Evidence for a Spectral Break or Curvature in the Spectrum of Astrophysical Neutrinos from 5 TeV to 10 PeV

(IceCube Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/2gh9-d4q7

Evidence for a Spectral Break or Curvature in the Spectrum of Astrophysical Neutrinos from 5 TeV to 10 PeV

(IceCube Collaboration)

Physics and Astronomy

Loyola University Chicago
German Electron Synchrotron
University of Canterbury
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Institute of Physics Bhubaneswar
Université libre de Bruxelles
University of Copenhagen
TU Dortmund University
University of Kansas
University of Delaware
Marquette University
Harvard University
University of Utah
Michigan State University
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
University of California at Irvine
Technical University of Munich
University of California at Berkeley
Ohio State University
Ruhr University Bochum
Chalmers University of Technology
RWTH Aachen University
Uppsala University
University of Rochester
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Padua
National Institute for Nuclear Physics
University of Alabama
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Georgia Institute of Technology
Queen's University Kingston
Adelaide University
Drexel University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report improved measurements of the all flavor astrophysical neutrino spectrum with IceCube by combining complementary neutrino samples in two independent analyses. Both analyses show evidence of a harder spectrum at energies below ∼30 TeV compared to higher energies where the spectrum is well characterized by a power law. The spectrum is better described by a log parabola or a broken power law, the latter being the preferred model. Both, however, reject a single power law over an energy range 5 TeV-10 PeV with a significance >4σ, providing new constraints on properties of cosmic neutrino sources.

Original language	English
Article number	121002
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	136
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/2gh9-d4q7
State	Published - Mar 27 2026

Access to Document

10.1103/2gh9-d4q7

Cite this

@article{5cf4866d98ad4a6bb52bdb4f90d5b85a,

title = "Evidence for a Spectral Break or Curvature in the Spectrum of Astrophysical Neutrinos from 5 TeV to 10 PeV",

abstract = "We report improved measurements of the all flavor astrophysical neutrino spectrum with IceCube by combining complementary neutrino samples in two independent analyses. Both analyses show evidence of a harder spectrum at energies below ∼30 TeV compared to higher energies where the spectrum is well characterized by a power law. The spectrum is better described by a log parabola or a broken power law, the latter being the preferred model. Both, however, reject a single power law over an energy range 5 TeV-10 PeV with a significance >4σ, providing new constraints on properties of cosmic neutrino sources.",

author = "\{(IceCube Collaboration)\} and R. Abbasi and M. Ackermann and J. Adams and Agarwalla, \{S. K.\} and Aguilar, \{J. A.\} and M. Ahlers and Alameddine, \{J. M.\} and S. Ali and Amin, \{N. M.\} and K. Andeen and C. Arguelles and Y. Ashida and S. Athanasiadou and Axani, \{S. N.\} and R. Babu and X. Bai and J. Baines-Holmes and Balagopal, \{V. A.\} and Barwick, \{S. W.\} and S. Bash and V. Basu and R. Bay and Beatty, \{J. J.\} and \{Becker Tjus\}, J. and P. Behrens and J. Beise and C. Bellenghi and B. Benkel and S. Benzvi and D. Berley and E. Bernardini and Besson, \{D. Z.\} and E. Blaufuss and L. Bloom and S. Blot and I. Bodo and F. Bontempo and \{Book Motzkin\}, \{J. Y.\} and \{Boscolo Meneguolo\}, C. and S. Boser and O. Botner and J. Bottcher and J. Braun and B. Brinson and Z. Brisson-Tsavoussis and Burley, \{R. T.\} and D. Butterfield and Campana, \{M. A.\} and K. Carloni and J. Kiryluk",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 American Physical Society.",

year = "2026",

month = mar,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1103/2gh9-d4q7",

language = "English",

volume = "136",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

number = "12",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evidence for a Spectral Break or Curvature in the Spectrum of Astrophysical Neutrinos from 5 TeV to 10 PeV

AU - (IceCube Collaboration)

AU - Abbasi, R.

AU - Ackermann, M.

AU - Adams, J.

AU - Agarwalla, S. K.

AU - Aguilar, J. A.

AU - Ahlers, M.

AU - Alameddine, J. M.

AU - Ali, S.

AU - Amin, N. M.

AU - Andeen, K.

AU - Arguelles, C.

AU - Ashida, Y.

AU - Athanasiadou, S.

AU - Axani, S. N.

AU - Babu, R.

AU - Bai, X.

AU - Baines-Holmes, J.

AU - Balagopal, V. A.

AU - Barwick, S. W.

AU - Bash, S.

AU - Basu, V.

AU - Bay, R.

AU - Beatty, J. J.

AU - Becker Tjus, J.

AU - Behrens, P.

AU - Beise, J.

AU - Bellenghi, C.

AU - Benkel, B.

AU - Benzvi, S.

AU - Berley, D.

AU - Bernardini, E.

AU - Besson, D. Z.

AU - Blaufuss, E.

AU - Bloom, L.

AU - Blot, S.

AU - Bodo, I.

AU - Bontempo, F.

AU - Book Motzkin, J. Y.

AU - Boscolo Meneguolo, C.

AU - Boser, S.

AU - Botner, O.

AU - Bottcher, J.

AU - Braun, J.

AU - Brinson, B.

AU - Brisson-Tsavoussis, Z.

AU - Burley, R. T.

AU - Butterfield, D.

AU - Campana, M. A.

AU - Carloni, K.

AU - Kiryluk, J.

PY - 2026/3/27

Y1 - 2026/3/27

N2 - We report improved measurements of the all flavor astrophysical neutrino spectrum with IceCube by combining complementary neutrino samples in two independent analyses. Both analyses show evidence of a harder spectrum at energies below ∼30 TeV compared to higher energies where the spectrum is well characterized by a power law. The spectrum is better described by a log parabola or a broken power law, the latter being the preferred model. Both, however, reject a single power law over an energy range 5 TeV-10 PeV with a significance >4σ, providing new constraints on properties of cosmic neutrino sources.

AB - We report improved measurements of the all flavor astrophysical neutrino spectrum with IceCube by combining complementary neutrino samples in two independent analyses. Both analyses show evidence of a harder spectrum at energies below ∼30 TeV compared to higher energies where the spectrum is well characterized by a power law. The spectrum is better described by a log parabola or a broken power law, the latter being the preferred model. Both, however, reject a single power law over an energy range 5 TeV-10 PeV with a significance >4σ, providing new constraints on properties of cosmic neutrino sources.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105034491125

U2 - 10.1103/2gh9-d4q7

DO - 10.1103/2gh9-d4q7

M3 - Article

C2 - 41965033

AN - SCOPUS:105034491125

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 136

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 12

M1 - 121002

ER -

Evidence for a Spectral Break or Curvature in the Spectrum of Astrophysical Neutrinos from 5 TeV to 10 PeV

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this