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arXiv · 2605.10221

TeV-scale neutrino cross-section measurement using upward through-going muons in Super-Kamiokande

Abstract

Neutrinos provide a unique probe of both particle physics and the high-energy universe, traversing astronomical distances with minimal interaction. Their charged-current scattering cross section encodes fundamental information about weak interactions and nucleon structure across a vast energy range, yet measurements at TeV energies remain sparse. Here we report the first determination of the flux-averaged muon neutrino and anti-neutrino charged-current total cross section using high-energy atmospheric neutrinos observed in Super-Kamiokande. Using 3989 upward through-going muon events collected over 4269 days, together with a Bayesian fit to atmospheric flux and detector simulations, we measure the flux-averaged charged-current cross section in the 500-5000 GeV range to be $σ/E_ν=(0.51\pm 0.11)\times 10^{-38}$ cm$^2$GeV$^{-1}$, with the highest precision to date in the TeV regime. Our results are consistent with accelerator-based measurements at lower energies and collider-based measurements at higher energies, bridging a critical gap between accelerator experiments and neutrino telescopes. This work demonstrates the capability of large underground detectors to perform precision cross-section measurements with atmospheric neutrinos, opening a new window for probing Standard Model physics and potential new physics searches at multi-TeV energies.

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N. Bhuiyan, K. Abe, Y. Asaoka, M. Harada, Y. Hayato, K. Hiraide, T. H. Hung, K. Ieki, M. Ikeda, J. Kameda, Y. Kanemura, Y. Kataoka, S. Miki, S. Mine, M. Miura, S. Moriyama, K. Nakagiri, M. Nakahata, S. Nakayama, Y. Noguchi, G. Pronost, K. Sato, H. Sekiya, R. Shinoda, M. Shiozawa, Y. Suzuki, A. Takeda, Y. Takemoto, H. Tanaka, T. Yano, S. Chen, Y. Itow, T. Kajita, R. Nishijima, K. Okumura, T. Tashiro, T. Tomiya, X. Wang, P. Fernandez, F. J. de Garay Arcones, L. Labarga, D. Samudio, B. Zaldivar, C. Yanagisawa, B. Jargowsky, E. Kearns, J. Mirabito, L. Wan, T. Wester, B. W. Pointon, J. Bian, B. Cortez, N. J. Griskevich, Y. Jiang, M. B. Smy, H. W. Sobel, V. Takhistov, A. Yankelevich, J. Hill, D. H. Moon, R. G. Park, B. S. Yang, K. Scholberg, C. W. Walter, O. Drapier, A. Ershova, M. Ferey, E. Le Blévec, Th. A. Mueller, P. Paganini, C. Quach, R. Rogly, T. Nakamura, J. S. Jang, R. P. Litchfield, L. N. Machado, F. J. P. Soler, J. G. Learned, K. Choi, S. Cao, L. H. V. Anthony, N. W. Prouse, M. Scott, Y. Uchida, V. Berardi, N. F. Calabria, M. G. Catanesi, N. Ospina, E. Radicioni, A. Langella, G. De Rosa, G. Collazuol, M. Feltre, M. Mattiazzi, L. Ludovici, M. Gonin, L. Périssé, B. Quilain, M. Fukazawa, S. Horiuchi. 2026-05-11. TeV-scale neutrino cross-section measurement using upward through-going muons in Super-Kamiokande. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.10221

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