New physics with ultra-high-energy neutrinos

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for detecting ultra-high-energy neutrinos above 100 PeV, analyzing how different new physics scenarios could influence their detection rates at various observatories.

Contribution

It evaluates how modifications to the neutrino-nucleon cross section and new interaction types affect event rates for ultra-high-energy neutrinos.

Findings

Event rates are sensitive to changes in the neutrino-nucleon cross section.

Different new physics interactions can significantly alter detection probabilities.

The study provides a framework for testing new physics with future neutrino observations.

Abstract

Now that PeV neutrinos have been discovered by IceCube, we optimistically entertain the possibility that neutrinos with energy above 100 PeV exist. We evaluate the dependence of event rates of such neutrinos on the neutrino-nucleon cross section at observatories that detect particles, atmospheric fluorescence, or Cherenkov radiation, initiated by neutrino interactions. We consider how (i) a simple scaling of the total standard model neutrino-nucleon cross section, (ii) a new elastic neutral current interaction, and (iii) a new completely inelastic interaction, individually impact event rates.