Search for Unstable Sterile Neutrinos with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

Authors

R. Abbasi, Loyola University of ChicagoFollow
M. Ackermann, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)Follow
J. Adams, University of CanterburyFollow
J. A. Aguilar, Université Libre de BruxellesFollow
M. Ahlers, Niels Bohr InstitutetFollow
M. Ahrens, Oskar Klein Centre
J. M. Alameddine, Technische Universität Dortmund
A. A. Alves, Karlsruher Institut für TechnologieFollow
N. M. Amin, The Bartol Research InstituteFollow
K. Andeen, Marquette UniversityFollow
T. Anderson, Eberly College of Science
G. Anton, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
C. Argüelles, Harvard University
Y. Ashida, University of Wisconsin-Madison
S. Axani, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
X. Bai, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
A. Balagopal V, University of Wisconsin-MadisonFollow
S. W. Barwick, University of California, Irvine
B. Bastian, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)
V. Basu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
S. Baur, Université Libre de Bruxelles
R. Bay, University of California, Berkeley
J. J. Beatty, The Ohio State University
K. H. Becker, Bergische Universität Wuppertal
J. Becker Tjus, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-7-2022

Publication Title

Physical Review Letters

Volume

129

Issue

15

Abstract

We present a search for an unstable sterile neutrino by looking for a resonant signal in eight years of atmospheric νμ data collected from 2011 to 2019 at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Both the (stable) three-neutrino and the 3+1 sterile neutrino models are disfavored relative to the unstable sterile neutrino model, though with p values of 2.8% and 0.81%, respectively, we do not observe evidence for 3+1 neutrinos with neutrino decay. The best-fit parameters for the sterile neutrino with decay model from this study are Δm412=6.7-2.5+3.9 eV2, sin22θ24=0.33-0.17+0.20, and g2=2.5π±1.5π, where g is the decay-mediating coupling. The preferred regions of the 3+1+decay model from short-baseline oscillation searches are excluded at 90% C.L.

Identifier

85139876147 (Scopus)

Recommended Citation

Abbasi, R.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Ahrens, M.; Alameddine, J. M.; Alves, A. A.; Amin, N. M.; Andeen, K.; Anderson, T.; Anton, G.; Argüelles, C.; Ashida, Y.; Axani, S.; Bai, X.; Balagopal V, A.; Barwick, S. W.; Bastian, B.; Basu, V.; Baur, S.; Bay, R.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, K. H.; and Becker Tjus, J., "Search for Unstable Sterile Neutrinos with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory" (2022). Physics: Faculty Publications and Other Works. 76.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/physics_facpubs/76