Estimating the impact of the QCD dynamics on the determination of the high energy astrophysical neutrino flux

The number of ultra-high energy neutrinos arriving at IceCube depends on the energy dependence of the astrophysical neutrino flux and neutrino cross-section. In this paper, we investigate the impact of different assumptions for the description of the QCD dynamics at high energies on the determination of the normalization $$\Phi _{Astro}$$ Φ Astro and spectral index $$\gamma $$ γ of the astrophysical neutrino flux. The distribution of neutrino events at the IceCube is estimated considering the DGLAP, BFKL, CGC and BBMT approaches and the best estimates for $$\Phi _{Astro}$$ Φ Astro and $$\gamma $$ γ are determined using a maximum likelihood fit comparing the predictions with the distribution of observed events at IceCube. Moreover, we also investigate if the increase in the effective exposure time expected in IceCube-Gen2 will to allow us to disentangle the QCD dynamical effects from the description of the astrophysical neutrino flux.

Progress in neutrino astronomy

The dream of observing our universe through neutrinos is rapidly becoming a reality. More than three decades after the first observation of neutrinos from beyond our solar system associated with Supernova SN1987A, neutrino astronomy is in the midst of a revolution. Extraterrestrial neutrinos are now routinely detected, following the discovery of a high-energy diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux in 2013. The detection of a high-energy neutrino in coincidence with a flaring blazar in 2017 has brought the field rapidly into the multi-messenger science era. The latest developments in the field of neutrino astronomy are reviewed and prospects with current and future detectors discussed. Particular emphasis is put on domestic programs in neutrino astronomy and the possibility to construct a large neutrino observatory in Korea.