Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2009
Abstract
Data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory are used to establish an upper limit on the diffuse flux of tau neutrinos in the cosmic radiation. Earth-skimming ντ may interact in the Earth's crust and produce a τ lepton by means of charged-current interactions. The τ lepton may emerge from the Earth and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a typical signature, a persistent electromagnetic component even at very large atmospheric depths. The search procedure to select events induced by τ decays against the background of normal showers induced by cosmic rays is described. The method used to compute the exposure for a detector continuously growing with time is detailed. Systematic uncertainties in the exposure from the detector, the analysis, and the involved physics are discussed. No τ neutrino candidates have been found. For neutrinos in the energy range 2×1017eV
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
Recommended Citation
Abraham, J., Abreu, P., Aglietta, M., Aguirre, C., Ahn, E., Allard, D., Allekotte, I., Allen, J., Allison, P., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Ambrosio, M., Anchordoqui, L., Andringa, S., Anzalone, A., Aramo, C., Argirò, S., Arisaka, K., Arneodo, F., Arqueros, F., Asch, T., Asorey, H., Assis, P., Aublin, J., Ave, M., Avila, G., Bäcker, T., Badagnani, D., Barber, K., Barbosa, A., Barroso, S., Baughman, B., Bauleo, P., & Beatty, J. (2009). Limit on the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, 79 (10) https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.79.102001