Neutrino searches with the IceCube telescope

TL;DR

This paper reports on the search for astrophysical neutrino point sources using IceCube data from 2008 to 2011, setting upper limits on neutrino fluxes and marking progress in sensitivity.

Contribution

It presents the first limits on neutrino fluxes reaching $10^{-12}$ TeV$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in some sky regions, based on multi-year IceCube data.

Findings

No significant neutrino point source detected.

Upper limits on neutrino fluxes established.

Progress in sensitivity reaching $10^{-12}$ TeV$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$.

Abstract

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is an array of 5,160 photomultipliers (PMTs) deployed on 86 strings at 1.5-2.5 km depth within the ice at the South Pole. The main goal of the IceCube experiment is the detection of an astrophysical neutrino signal. In this contribution we present the results of the point source analysis on the data taken from April 2008 to May 2011, when three detector configurations were operated: the 40-string configuration (IC-40), the 59-string configuration (IC-59) and the 79-string configuration (IC-79). No significant excess indicative of point sources of neutrinos has been found, and we present upper limits for an $E^{-2}$ muon neutrino flux for a list of candidate sources. For the first time these limits start to reach $10^{-12}$ TeV$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ in some parts of the sky.