Unfolding the Atmospheric Muon Flux with IceCube: Investigating Stopping Muons and High-Energy Prompt Contributions

Icecube Collaboration

doi:10.22323/1.501.0281

Unfolding the Atmospheric Muon Flux with IceCube: Investigating Stopping Muons and High-Energy Prompt Contributions

Icecube Collaboration

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › peer-review

Abstract

Atmospheric muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers are classified as conventional muons from pion and kaon decays and prompt muons from heavy hadron decays. Conventional muons dominate at lower energies, and the prompt component becomes dominant at PeV energies and above. Precisely measuring the atmospheric muon flux from a few GeV to several PeV is valuable for advancing our understanding of cosmic-ray interactions and testing hadronic interaction models. Low-energy muons that stop within the IceCube in-ice array provide valuable information about the energy spectrum of muons from a few hundred GeV up to 10 TeV. Machine learning techniques are employed to enhance event reconstruction and selection to provide insights into the conventional and prompt components. This contribution presents the unfolding of the energy spectrum of stopping muons in IceCube as well as the unfolding of high-energy muons to probe the prompt component.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	281
Journal	Proceedings of Science
Volume	501
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.0281
Publication status	Published - 30 Dec 2025
Externally published	Yes
Event	39th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2025 - Geneva, Switzerland Duration: 15 Jul 2025 → 24 Jul 2025

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10.22323/1.501.0281

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@article{330a8bb79ea840d6bc8bfd991a41e568,

title = "Unfolding the Atmospheric Muon Flux with IceCube: Investigating Stopping Muons and High-Energy Prompt Contributions",

abstract = "Atmospheric muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers are classified as conventional muons from pion and kaon decays and prompt muons from heavy hadron decays. Conventional muons dominate at lower energies, and the prompt component becomes dominant at PeV energies and above. Precisely measuring the atmospheric muon flux from a few GeV to several PeV is valuable for advancing our understanding of cosmic-ray interactions and testing hadronic interaction models. Low-energy muons that stop within the IceCube in-ice array provide valuable information about the energy spectrum of muons from a few hundred GeV up to 10 TeV. Machine learning techniques are employed to enhance event reconstruction and selection to provide insights into the conventional and prompt components. This contribution presents the unfolding of the energy spectrum of stopping muons in IceCube as well as the unfolding of high-energy muons to probe the prompt component.",

author = "\{Icecube Collaboration\} and Schroeder, \{Frank G.\} and Federico Bontempo and R. Abbasi and M. Ackermann and J. Adams and Agarwalla, \{S. K.\} and Aguilar, \{J. A.\} and M. Ahlers and Alameddine, \{J. M.\} and S. Ali and Amin, \{N. M.\} and K. Andeen and C. Arg{\"u}elles and Y. Ashida and S. Athanasiadou and Axani, \{S. N.\} and R. Babu and X. Bai and J. Baines-Holmes and A. Balagopal and Barwick, \{S. W.\} and S. Bash and V. Basu and R. Bay and Beatty, \{J. J.\} and Tjus, \{J. Becker\} and P. Behrens and J. Beise and C. Bellenghi and B. Benkel and S. BenZvi and D. Berley and E. Bernardini and Besson, \{D. Z.\} and E. Blaufuss and L. Bloom and S. Blot and I. Bodo and F. Bontempo and Motzkin, \{J. Y.Book\} and Meneguolo, \{C. Boscolo\} and S. B{\"o}ser and O. Botner and J. B{\"o}ttcher and J. Braun and B. Brinson and Z. Brisson-Tsavoussis and Burley, \{R. T.\} and D. Butterfield and Campana, \{M. A.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright owned by the author(s); 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2025 ; Conference date: 15-07-2025 Through 24-07-2025",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "30",

doi = "10.22323/1.501.0281",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "501",

journal = "Proceedings of Science",

issn = "1824-8039",

publisher = "Sissa Medialab Srl",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Unfolding the Atmospheric Muon Flux with IceCube

T2 - 39th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2025

AU - Icecube Collaboration

AU - Schroeder, Frank G.

AU - Bontempo, Federico

AU - Abbasi, R.

AU - Ackermann, M.

AU - Adams, J.

AU - Agarwalla, S. K.

AU - Aguilar, J. A.

AU - Ahlers, M.

AU - Alameddine, J. M.

AU - Ali, S.

AU - Amin, N. M.

AU - Andeen, K.

AU - Argüelles, C.

AU - Ashida, Y.

AU - Athanasiadou, S.

AU - Axani, S. N.

AU - Babu, R.

AU - Bai, X.

AU - Baines-Holmes, J.

AU - Balagopal, A.

AU - Barwick, S. W.

AU - Bash, S.

AU - Basu, V.

AU - Bay, R.

AU - Beatty, J. J.

AU - Tjus, J. Becker

AU - Behrens, P.

AU - Beise, J.

AU - Bellenghi, C.

AU - Benkel, B.

AU - BenZvi, S.

AU - Berley, D.

AU - Bernardini, E.

AU - Besson, D. Z.

AU - Blaufuss, E.

AU - Bloom, L.

AU - Blot, S.

AU - Bodo, I.

AU - Bontempo, F.

AU - Motzkin, J. Y.Book

AU - Meneguolo, C. Boscolo

AU - Böser, S.

AU - Botner, O.

AU - Böttcher, J.

AU - Braun, J.

AU - Brinson, B.

AU - Brisson-Tsavoussis, Z.

AU - Burley, R. T.

AU - Butterfield, D.

AU - Campana, M. A.

PY - 2025/12/30

Y1 - 2025/12/30

N2 - Atmospheric muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers are classified as conventional muons from pion and kaon decays and prompt muons from heavy hadron decays. Conventional muons dominate at lower energies, and the prompt component becomes dominant at PeV energies and above. Precisely measuring the atmospheric muon flux from a few GeV to several PeV is valuable for advancing our understanding of cosmic-ray interactions and testing hadronic interaction models. Low-energy muons that stop within the IceCube in-ice array provide valuable information about the energy spectrum of muons from a few hundred GeV up to 10 TeV. Machine learning techniques are employed to enhance event reconstruction and selection to provide insights into the conventional and prompt components. This contribution presents the unfolding of the energy spectrum of stopping muons in IceCube as well as the unfolding of high-energy muons to probe the prompt component.

AB - Atmospheric muons produced in cosmic-ray air showers are classified as conventional muons from pion and kaon decays and prompt muons from heavy hadron decays. Conventional muons dominate at lower energies, and the prompt component becomes dominant at PeV energies and above. Precisely measuring the atmospheric muon flux from a few GeV to several PeV is valuable for advancing our understanding of cosmic-ray interactions and testing hadronic interaction models. Low-energy muons that stop within the IceCube in-ice array provide valuable information about the energy spectrum of muons from a few hundred GeV up to 10 TeV. Machine learning techniques are employed to enhance event reconstruction and selection to provide insights into the conventional and prompt components. This contribution presents the unfolding of the energy spectrum of stopping muons in IceCube as well as the unfolding of high-energy muons to probe the prompt component.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029019093

U2 - 10.22323/1.501.0281

DO - 10.22323/1.501.0281

M3 - Conference article

AN - SCOPUS:105029019093

SN - 1824-8039

VL - 501

JO - Proceedings of Science

JF - Proceedings of Science

M1 - 281

Y2 - 15 July 2025 through 24 July 2025

ER -

Unfolding the Atmospheric Muon Flux with IceCube: Investigating Stopping Muons and High-Energy Prompt Contributions

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