Search for Quantum Gravity Using Astrophysical Neutrino Flavour with IceCube
DESY Publication Database (PUBDB) (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron)
Abstract
Along their long propagation from production to detection, neutrino states undergo quantum interference which converts their types, or flavours. High-energy astrophysical neutrinos, first observed by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, are known to propagate unperturbed over a billion light years in vacuum. These neutrinos act as the largest quantum interferometer and are sensitive to the smallest effects in vacuum due to new physics. Quantum gravity (QG) aims to describe gravity in a quantum mechanical framework, unifying matter, forces and space-time. QG effects are expected to appear at the ultra-high-energy scale known as the Planck energy, $E_{P}\equiv 1.22\times 10^{19}$~giga-electronvolts (GeV). Such a high-energy universe would have existed only right after the Big Bang and it is inaccessible by human technologies. On the other hand, it is speculated that the effects of QG may exist in our low-energy vacuum, but are suppressed by the Planck energy as $E_{P}^{-1}$ ($\sim 10^{-19}$~GeV$^{-1}$), $E_{P}^{-2}$ ($\sim 10^{-38}$~GeV$^{-2}$), or its higher powers. The coupling of particles to these effects is too small to measure in kinematic observables, but the phase shift of neutrino waves could cause observable flavour conversions. Here, we report the first result of neutrino interferometry~\cite{Aartsen:2017ibm} using astrophysical neutrino flavours to search for new space-time structure. We did not find any evidence of anomalous flavour conversion in IceCube astrophysical neutrino flavour data. We place the most stringent limits of any known technologies, down to $10^{-42}$~GeV$^{-2}$, on the dimension-six operators that parameterize the space-time defects for preferred astrophysical production scenarios. For the first time, we unambiguously reach the signal region of quantum-gravity-motivated physics.
Authors 99
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Department of Physics , Loyola University Chicago , Chicago , IL 60660 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Canterbury , Private Bag 4800 , Christchurch , New Zealand
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Université Libre de Bruxelles , Science Faculty CP230 , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Niels Bohr Institute , University of Copenhagen , DK-2100 Copenhagen , Denmark
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Dept. of Physics , TU Dortmund University , D-44221 Dortmund , Germany
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Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire , Université de Genève , CH-1211 Genève , Switzerland
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute for Astroparticle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
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Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg , D-91058 Erlangen , Germany
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Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA 02138 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire , Université de Genève , CH-1211 Genève , Switzerland
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University of California, Irvine
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of California , Irvine , CA 92697 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Université Libre de Bruxelles , Science Faculty CP230 , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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University of California, Berkeley
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Dept. of Physics , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
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Dept. of Astronomy , Ohio State University , Columbus , OH 43210 , USA
Dept. of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics , Ohio State University , Columbus , OH 43210 , USA
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie , Ruhr-Universität Bochum , D-44780 Bochum , Germany
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Technical University of Munich
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Physik-department , Technische Universität München , D-85748 Garching , Germany
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Dept. of Physics , University of Maryland , College Park , MD 20742 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , University of Kansas , Lawrence , KS 66045 , USA
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · University of California, Berkeley
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Dept. of Physics , University of California , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley , CA 94720 , USA
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Dept. of Physics , University of Maryland , College Park , MD 20742 , USA
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute for Astroparticle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
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III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Niels Bohr Institute , University of Copenhagen , DK-2100 Copenhagen , Denmark
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Georgia Institute of Technology
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School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , GA 30332 , USA
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Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire , Université de Genève , CH-1211 Genève , Switzerland
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute of Experimental Particle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Department of Physics , University of Adelaide , Adelaide , 5005 , Australia
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics , University of Adelaide , Adelaide , 5005 , Australia
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Georgia Institute of Technology
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School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , GA 30332 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI 48824 , USA
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Dept. of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy , Queen's University , Kingston , ON K7L 3N6 , Canada
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Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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Georgia Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , GA 30332 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Dienst ELEM , B-1050 Brussels , Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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Institut für Physik , Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , D-12489 Berlin , Germany
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI 48824 , USA
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Physics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute for Astroparticle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Science Hall Rm 108 , Box 19059 , Arlington , TX 76019 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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Technical University of Munich
Affiliation as printed
Physik-department , Technische Universität München , D-85748 Garching , Germany
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute for Astroparticle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , Institute of Experimental Particle Physics , D-76021 Karlsruhe , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
III. Physikalisches Institut , RWTH Aachen University , D-52056 Aachen , Germany
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Dept. of Physics , University of Maryland , College Park , MD 20742 , USA
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Dept. of Physics , University of Maryland , College Park , MD 20742 , USA
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Queen Mary University of London
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Dept. of Physics and Astronomy , Queen Mary University of London , London E1 4NS , UK
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Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
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Dept. of Physics , Southern University , Baton Rouge , LA 70813 , USA
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Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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Institut für Physik , Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , D-12489 Berlin , Germany
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Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
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Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg , D-91058 Erlangen , Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Global Prominent Research , Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522 , Japan
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