The IceCube neutrino discovery was punctuated by three showers with E_{ν}≈1-2 PeV. Interest is intense in possible fluxes at higher energies, though a deficit of E_{ν}≈6 PeV Glashow resonance events implies a spectrum that is soft and/or cutoff below ∼few PeV. However, IceCube recently reported a through-going track depositing 2.6±0.3 PeV. A muon depositing so much energy can imply E_{ν_{μ}}≳10 PeV. Alternatively, we find a tau can deposit this much energy, requiring E_{ν_{τ}}∼10× higher. We show that extending soft spectral fits from TeV-PeV data is unlikely to yield such an event, while an ∼E_{ν}^{-2} flux predicts excessive Glashow events. These instead hint at a new flux, with the hierarchy of ν_{μ} and ν_{τ} energies implying astrophysical neutrinos at E_{ν}∼100 PeV if a tau. We address implications for ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray and neutrino origins.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.241105 | DOI Listing |
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