Observation of seasonal variations of the flux of high-energy atmospheric neutrinos with IceCube
Journal article, 2023

Atmospheric muon neutrinos are produced by meson decays in cosmic-ray-induced air showers. The flux depends on meteorological quantities such as the air temperature, which affects the density of air. Competition between decay and re-interaction of those mesons in the first particle production generations gives rise to a higher neutrino flux when the air density in the stratosphere is lower, corresponding to a higher temperature. A measurement of a temperature dependence of the atmospheric νμ flux provides a novel method for constraining hadronic interaction models of air showers. It is particularly sensitive to the production of kaons. Studying this temperature dependence for the first time requires a large sample of high-energy neutrinos as well as a detailed understanding of atmospheric properties. We report the significant (>10σ) observation of a correlation between the rate of more than 260,000 neutrinos, detected by IceCube between 2012 and 2018, and atmospheric temperatures of the stratosphere, measured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA’s AQUA satellite. For the observed 10 % seasonal change of effective atmospheric temperature we measure a 3.5(3) % change in the muon neutrino flux. This observed correlation deviates by about 2-3 standard deviations from the expected correlation of 4.3 % as obtained from theoretical predictions under the assumption of various hadronic interaction models.

Author

R. Abbasi

Loyola University of Chicago

M. Ackermann

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

J. Adams

University of Canterbury

S. K. Agarwalla

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

N. Aggarwal

University of Alberta

J.A. Aguilar

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

M. Ahlers

Niels Bohr Institute

J. M. Alameddine

Technische Universität Dortmund

N.M. Amin

University of Delaware

K. Andeen

Marquette University

G. Anton

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

C. Argüelles

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Y. Ashida

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Athanasiadou

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

S. N. Axani

University of Delaware

X. Bai

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

A. V. Balagopal

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Baricevic

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S.W. Barwick

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

V. Basu

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

R. Bay

University of California

J.J. Beatty

Ohio State University

K.-H. Becker

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

Julia Tjus

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

J. Beise

Uppsala University

C. Bellenghi

Technical University of Munich

S. Benzvi

University of Rochester

D. Berley

University of Maryland

E. Bernardini

University of Padua

D. Z. Besson

University of Kansas

G. Binder

University of California

D. Bindig

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

E. Blaufuss

University of Maryland

S. Blot

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

F. Bontempo

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

J. Y. Book

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

J. Borowka

RWTH Aachen University

C. Boscolo Meneguolo

University of Padua

S. Böser

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

O. Botner

Uppsala University

J. Böttcher

RWTH Aachen University

E. Bourbeau

Niels Bohr Institute

J. Braun

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

B. Brinson

Georgia Institute of Technology

J. Brostean-Kaiser

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

R. T. Burley

University of Adelaide

R.S. Busse

University of Münster

D. Butterfield

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M.A. Campana

Drexel University

K. Carloni

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

E. G. Carnie-Bronca

University of Adelaide

S. Chattopadhyay

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

C. Chen

Georgia Institute of Technology

Z. Chen

Stony Brook University

D. Chirkin

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Choi

Sungkyunkwan University

B.A. Clark

University of Maryland

L. Classen

University of Münster

A. Coleman

Uppsala University

G.H. Collin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A. Connolly

Ohio State University

J.M. Conrad

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

P. Coppin

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

P. Correa

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

S. Countryman

Columbia University

D. F. Cowen

Pennsylvania State University

C. Dappen

RWTH Aachen University

P. Dave

Georgia Institute of Technology

C. De Clercq

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

J.J. Delaunay

University of Alabama

D. Delgado López

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

H. Dembinski

University of Delaware

S. Deng

RWTH Aachen University

K. Deoskar

Oskar Klein Centre

A. Desai

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

P. Desiati

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

K. D. De Vries

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

G. De Wasseige

Universite catholique de Louvain

T. Deyoung

Michigan State University

A. Diaz

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

J. C. Díaz-Vélez

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Dittmer

University of Münster

A. Domi

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

H. Dujmovic

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. A. Duvernois

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

T. Ehrhardt

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

P. Eller

Technical University of Munich

R. Engel

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

H. Erpenbeck

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

J. Evans

University of Maryland

P.A. Evenson

University of Delaware

K.L. Fan

University of Maryland

K. Fang

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

A. R. Fazely

Southern University and A&M College

A. Fedynitch

Academia Sinica

N. Feigl

Humboldt University of Berlin

S. Fiedlschuster

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

C. Finley

Oskar Klein Centre

L. Fischer

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

D. Fox

Pennsylvania State University

A. Franckowiak

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

E. Friedman

University of Maryland

A. Fritz

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

P. Fürst

RWTH Aachen University

T.K. Gaisser

University of Delaware

J. S. Gallagher III

University of Wisconsin Madison

E. Ganster

RWTH Aachen University

A. Garcia

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

S. Garrappa

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

L. Gerhardt

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A. Ghadimi

University of Alabama

