NEMO: Status of the Project

Migneco, E.; Aiello, S.; Amato, Ernesto; Ambriola, M.; Ameli, F.; Andronico, Giuseppe; Anghinolfi, M.; Battaglieri, M.; Bellotti, R.; Bersani, A.; Boldrin, A.; Bonori, M.; Cafagna, F.; Capone, A.; Caponnetto, L.; Chiarusi, T.; Cocimano, R.; Coniglione, R.; Cordelli, M.; Costa, M.; Cuneo, S.; D’Amico, Antonio; D’Amico, Valeria; Marzo, C. De; Vita, R. De; Distefano, C.; Gabrielli, Alessandro; Gandolfi, E.; Habel, R.; Italiano, A.; Leonardi, M.; Nigro, L. Lo; Presti, D. Lo; Margiotta, A.; Martini, A.; Masetti, M.; Masullo, R.; Montaruli, T.; Mosetti, Renzo; Musumeci, M.; Nicolau, C. A.; Occhipinti, R.; Papaleo, R.; Petta, C.; Piattelli, P.; Raia, G.; Randazzo, N.; Reito, S.; Ricco, G.; Riccobene, G.; Ripani, M.; Romita, M.; Rovelli, A.; Ruppi, M.; Russo, Giovanni; Russo, Maria Laura; Sapienza, P.; Schuller, J.-P.; Sedita, M.; Sokalski, I. A.; Spurio, M.; Taiuti, M.; Trasatti, L.; Ursella, Laura; Valente, V.; Vicini, P.; Zanarini, G.

doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2004.10.062

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In the same context, the NEMO collaboration has done the interesting exercise of simulating the IceCube detector (augmented from 4800 to 5600 optical modules; see next section) in water rather than ice. One finds a slightly reduced sensitivity in water, probably not significant within errors and at no energy larger than 50% [16]. 1.3 × 10 −7 weakly dependent on declination 0.4-5 × 10 −7 depending on declination diffuse limit † (neutrinos/year) 3-12 × 10 −9 2 × 10 −7 0.9 × 10 −7 * includes systematic errors † depends on assumption for background from atmospheric neutrinos from charm…”

Section: Mediterranean Telescopesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Adding to the technological challenge is the requirement that the detector be shielded from the abundant flux of cosmic ray muons by deployment at a depth of typically several kilometers. After the cancellation of a pioneering attempt [14] to build a neutrino telescope off the coast of Hawaii, successful operation of a smaller instrument in Lake Baikal [15] bodes well for several efforts to commission neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean [14,16]. We will here mostly concentrate on the construction and first four years of operation of the AMANDA telescope [5,17] which has transformed a large volume of natural deep Antarctic ice into a Cherenkov detector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Astroparticle physics with high energy neutrinos: from AMANDA to IceCube

Halzen

2006

Eur. Phys. J. C

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Kilometer-scale neutrino detectors such as IceCube are discovery instruments covering nuclear and particle physics, cosmology and astronomy. Examples of their multidisciplinary missions include the search for the particle nature of dark matter and for additional small dimensions of space. In the end, their conceptual design is very much anchored to the observational fact that Nature produces protons and photons with energies in excess of 10 20 eV and 10 13 eV, respectively. The puzzle of where and how Nature accelerates the highest energy cosmic particles is unresolved almost a century after their discovery. The cosmic ray connection sets the scale of cosmic neutrino fluxes. In this context, we discuss the first results of the completed AMANDA detector and the science reach of its extension, IceCube. Similar experiments are under construction in the Mediterranean. Neutrino astronomy is also expanding in new directions with efforts to detect air showers, acoustic and radio signals initiated by super-EeV neutrinos. The outline of this review is as follows:• Introduction• Why Kilometer-Scale Detectors?• Cosmic Neutrinos Associated with the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays • High Energy Neutrino Telescopes: Methodologies of Neutrino Detection• High Energy Neutrino Telescopes: Status • γ-rays do point back to their sources, but are absorbed at TeV-energy and above on cosmic background radiation.• neutrinos propagate unabsorbed and without deflection throughout the universe but are difficult to detect.Therefore, multi-messenger astronomy may not just be an advantage, it may be a necessity for solving some of the outstanding problems of astronomy at the highest energies such as the identification of the sources of the cosmic rays, the mechanism(s) triggering gamma ray bursts and the particle nature of the dark matter. We will update the case for the detection of neutrinos associated with the observed fluxes of high energy cosmic rays and gamma rays; it points, unfortunately, at the necessity of commissioning kilometer-scale neutrino detectors. Though ambitious, the scientific case is compelling because neutrinos will reveal the location of the source(s) and represent the ideal tool to study the black holes powering the cosmic accelerator(s).At this time the first-generation neutrino telescope AMANDA has operated for 5 years and a second one, ANTARES, is under construction in the Mediterranean. AMANDA represents a proof of concept for a kilometer-scale detector, IceCube, now under construction. High energy neutrino astronomy predates these projects; we have observed the Sun and a supernova in 1987 [1]. Each observation has been rewarded with a Nobel Prize. These achievements were influential. After thirty years the solar neutrino puzzle was resolved by the discovery that neutrinos oscillate. The skeptics were proven wrong, John Bahcall knew all along how the Sun shines. Some 20 supernova neutrinos were adequate to confirm the basic theoretical picture of the death of a star. The goal of neutrino telescopes is to look beyond th...

