Seasonal variations of the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum measured with IceCube

Icecube Collaboration

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14844-0

Seasonal variations of the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum measured with IceCube

Icecube Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy

Department of Physics
TU Dortmund University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Harvard University
Stony Brook University
Michigan State University
Ruhr University Bochum
University of Utah
University of Kansas
Chiba University
University of Alberta
Southern University and A&M College
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Technical University of Munich
University of Alabama
RWTH Aachen University
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Pennsylvania State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
Oskar Klein Centre
University of Maryland, College Park
Columbia University
University of Delaware
University of Canterbury
Université catholique de Louvain
University of Münster
German Electron Synchrotron
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Uppsala University
Marquette University
Institute of Physics Bhubaneswar

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

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of seasonal variations in the atmospheric muon neutrino flux, using 11.3 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By leveraging a novel spectral unfolding method, we explore the energy range from 125 GeV to 10 TeV for zenith angles from 90∘ to 110∘, corresponding to the Antarctic atmosphere. Our findings reveal that the differential measurement of the amplitudes of the seasonal variation is consistent with an energy-dependent decrease reaching (-4.5 ± 1.2)% during Austral winter and increase to (+ 3.9 ± 1.3)% during Austral summer relative to the annual average at 10 TeV. While the unfolded flux exceeds the model predictions by up to 30%, the differential measurement of the seasonal to annual average flux remains unaffected. The measured seasonal variations of the muon neutrino spectrum are consistent with theoretical predictions using the MCEq code and the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model.

Original language	English
Article number	1368
Journal	European Physical Journal C
Volume	85
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14844-0
State	Published - Dec 2025

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@article{51f54106f7a9481192406bb1d0b46db7,

title = "Seasonal variations of the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum measured with IceCube",

abstract = "This study presents an analysis of seasonal variations in the atmospheric muon neutrino flux, using 11.3 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By leveraging a novel spectral unfolding method, we explore the energy range from 125 GeV to 10 TeV for zenith angles from 90∘ to 110∘, corresponding to the Antarctic atmosphere. Our findings reveal that the differential measurement of the amplitudes of the seasonal variation is consistent with an energy-dependent decrease reaching (-4.5 ± 1.2)\% during Austral winter and increase to (+ 3.9 ± 1.3)\% during Austral summer relative to the annual average at 10 TeV. While the unfolded flux exceeds the model predictions by up to 30\%, the differential measurement of the seasonal to annual average flux remains unaffected. The measured seasonal variations of the muon neutrino spectrum are consistent with theoretical predictions using the MCEq code and the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model.",

author = "\{Icecube Collaboration\} and M. Zimmerman and P. Zilberman and P. Zhelnin and Z. Zhang and S. Zhang and A. Zegarelli and T. Yuan and S. Yu and F. Yu and R. Young and S. Yoshida and E. Yildizci and Yanez, \{J. P.\} and Xu, \{X. W.\} and G. Wrede and M. Wolf and L. Witthaus and Williams, \{D. R.\} and Wiebusch, \{C. H.\} and N. Whitehorn and M. Weyrauch and J. Werthebach and C. Wendt and Wen, \{A. Y.\} and J. Weldert and A. Weindl and P. Weigel and C. Weaver and A. Wang and C. Walck and A. Vijai and D. Veske and S. Verpoest and \{Vergara Carrasco\}, S. and M. Vereecken and M. Venugopal and J. Veitch-Michaelis and F. Varsi and J. Vara and \{van Santen\}, J. and D. Vannerom and \{van Eijndhoven\}, N. and J. Vandenbroucke and N. Valtonen-Mattila and A. Vaidyanathan and K. Upshaw and Upadhyay, \{A. K.\} and \{Unland Elorrieta\}, \{M. A.\} and A. Trettin and J. Kiryluk",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14844-0",

language = "English",

volume = "85",

journal = "European Physical Journal C",

issn = "1434-6044",

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T1 - Seasonal variations of the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum measured with IceCube

AU - Icecube Collaboration

AU - Zimmerman, M.

AU - Zilberman, P.

AU - Zhelnin, P.

AU - Zhang, Z.

AU - Zhang, S.

AU - Zegarelli, A.

AU - Yuan, T.

AU - Yu, S.

AU - Yu, F.

AU - Young, R.

AU - Yoshida, S.

AU - Yildizci, E.

AU - Yanez, J. P.

AU - Xu, X. W.

AU - Wrede, G.

AU - Wolf, M.

AU - Witthaus, L.

AU - Williams, D. R.

AU - Wiebusch, C. H.

AU - Whitehorn, N.

AU - Weyrauch, M.

AU - Werthebach, J.

AU - Wendt, C.

AU - Wen, A. Y.

AU - Weldert, J.

AU - Weindl, A.

AU - Weigel, P.

AU - Weaver, C.

AU - Wang, A.

AU - Walck, C.

AU - Vijai, A.

AU - Veske, D.

AU - Verpoest, S.

AU - Vergara Carrasco, S.

AU - Vereecken, M.

AU - Venugopal, M.

AU - Veitch-Michaelis, J.

AU - Varsi, F.

AU - Vara, J.

AU - van Santen, J.

AU - Vannerom, D.

AU - van Eijndhoven, N.

AU - Vandenbroucke, J.

AU - Valtonen-Mattila, N.

AU - Vaidyanathan, A.

AU - Upshaw, K.

AU - Upadhyay, A. K.

AU - Unland Elorrieta, M. A.

AU - Trettin, A.

AU - Kiryluk, J.

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - This study presents an analysis of seasonal variations in the atmospheric muon neutrino flux, using 11.3 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By leveraging a novel spectral unfolding method, we explore the energy range from 125 GeV to 10 TeV for zenith angles from 90∘ to 110∘, corresponding to the Antarctic atmosphere. Our findings reveal that the differential measurement of the amplitudes of the seasonal variation is consistent with an energy-dependent decrease reaching (-4.5 ± 1.2)% during Austral winter and increase to (+ 3.9 ± 1.3)% during Austral summer relative to the annual average at 10 TeV. While the unfolded flux exceeds the model predictions by up to 30%, the differential measurement of the seasonal to annual average flux remains unaffected. The measured seasonal variations of the muon neutrino spectrum are consistent with theoretical predictions using the MCEq code and the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model.

AB - This study presents an analysis of seasonal variations in the atmospheric muon neutrino flux, using 11.3 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By leveraging a novel spectral unfolding method, we explore the energy range from 125 GeV to 10 TeV for zenith angles from 90∘ to 110∘, corresponding to the Antarctic atmosphere. Our findings reveal that the differential measurement of the amplitudes of the seasonal variation is consistent with an energy-dependent decrease reaching (-4.5 ± 1.2)% during Austral winter and increase to (+ 3.9 ± 1.3)% during Austral summer relative to the annual average at 10 TeV. While the unfolded flux exceeds the model predictions by up to 30%, the differential measurement of the seasonal to annual average flux remains unaffected. The measured seasonal variations of the muon neutrino spectrum are consistent with theoretical predictions using the MCEq code and the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024497170

U2 - 10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14844-0

DO - 10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14844-0

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105024497170

SN - 1434-6044

VL - 85

JO - European Physical Journal C

JF - European Physical Journal C

IS - 12

M1 - 1368

ER -

Seasonal variations of the atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum measured with IceCube

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