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

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 and 100 eV². The best-fit point is found to be at sin²(2θ₂₄)=0.10 and Δm²₄₁=4.5 eV², which is consistent with the no sterile neutrino hypothesis with a p value of 8.0%.