Design of the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment`s First Detector Line

Abstract

The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) is a planned multi-cubic-kilometer neutrino telescope in the depths of the Northeast Pacific Ocean, offshore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Its primary scientific objective is the detection of high-energy neutrinos, which as cosmic messengers, are crucial to complement our understanding of the origin and acceleration mechanisms of cosmic rays. P-ONE will be connected to an existing deep-sea infrastructure, the NEPTUNE observatory, hosted by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). Following the successful deployment of two pathfinder missions, aiming for the characterization of the proposed deployment location, the P-ONE collaboration with its partners at ONC is working towards the realization of the first detector line of P-ONE. The challenging deepsea environment, ocean dynamics, background variations induced by bioluminescence and 40 K decay, as well as the aim for modularity and scalability, require novel approaches to the detector design. The P-ONE-1 line strives to overcome these challenges and ultimately serve as a blueprint for the following installations. P-ONE-1 will comprise 20 optical and calibration modules, enclosed in glass hemispheres and integrated with a novel hybrid cable architecture with a combined length of just over 1000 m.

Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment

“…It will use a bottom-up approach where the mooring line with Optical Modules will be contained in the mounting frame. The whole system will first be lowered to the seabed and then released by setting the float free [26].…”