Testing nonstandard neutrino matter interactions in atmospheric neutrino propagation

We study the effects of nonstandard interactions on the oscillation pattern of atmospheric neutrinos. We use neutrino oscillograms as our main tool to infer the role of nonstandard interactions (NSI) parameters at the probability level in the energy range, $E\in [1,20]\mathrm{GeV}$ and zenith angle range, $\cos \theta \in [-1,0]$. We compute the event rates for atmospheric neutrino events in presence of NSI parameters in the energy range $E\in [1,10]\mathrm{GeV}$ for two different detector configurations—a magnetized iron calorimeter and an unmagnetized liquid argon time projection chamber which have different sensitivities to NSI parameters due to their complementary characteristics.

Figure 1

Oscillograms of $P_{\mu \mu }$ for NH and IH with SI alone.

Figure 2

Oscillograms of $P_{\mu \mu }$ for NH and IH with nonzero ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$.

Figure 3

Oscillograms of $\mathrm{\Delta }{P}_{\mu \mu }$ with nonzero ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$.

Figure 4

Oscillogram pattern of $\mathrm{\Delta }{P}_{\mu \mu }$ with nonzero ${ϵ}_{e\mu }$, ${ϵ}_{e\tau }$, ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$, and ${ϵ}_{\tau \tau }$.

Figure 5

Oscillogram for $P_{e\mu }$ for NH and IH for SI.

Figure 6

Oscillograms of $\mathrm{\Delta }{P}_{e\mu }$ for NSI parameter ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$.

Figure 7

The effect of ${ϵ}_{e\mu }$, ${ϵ}_{e\tau }$, ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$ and ${ϵ}_{\tau \tau }$ on the oscillogram of $\mathrm{\Delta }{P}_{e\mu }$.

Figure 8

${\nu }_{\mu }$ events with SI and with NSI for nonzero ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$ (left). All the data are generated for 500 kT-yr of exposure for magnetized ICAL assuming NH as the true hierarchy.

Figure 9

The difference with and without NSI of ${\nu }_{\mu }$ (only) events for nonzero ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$ (left) and ${ϵ}_{\mu e}$ (right). All the data are generated for 500 kT-yr of exposure for magnetized ICAL assuming NH as the true hierarchy.

Figure 10

The difference with and without NSI of the total muon neutrino events (${\nu }_{\mu }+{\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }$) and total electron neutrino events (${\nu }_e+{\overline{\nu }}_e$). All the data are generated for 350 kT-yr of exposure for unmagnetized LAr detector assuming NH as the true hierarchy.

Figure 11

$\mathrm{\Delta }{\chi }^2$ vs ${ϵ}_{\mu \tau }$, ${ϵ}_{e\tau }$ and ${ϵ}_{\mu e}$ for NH (left) and IH (right) for the two detector types.

Figure 12

Constraints on pairs of NSI parameters for different detector types. Left panel is for 500 kt-yr of fiducial volume of ICAL and right panel with 350 kt-yr unmagnetized LAr detector. NH is assumed to be true hierarchy.

Figure 13

Constraints on pairs of NSI parameters for different detector types. Left panel is for 500 kt-yr of fiducial volume of ICAL and right panel with 350 kt-yr unmagnetized LAr detector. IH is assumed to be true hierarchy.