An eV-scale sterile neutrino search using eight years of atmospheric muon neutrino data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

TL;DR

This study analyzes eight years of atmospheric muon neutrino data from IceCube to search for sterile neutrinos, finding results consistent with no sterile neutrino presence within the tested parameter space.

Contribution

First comprehensive 3+1 sterile neutrino search using IceCube atmospheric neutrino data over eight years, setting constraints on sterile neutrino parameters.

Findings

Best-fit sterile neutrino parameters are consistent with no sterile neutrino hypothesis.

p-value of 8.0% indicates no significant evidence for sterile neutrinos.

Data constrains sterile neutrino mixing angles and mass-squared differences.

Abstract

The results of a 3+1 sterile neutrino search using eight years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory are presented. A total of 305,735 muon neutrino events are analyzed in reconstructed energy-zenith space to test for signatures of a matter-enhanced oscillation that would occur given a sterile neutrino state with a mass-squared differences between 0.01\,eV$^2$ and 100\,eV$^2$. The best-fit point is found to be at $\sin^2(2\theta_{24})=0.10$ and $\Delta m_{41}^2 = 4.5{\rm eV}^2$, which is consistent with the no sterile neutrino hypothesis with a p-value of 8.0\%.