work utilizes, for the first tim…
The ANITA experiment has observed two unusual upgoing air shower events which are consistent with the $τ$-lepton decay origin. However, these events are in contradiction with the standard neutrino-matter interaction models as well as the $\rm EeV$ diffuse neutrino flux limits set by the IceCube and the cosmic ray facilities like AUGER. In this paper, we have reinvestigated the possibility of using sterile neutrino hypothesis to explain the ANITA anomalous events. The diffuse flux of the sterile neutrinos is less constrained by the IceCube and AUGER experiments due to the small active-sterile m…
The existence and mysterious nature of sterile neutrinos are revolutionizing physics from the particle level to the cosmological scales. The recent results from the MiniBooNE experiment at Fermi-lab observed far more $ν_{e}$ appearance than expected, which have provided a hint about the possible existence of \textit{sterile neutrinos}. The results, if confirmed in future experiments, will have significant implications for cosmology and astroparticle physics. This will require new neutrino mass models to accommodate these additional degrees of freedom. In respect to that, the present work is ju…
