Massive neutrino detector rules out popular dark matter candidate
IceCube's decade-long search finds no evidence for sterile neutrinos, a theorized particle that could explain dark matter. The null result, published in Physical Review Letters, constrains models that physicists have pursued for years and refocuses the hunt for physics beyond today's standard model onto other candidates and detection methods.
Originaltitel: Search for an eV-Scale Sterile Neutrino Using Improved High-Energy 𝜈<sub>𝜇</sub> Event Reconstruction in IceCube
<p>This Letter presents the result of a 3 + 1 sterile neutrino search using 10.7 yr 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 throughgoing 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(41)(2) = 3.5 eV(2), which agrees with previous iterations of this Letter. The result is consistent with the null hypothesis of no sterile neutrinos with a p value of 3.1%.</p>