Bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions using PINGU

We investigate the impact of non-standard neutrino interactions (NSIs) on atmospheric neutrinos using the proposed PINGU experiment. In particular, we focus on the matter NSI parameters epsilon(mu tau) and vertical bar epsilon(tau tau)-epsilon(mu mu)vertical bar that have previously been constrained by the Super-Kamiokande experiment. First, we present approximate analytical formulas for the difference of the muon neutrino survival probability with and without the above-mentioned NSI parameters. Second, we calculate the atmospheric neutrino events at PINGU in the energy range (2-100) GeV, which follow the trend outlined on probability level. Finally, we perform a statistical analysis of PINGU. Using three years of data, we obtain bounds from PINGU given by -0.0043 (-0.0048) < epsilon(mu tau) < 0.0047 (0.0046) and -0.03 (-0.016) < epsilon(tau tau) < 0.017 (0.032) at 90% confidence level for normal (inverted) neutrino mass hierarchy, which improve the Super-Kamiokande bounds by one order of magnitude. In addition, we show the expected allowed contour region in the epsilon-ettplane if NSIs exist in Nature and the result suggests that there is basically no correlation between epsilon(mu tau) and epsilon(tau tau). (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.