C. Glaser

Uppsala University

T. Glauch

Technical University of Munich

T. Glüsenkamp

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

N. Goehlke

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

J.G. Gonzalez

University of Delaware

S. Goswami

University of Alabama

D. Grant

Michigan State University

S.J. Gray

University of Maryland

S. Griffin

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Griswold

University of Rochester

C. Günther

RWTH Aachen University

P. Gutjahr

Technische Universität Dortmund

C. Haack

Technical University of Munich

A. Hallgren

Uppsala University

R. Halliday

Michigan State University

L. Halve

RWTH Aachen University

F. Halzen

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

H. Hamdaoui

Stony Brook University

M. Ha Minh

Technical University of Munich

K. Hanson

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

J. Hardin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A.A. Harnisch

Michigan State University

P. Hatch

Queen's University

A. Haungs

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

S. Hauser

RWTH Aachen University

K. Helbing

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

J. Hellrung

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

F. Henningsen

Technical University of Munich

L. Heuermann

RWTH Aachen University

S. Hickford

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

A. Hidvegi

Oskar Klein Centre

C. Hill

Chiba University

G.C. Hill

University of Adelaide

K.D. Hoffman

University of Maryland

K. Hoshina

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

W. Hou

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

T. Huber

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

K. Hultqvist

Oskar Klein Centre

M. Hünnefeld

Technische Universität Dortmund

R. Hussain

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

K. Hymon

Technische Universität Dortmund

S. In

Sungkyunkwan University

N. Iovine

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

A. Ishihara

Chiba University

M. Jacquart

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Jansson

Oskar Klein Centre

G.S. Japaridze

Clark Atlanta University

K. Jayakumar

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Jeong

Sungkyunkwan University

M. Jin

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

B.J.P. Jones

University of Texas at Arlington

D. Kang

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

W. Kang

Sungkyunkwan University

X. Kang

Drexel University

A. Kappes

University of Münster

D. Kappesser

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

L. Kardum

Technische Universität Dortmund

T. Karg

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

M. Karl

Technical University of Munich

A. Karle

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

U. Katz

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

M. Kauer

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

J.L. Kelley

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

A. Khatee Zathul

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

A. Kheirandish

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

K. Kin

Chiba University

J. Kiryluk

Stony Brook University

S.R. Klein

University of California

A. Kochocki

Michigan State University

R. Koirala

University of Delaware

H. Kolanoski

Humboldt University of Berlin

T. Kontrimas

Technical University of Munich

L. Köpke

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

C. Kopper

Michigan State University

D.J. Koskinen

Niels Bohr Institute

P. Koundal

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

M. Kovacevich

Drexel University

M. Kowalski

Humboldt University of Berlin

T. Kozynets

Niels Bohr Institute

K. Kruiswijk

Universite catholique de Louvain

E. Krupczak

Michigan State University

A. Kumar

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

Emma Kun

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

N. Kurahashi

Drexel University

N. Lad

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

C. Lagunas Gualda

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

M. Lamoureux

Universite catholique de Louvain

M.J. Larson

University of Maryland

F. Lauber

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

J.P. Lazar

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

J.W. Lee

Sungkyunkwan University

K. Leonard DeHolton

Pennsylvania State University

A. Leszczyńska

University of Delaware

M. Lincetto

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Q.R. Liu

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Liubarska

University of Alberta

E. Lohfink

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

C. Love

Drexel University

C.J. Lozano Mariscal

University of Münster

L. Lu

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

F. Lucarelli

University of Geneva

A. Ludwig

University of California

W. Luszczak

Ohio State University

Y. Lyu

University of California

W.Y. Ma

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

J. Madsen

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

K.B.M. Mahn

Michigan State University

Y. Makino

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Mancina

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

W. Marie Sainte

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

I.C. Mariş

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

S. Marka

Columbia University

Z. Marka

Columbia University

M. Marsee

University of Alabama

I. Martinez-Soler

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

R. Maruyama

Yale University

F. Mayhew

Michigan State University

T. McElroy

University of Alberta

F. McNally

Mercer University

J.V. Mead

Niels Bohr Institute

K. Meagher

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Mechbal

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

A. Medina

Ohio State University

M. Meier

Chiba University

S. Meighen-Berger

Technical University of Munich

Y. Merckx

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

L. Merten

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

J. Micallef

Michigan State University

D. Mockler

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

T. Montaruli

University of Geneva

R.W. Moore

University of Alberta

Y. Morii

Chiba University

R. Morse

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Moulai

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

T. Mukherjee

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

R. Naab

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

R. Nagai

Chiba University

M. Nakos

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

U. Naumann

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

J. Necker

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

M. Neumann

University of Münster

H. Niederhausen

Michigan State University

M.U. Nisa

Michigan State University

A. Noell

RWTH Aachen University

S.C. Nowicki

Michigan State University

A. Obertacke Pollmann

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

M. Oehler

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

