A search for an eV-scale sterile neutrino using improved high-energy $\nu_\mu$ event reconstruction in IceCube

TL;DR

This study uses 10.7 years of IceCube atmospheric neutrino data with improved event reconstruction and categorization to search for eV-scale sterile neutrinos, finding results consistent with no sterile neutrino presence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel event categorization method and enhanced modeling techniques for neutrino flux and detector response in sterile neutrino searches.

Findings

Best-fit sterile neutrino parameters at $ heta_{24}$ and $ riangle m^2_{41}$ are consistent with previous results.

The analysis yields a p-value of 3.1%, indicating no significant evidence for sterile neutrinos.

Results align with the null hypothesis of no sterile neutrino detection.

Abstract

This Letter presents the result of a 3+1 sterile neutrino search using 10.7 years of IceCube data. We analyze atmospheric muon neutrinos that traverse the Earth with energies ranging from 0.5 to 100 TeV, incorporating significant improvements in modeling neutrino flux and detector response compared to earlier studies. Notably, for the first time, we categorize data into starting and through-going events, distinguishing neutrino interactions with vertices inside or outside the instrumented volume, to improve energy resolution. The best-fit point for a 3+1 model is found to be at $\sin^2(2\theta_{24}) = 0.16$ and $\Delta m^{2}_{41} = 3.5$ eV$^2$, which agrees with previous iterations of this study. The result is consistent with the null hypothesis of no sterile neutrinos with a p-value of 3.1\%.