An algorithm for the reconstruction of high-energy neutrino-induced particle showers and its application to the ANTARES neutrino telescope

Antares, Collaboration; Albert, A.; André, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J. J.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Barrios Martí, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bourret, S.; Bouwhuis, M. C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, Antonio; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Celli, Silvia; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coelho, J. A. B.; Coleiro, A.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, Giulia; Distefano, C.; Di Palma, Irene; Domi, A.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Elsässer, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Felis, I.; Folger, F.; Fusco, L. A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Giordano, V.; Glotin, H.; Grégoire, T.; Gracia Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; Van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A. J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández Rey, J. J.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; Illuminati, G.; James, C. W.; De Jong, M.; Jongen, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmann, R.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Lotze, M.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martínez Mora, J. A.; Mele, R.; Melis, K.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Nezri, E.; Organokov, M.; Păvălaş, G. E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, Chiara; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Quinn, L.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Sánchez Losa, A.; Saldaña, M.; Salvadori, I.; Samtleben, D. F. E.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schüssler, F.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Stolarczyk, T. H.; Taiuti, M.; Tayalati, Y.; Trovato, A.; Turpin, D.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Van Elewyck, V.; Versari, F.; Vivolo, D.; Vizzoca, A.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J. D.; Zúñiga, J.

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4979-2

A novel algorithm to reconstruct neutrino-induced particle showers within the ANTARES neutrino telescope is presented. The method achieves a median angular resolution of $6^\circ$ for shower energies below 100 TeV. Applying this algorithm to 6 years of data taken with the ANTARES detector, 8 events with reconstructed shower energies above 10 TeV are observed. This is consistent with the expectation of about 5 events from atmospheric backgrounds, but also compatible with diffuse astrophysical flux measurements by the IceCube collaboration, from which 2 - 4 additional events are expected. A 90% C.L. upper limit on the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux with a value per neutrino flavour of $E^2\cdot \Phi^90\% = 4.9 \cdot 10^-8$ GeV $\cdot$ cm$^-2 \cdot$ s$^-1 \cdot$ sr$^-1$ is set, applicable to the energy range from 23 TeV to 7.8 PeV, assuming an unbroken $E^-2$ spectrum and neutrino flavour equipartition at Earth.

An algorithm for the reconstruction of high-energy neutrino-induced particle showers and its application to the ANTARES neutrino telescope / Antares, C., Albert, A., André, M., Anghinolfi, M., Anton, G., Ardid, M., Aubert, J.J., Avgitas, T., Baret, B., Barrios Martí, J., Basa, S., Bertin, V., Biagi, S., Bormuth, R., Bourret, S., Bouwhuis, M.C., Bruijn, R., Brunner, J., Busto, J., Capone, A., et al.. - In: THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. C, PARTICLES AND FIELDS. - ISSN 1434-6044. - STAMPA. - 419:77(2017), pp. 1-11. [10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4979-2]