Cascade-based Search for Tau Neutrinos in IceCube Data

IceCube 数据中基于级联的 Tau 中微子搜索

• 批准号: 1205600
• 负责人: Dawn Williams
• 金额: $ 18.4万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-01 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1205600&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Cascade; based; Search; Tau; Neutrinos

The recently completed IceCube neutrino observatory, located near the geographic South Pole, is collecting physics data in the largest instrumented volume of any neutrino detector. The complete IceCube detector instruments a full cubic kilometer of ice, including a densely spaced "DeepCore" component at the center of the detector. IceCube has the greatest sensitivity of any detector to astrophysical neutrinos at TeV - PeV energies. DeepCore extends IceCube's range to energies near 10 GeV where IceCube's large sample of atmospheric neutrinos is complementary to existing long baseline accelerator neutrino experiments. The next three years will see the exploitation of the full dataset of IceCube, with rich possibilities for neutrino physics and astrophysics.This award continues support for the IceCube analysis group at the University of Alabama (UA) to explore cascade-based neutrino searches in the tau neutrino channel. At high energies, the tau channel is free of atmospheric neutrino background, making tau neutrino detection a "smoking gun" for an astrophysical source. The UA group will focus on combining the superior energy resolution of cascades with the unique waveforms and improved direction resolution of tau neutrinos. DeepCore will enhance the search for astrophysical tau neutrinos at energies down to 100 TeV where fluxes are expected to be higher and neutrinos can be observed from both hemispheres of the sky. At low energies around 25 GeV, where the tau neutrino appearance probability from atmospheric neutrino oscillation is maximal, the UA group will improve the directional and energy resolution of cascade reconstruction algorithms in order to search for the appearance of tau neutrino cascades in DeepCore.Broader Impact: The University of Alabama is located in the diverse community of Tuscaloosa, and the university has a strong commitment to undergraduate and interdisciplinary research. The PI has developed an activity for high school students based on diffusion cloud chambers and has presented this activity to local physics and chemistry high school teachers through the UA Science in Motion Program. The PIs will continue to work with ASIM to bring high energy physics activities to the high school classroom. The UA Department of Physics and Astronomy has a strong public outreach program, and the PIs will continue public outreach activities at the UA campuses in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.

最近完成的Icecube中微子天文台位于地理南极附近，正在收集任何中微子检测器的最大仪器体积中的物理数据。完整的IceCube检测器仪器一定的立方公里冰，包括探测器中心的密集间隔的“深核”组件。 ICECUBE对TEV -PEV能量的任何检测器对天体中微子的敏感性最高。 DeepCore将IceCube的范围扩展到了10 GEV附近的能量，在10 GEV附近，Icecube大气中微子样本与现有的长基线加速器中微子实验相辅相成。接下来的三年将剥削ICECUBE的完整数据集，具有丰富的中微子物理和天体物理学的可能性。该奖项继续支持阿拉巴马大学（UA）ICECUBE分析小组（UA）探索基于CASCADE的中微子搜索Tau Neutrino渠道的中微子搜索。在高能的情况下，tau通道没有大气中微子的背景，使tau中微子检测成为天体物理来源的“吸烟枪”。 UA组将集中于将级联反应与独特的波形和改进的tau中微子分辨率相结合。 DeepCore将在能量降低到100 TEV的天体物理物理Tau中微子的搜索中，预计通量会更高，并且可以从天空的两个半球中观察到中微子。 At low energies around 25 GeV, where the tau neutrino appearance probability from atmospheric neutrino oscillation is maximal, the UA group will improve the directional and energy resolution of cascade reconstruction algorithms in order to search for the appearance of tau neutrino cascades in DeepCore.Broader Impact: The University of Alabama is located in the diverse community of Tuscaloosa, and the university has a strong commitment to本科和跨学科研究。 PI根据扩散云室为高中生开发了一项活动，并通过UA Science In Motion计划向当地的物理和化学高中教师介绍了这项活动。 PI将继续与ASIM合作，将高能量物理活动带到高中教室。 UA物理与天文学系有一个强大的公共外展计划，PIS将继续在Tuscaloosa和Birmingham的UA校园继续进行公共宣传活动。