Track signals at IceCube from subleading channels

TL;DR

This paper analyzes subleading neutrino interaction channels at IceCube, revealing their significant contribution to track events and their impact on astrophysical neutrino flux modeling.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed investigation of non-dominant channels contributing to IceCube track events and assesses their influence on astrophysical neutrino flux parameters.

Findings

Subleading channels account for a non-negligible fraction of HESE track events.

Muons from subleading channels are generally less energetic than those from muonic neutrino CC interactions.

Including these channels alters the estimated parameters of the astrophysical neutrino flux.

Abstract

Tracks events at the IceCube Observatory are characterized by an energetic muon crossing several kilometers before decaying. Such muons are dominantly produced in charged current (CC) muon neutrino - hadron interactions. However, muons are also produced through the $W$ - boson production and in the decay of tau leptons and heavy mesons created in neutral and charged current interactions induced by all neutrino flavors. In this paper, we investigate the contribution of these subleading channels to events characterized as tracks at the IceCube. Our results indicate that these channels correspond to a non - negligible fraction of the HESE track events. In addition, we show that its contributions are concentrated in muons that are less energetic than those arising from muonic neutrino CC interactions for the same visible energies of the process. Finally, we investigate the impact of these additional channels on the description of the astrophysical neutrino flux, and we find that the inclusion of these subleading processes are important in determining the parameters of the astrophysical neutrino flux.