Cosmic-ray induced neutrino fluxes at the Moon: A semi-analytic approach

Cosmic-ray induced neutrino backgrounds at the Moon are estimated using a semi-analytic approach. The analytic expressions are derived, flux estimates for ν e + ν ¯ e and ν μ + ν ¯ μ are given, and comparisons with the analogous backgrounds generated in the Earth’s atmosphere are presented. Suppression of the lunar fluxes relative to the terrestrial fluxes is found. At energies >10 GeV, the suppression approaches a maximum of order 10−4. The lower background environment suggests that the Moon may be advantageous for future particle astrophysics endeavors.