Searching for MeV-scale gauge bosons with IceCube

Abstract

Light gauge bosons can lead to resonant interactions between high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and the cosmic neutrino background. We study this possibility in detail, considering the ability of IceCube to probe such scenarios. We find the most dramatic effects in models with a very light $Z'$ ($m_{Z'} \lesssim 10$ MeV), which can induce a significant absorption feature at $E_{\nu} \sim\,$5-10$\,{\rm TeV} \times (m_{Z'}/{\rm MeV})^2$. In the case of the inverted hierarchy and a small sum of neutrino masses, such a light $Z'$ can result in a broad and deep spectral feature at $\sim\,$0.1-10$\,{\rm PeV} \times (m_{Z'}/{\rm MeV})^2$. Current IceCube data already excludes this case for a $Z'$ lighter than a few MeV and couplings greater than $g\sim10^{-4}$. We emphasize that the ratio of neutrino flavors observed by IceCube can be used to further increase their sensitivity to $Z'$ models and to other exotic physics scenarios.