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Section: Mediterranean Telescopesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astroparticle physics with high energy neutrinos: from AMANDA to IceCube

Halzen

2006

Eur. Phys. J. C

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“…Measurements of high energy neutrino flux ratios will eventually take place in the km 3 scale neutrino telescope IceCube [18]. Another option is a km 3 experiment in the Mediterranean, as analysed by the KM3Net network [19], which coordinates the potential joining of the ANTARES [20], NESTOR [21] and NEMO [22] projects. These will follow the smaller scale AMANDA [23] and Lake Baikal [24] experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutrino mixing and neutrino telescopes

Rodejohann

2007

J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.

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Measuring flux ratios of high energy neutrinos is an alternative method to determine the neutrino mixing angles and the CP phase. We conduct a systematic analysis of the neutrino mixing probabilities and of various flux ratios measurable at neutrino telescopes. The considered cases are neutrinos from pion, neutron and muon-damped sources. The flux ratios involve measurements with and without taking advantage of the Glashow resonance. Explicit formulae in case of µ-τ symmetry (θ 13 = 0 and θ 23 = π/4) and its special case tri-bimaximal mixing (sin 2 θ 12 = 1/3) are obtained, and the leading corrections due to non-zero θ 13 and non-maximal θ 23 are given. The first order correction is universal as it appears in basically all ratios. We study in detail its dependence on θ 13 , θ 23 and the CP phase δ, finding that the dependence on θ 23 is strongest. The flavor compositions for the considered neutrino sources are evaluated in terms of this correction. A measurement of a flux ratio is a clean measurement of the universal correction (and therefore of θ 13 , θ 23 and δ) if the zeroth order ratio does not depend on θ 12 . This favors pion sources over the other cases, which in turn are good candidates to probe θ 12 . The only situations in which the universal correction does not appear are certain ratios in case of a neutron and muondamped source, which depend mainly on θ 12 and receive only quadratic corrections from the other parameters. We further show that there are only two independent neutrino mixing probabilities, give the allowed ranges of the considered flux ratios and of all probabilities, and show that none of the latter can be zero or one. Finally, we analyze situations in which θ 13 is sizable and θ 23 is close to π/4, and in which θ 13 is close to zero and θ 23 − π/4 is sizable. * email: werner.rodejohann@mpi-hd.mpg.de 1 Note that cosmic rays have already turned out to be very useful for neutrino physics because the zenith angle dependent deficit of muon neutrinos, which are created by cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere, has provided the first compelling evidence for neutrino oscillations.2 θ 23 is universal, i.e., the same for all probabilities. It depends in a characteristic way on the parameters, which we study in detail. The dependence on θ 23 is strongest. Since θ 12 is non-maximal and non-zero, no probability is zero or one, therefore high energy neutrinos are guaranteed to change their flavor. As neutrino flux ratios are functions of the mixing probabilities, they are most of the times given by a zeroth order expression and a first order correction. This allows for a comparably simple analytical understanding of the measurements in terms of their implications on the neutrino mixing parameters. If the zeroth order expression of a flux ratio is independent of θ 12 , then measuring the ratio means measuring the correction ∆ without any uncertainty due to our imprecise knowledge of θ 12 . Hence, the ratio is a good probe for U e3 , θ 23 − π/4 and δ. This happens typically for neutrinos from pion sour...

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“…This may be of relevance to experiments employing similarly large PMTs in various Cherenkov detectors, like Amanda, IceCube, and IceTop [25,26,27], Kamiokande [28], NESTOR, NEMO, and Antares [29,30,31], Mini-BooNE [32], Xenon [33], Baikal and Tunka [34], and northern Auger Observatory [35], just to name a few.…”

Section: Relevance To Other Astrophysics Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of large photomultipliers for experiments in astroparticle physics

Veberič

2010

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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We have developed an accurate simulation model of the large 9 inch photomultiplier tubes (PMT) used in water-Cherenkov detectors of cosmic-ray induced extensive air-showers. This work was carried out as part of the development of the Off line simulation software for the Pierre Auger Observatory surface array, but our findings may be relevant also for other astrophysics experiments that employ similar large PMTs.The implementation is realistic in terms of geometrical dimensions, optical processes at various surfaces, thinfilm treatment of the photocathode, and photon reflections on the inner structure of the PMT. With the quantum efficiency obtained for this advanced model we have calibrated a much simpler and a more rudimentary model of the PMT which is more practical for massive simulation productions. We show that the quantum efficiency declared by manufactures of the PMTs is usually determined under conditions substantially different from those relevant for the particular experiment and thus requires careful (re)interpretation when applied to the experimental data or when used in simulations. In principle, the effective quantum efficiency could vary depending on the optical characteristics of individual events.

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NEMO: Status of the Project

Cited by 16 publications

References 4 publications

Astroparticle physics with high energy neutrinos: from AMANDA to IceCube

Astroparticle physics with high energy neutrinos: from AMANDA to IceCube

Neutrino mixing and neutrino telescopes

Simulation of large photomultipliers for experiments in astroparticle physics

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