B. Oeyen

Ghent university

A. Olivas

University of Maryland

R. Orsoe

Technical University of Munich

J. Osborn

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

E. O'Sullivan

Uppsala University

H. Pandya

University of Delaware

N. Park

Queen's University

G.K. Parker

University of Texas at Arlington

E.N. Paudel

University of Delaware

L. Paul

Marquette University

C. Pérez de los Heros

Uppsala University

J. Peterson

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Philippen

RWTH Aachen University

S. Pieper

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

A. Pizzuto

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Plum

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Y. Popovych

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

M. Prado Rodriguez

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

B. Pries

Michigan State University

R. Procter-Murphy

University of Maryland

G.T. Przybylski

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

C. Raab

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

J. Rack-Helleis

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

K. Rawlins

University of Alaska Anchorage

Z. Rechav

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

A. Rehman

University of Delaware

P. Reichherzer

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

G. Renzi

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

E. Resconi

Technical University of Munich

S. Reusch

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

W. Rhode

Technische Universität Dortmund

M. Richman

Drexel University

B. Riedel

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

E.J. Roberts

University of Adelaide

S. Robertson

University of California

S. Rodan

Sungkyunkwan University

G. Roellinghoff

Sungkyunkwan University

M. Rongen

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

C. Rott

University of Utah

T. Ruhe

Technische Universität Dortmund

L. Ruohan

Technical University of Munich

D. Ryckbosch

Ghent university

I. Safa

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

J. Saffer

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

D. Salazar-Gallegos

Michigan State University

P. Sampathkumar

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

S.E. Sanchez Herrera

Michigan State University

A. Sandrock

Technische Universität Dortmund

M. Santander

University of Alabama

S. Sarkar

University of Alberta

S. Sarkar

University of Oxford

J. Savelberg

RWTH Aachen University

P. Savina

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Schaufel

RWTH Aachen University

H. Schieler

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

S. Schindler

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

B. Schlüter

University of Münster

T. Schmidt

University of Maryland

J. Schneider

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

F.G. Schröder

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

L. Schumacher

Technical University of Munich

G. Schwefer

RWTH Aachen University

S. Sclafani

Drexel University

D. Seckel

University of Delaware

S. Seunarine

University of Wisconsin

A. Sharma

Uppsala University

S. Shefali

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

N. Shimizu

Chiba University

M. Silva

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

B. Skrzypek

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

B. Smithers

University of Texas at Arlington

R. Snihur

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

J. Soedingrekso

Technische Universität Dortmund

A. Søgaard

Niels Bohr Institute

D. Soldin

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

G. Sommani

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

C. Spannfellner

Technical University of Munich

G.M. Spiczak

University of Wisconsin

C. Spiering

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

M. Stamatikos

Ohio State University

T. Stanev

University of Delaware

R. Stein

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

T. Stezelberger

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

T. Stürwald

Bergische Universität Wuppertal

T. Stuttard

Niels Bohr Institute

G.W. Sullivan

University of Maryland

I. Taboada

Georgia Institute of Technology

S. Ter-Antonyan

Southern University and A&M College

W.G. Thompson

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

J. Thwaites

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Tilav

University of Delaware

K. Tollefson

Michigan State University

C. Tönnis

Sungkyunkwan University

S. Toscano

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

D. Tosi

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

A. Trettin

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

C.F. Tung

Georgia Institute of Technology

R. Turcotte

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

J.P. Twagirayezu

Michigan State University

B. Ty

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M.A. Unland Elorrieta

University of Münster

A.K. Upadhyay

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

K. Upshaw

Southern University and A&M College

N. Valtonen-Mattila

Uppsala University

J. Vandenbroucke

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

N. Van Eijndhoven

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

D. Vannerom

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

J. Van Santen

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

J. Vara

University of Münster

J. Veitch-Michaelis

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

M. Venugopal

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

S. Verpoest

Ghent university

D. Veske

Columbia University

C. Walck

Oskar Klein Centre

T.B. Watson

University of Texas at Arlington

C. Weaver

Michigan State University

P. Weigel

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A. Weindl

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

J. Weldert

Pennsylvania State University

C. Wendt

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

J. Werthebach

Technische Universität Dortmund

M. Weyrauch

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Nathan Whitehorn

Michigan State University

C.H. Wiebusch

RWTH Aachen University

N. Willey

Michigan State University

D.R. Williams

University of Alabama

M. Wolf

Technical University of Munich

G. Wrede

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)

J. Wulff

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

X.W. Xu

Southern University and A&M College

J.P. Yanez

University of Alberta

E. Yildizci

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

S. Yoshida

Chiba University

F. Yu

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

S. Yu

Michigan State University

T. Yuan

Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

Z. Zhang

Stony Brook University

P. Zhelnin

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

European Physical Journal C

1434-6044 (ISSN) 1434-6052 (eISSN)

Vol. 83 9 777

Subject Categories

Subatomic Physics

DOI

10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11679-5

More information

Latest update

4/23/2024