Data from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector and Mini-Booster Neutrino experiments, and the revised expectations of the antineutrino flux from nuclear reactors suggest the existence of eV-mass sterile neutrinos. The $3+2$ and $1+3+1$ scenarios accommodate all relevant short-baseline neutrino data except for the low-energy Mini-Booster Neutrino Experiment anomaly. We analyze the angular distribution of upward going atmospheric neutrino events in the IceCube-40 data set for evidence of sterile neutrinos within these scenarios. Depending on how systematic uncertainties are handled, we find strong evidence for, or weak evidence against sterile neutrinos. We show that future IceCube data will definitively settle the issue.

• Received 3 October 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.85.011302