Measuring Flavor Ratios of High-Energy Astrophysical Neutrinos

Abstract

We discuss the prospects for next generation neutrino telescopes, such as IceCube, to measure the flavor ratios of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. The expected flavor ratios at the sources are $ϕ_{ν_e}:ϕ_{ν_μ}:ϕ_{ν_τ} = 1:2:0$, and neutrino oscillations quickly transform these to $1:1:1$. The flavor ratios can be deduced from the relative rates of showers ($ν_e$ charged-current, most $ν_τ$ charged-current, and all flavors neutral-current), muon tracks ($ν_μ$ charged-current only), and tau lepton lollipops and double-bangs ($ν_τ$ charged-current only). The peak sensitivities for these interactions are at different neutrino energies, but the flavor ratios can be reliably connected by a reasonable measurement of the spectrum shape. Measurement of the astrophysical neutrino flavor ratios tests the assumed production mechanism and also provides a very long baseline test of a number of exotic scenarios, including neutrino decay, CPT violation, and small-$δm^2$ oscillations to sterile neutrinos.