First measurement of the absorption of $^{3}\overline{\rm He}$ nuclei in matter and impact on their propagation in the galaxy

The ALICE collaboration Acharya, Shreyasi ; Adamova, Dagmar ; Adler, Alexander ; et al.
Nature Phys. 19 (2023) 61-71, 2023.
Inspire Record 2026264 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.133480

In our Galaxy, light antinuclei composed of antiprotons and antineutrons can be produced through high-energy cosmic-ray collisions with the interstellar medium or could also originate from the annihilation of dark-matter particles that have not yet been discovered. On Earth, the only way to produce and study antinuclei with high precision is to create them at high-energy particle accelerators. Although the properties of elementary antiparticles have been studied in detail, the knowledge of the interaction of light antinuclei with matter is limited. We determine the disappearance probability of $^{3}\overline{\rm He}$ when it encounters matter particles and annihilates or disintegrates within the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We extract the inelastic interaction cross section, which is then used as input to calculations of the transparency of our Galaxy to the propagation of $^{3}\overline{\rm He}$ stemming from dark-matter annihilation and cosmic-ray interactions within the interstellar medium. For a specific dark-matter profile, we estimate a transparency of about 50%, whereas it varies with increasing $^{3}\overline{\rm He}$ momentum from 25% to 90% for cosmic-ray sources. The results indicate that $^{3}\overline{\rm He}$ nuclei can travel long distances in the Galaxy, and can be used to study cosmic-ray interactions and dark-matter annihilation.

21 data tables

Raw primary antihelium3-to-helium3 ratio as a function of the momentum p_primary.

Raw primary antihelium3-to-helium3 ratio from Geant4-based MC simulations as a function of the momentum p_primary with default sigma_inel(3Hebar).

Raw primary antihelium3-to-helium3 ratio from Geant4-based MC simulations as a function of the momentum p_primary with sigma_inel(3Hebar)x0.5.

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Measurements of the atmospheric neutrino flux by Super-Kamiokande: energy spectra, geomagnetic effects, and solar modulation

The Super-Kamiokande collaboration Richard, E. ; Okumura, K. ; Abe, K. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.D 94 (2016) 052001, 2016.
Inspire Record 1401192 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.76912

A comprehensive study on the atmospheric neutrino flux in the energy region from sub-GeV up to several TeV using the Super-Kamiokande water Cherenkov detector is presented in this paper. The energy and azimuthal spectra of the atmospheric ${\nu}_e+{\bar{\nu}}_e$ and ${\nu}_{\mu}+{\bar{\nu}}_{\mu}$ fluxes are measured. The energy spectra are obtained using an iterative unfolding method by combining various event topologies with differing energy responses. The azimuthal spectra depending on energy and zenith angle, and their modulation by geomagnetic effects, are also studied. A predicted east-west asymmetry is observed in both the ${\nu}_e$ and ${\nu}_{\mu}$ samples at 8.0 {\sigma} and 6.0 {\sigma} significance, respectively, and an indication that the asymmetry dipole angle changes depending on the zenith angle was seen at the 2.2 {\sigma} level. The measured energy and azimuthal spectra are consistent with the current flux models within the estimated systematic uncertainties. A study of the long-term correlation between the atmospheric neutrino flux and the solar magnetic activity cycle is also performed, and a weak indication of a correlation was seen at the 1.1 {\sigma} level, using SK I-IV data spanning a 20 year period. For particularly strong solar activity periods known as Forbush decreases, no theoretical prediction is available, but a deviation below the typical neutrino event rate is seen at the 2.4 {\sigma} level.

2 data tables

Electron neutrino flux measured by SK I-IV data. Error written in percentage including both statistical and systematic uncertainties.

Muon neutrino flux measured by SK I-IV data. Error written in percentage including both statistical and systematic uncertainties.