ALICE is a large experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Located 52 meters underground, its detectors are suitable to measure muons produced by cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere. In this paper, the studies of the cosmic muons registered by ALICE during Run 2 (2015--2018) are described. The analysis is limited to multimuon events defined as events with more than four detected muons ($N_\mu>4$) and in the zenith angle range $0^{\circ}<\theta<50^{\circ}$. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations using three of the main hadronic interaction models describing the air shower development in the atmosphere: QGSJET-II-04, EPOS-LHC, and SIBYLL 2.3. The interval of the primary cosmic-ray energy involved in the measured muon multiplicity distribution is about $ 4 \times 10^{15}<E_\mathrm{prim}< 6 \times 10^{16}$~eV. In this interval none of the three models is able to describe precisely the trend of the composition of cosmic rays as the energy increases. However, QGSJET is found to be the only model capable of reproducing reasonably well the muon multiplicity distribution, assuming a heavy composition of the primary cosmic rays over the whole energy range, while SIBYLL and EPOS-LHC underpredict the number of muons in a large interval of multiplicity by more than $20\%$ and $30\%$, respectively. The rate of high muon multiplicity events ($N_\mu>100$) obtained with QGSJET and SIBYLL is compatible with the data, while EPOS-LHC produces a significantly lower rate ($55\%$ of the measured rate). For both QGSJET and SIBYLL, the rate is close to the data when the composition is assumed to be dominated by heavy elements, an outcome compatible with the average energy $E_\mathrm{prim} \sim 10^{17}$~eV of these events. This result places significant constraints on more exotic production mechanisms.
Muon multiplicity distribution measured with the ALICE apparatus and obtained for the whole data sample of Run 2 corresponding to a live time of 62.5 days. The data points are grouped in multiplicity intervals with a width of five units ($N_\mu=5-9,~N_\mu=10-14,~...$), and are located at the center of each interval ($N_\mu=7,~N_\mu=12,~...$). The vertical error bars represent the statistical uncertainties.
Muon multiplicity distribution measured with the ALICE apparatus and obtained for the whole data sample of Run 2 corresponding to a live time of 62.5 days. The data are the same as Fig. 3 but each bin corresponds to a single muon multiplicity ($N_\mu=1,2,3,~...$); the distribution starts at $N_\mu=5$. The vertical error bars represent the statistical uncertainties.
Measured muon multiplicity distribution compared with simulations from CORSIKA Monte Carlo generator using QGSJET-II-04 (top), SIBYLL 2.3 (middle), and EPOS-LHC (bottom) as hadronic interaction models for proton and iron primary cosmic rays. Iron points are slightly shifted to the right to avoid overlapping with the data points. The total uncertainties in the MC simulations are given by the vertical bars, while the boxes give the systematic uncertainties of the data and the vertical bars the statistical ones.
A search for muon neutrinos originating from dark matter annihilations in the Sun is performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. In order to obtain the best possible sensitivities to dark matter signals, an optimisation of the event selection criteria is performed taking into account the background of atmospheric muons, atmospheric neutrinos and the energy spectra of the expected neutrino signals. No significant excess over the background is observed and $90\%$ C.L. upper limits on the neutrino flux, the spin--dependent and spin--independent WIMP-nucleon cross--sections are derived for WIMP masses ranging from $ \rm 50$ GeV to $\rm 5$ TeV for the annihilation channels $\rm WIMP + WIMP \to b \bar b, W^+ W^-$ and $\rm \tau^+ \tau^-$.
Upper limit on neutrino flux coming from the Sun for different annihiliation channels and WIMP masses. Limits for the $W^+W^-$ channel cannot be produced for WIMP masses below the mass of the $W$ boson.
Upper limit on spin-dependent cross-section for different annihiliation channels and WIMP masses. Limits for the $W^+W^-$ channel cannot be produced for WIMP masses below the mass of the $W$ boson.
Upper limit on spin-independent cross-section for different annihiliation channels and WIMP masses. Limits for the $W^+W^-$ channel cannot be produced for WIMP masses below the mass of the $W$ boson.
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.
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.
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