Exploring atmospheric neutrino fluxes : seasonal variations and prompt neutrino search in the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

High-energy atmospheric neutrinos, generated through cosmic-ray interactions with atmospheric nuclei, provide an intriguing window into fundamental particle interactions. This study employs the IceCube Neutrino Observatory data to investigate the properties of atmospheric neutrinos. It focuses on the neutrino and their parent meson production mechanisms. We establish a correlation with temperature fluctuations by examining seasonal variations in the atmospheric neutrino flux and illustrating the impact of atmospheric conditions on neutrino production. Additionally, we search for prompt atmospheric neutrinos originating from charmed meson decays in the energy spectrum of neutrinos. The results help to constrain the production of rare and heavy mesons in proton-air collisions. Additionally, the results refine atmospheric neutrino models and help differentiate between the atmospheric and astrophysical neutrino spectrums. Although challenges remain in thoroughly characterizing the production of atmospheric neutrinos, our findings contribute to a broader understanding of the high-energy neutrino flux and support ongoing efforts in neutrino astronomy with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.