Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics with IceCube at Stony Brook University

石溪大学 IceCube 的中微子物理和天体物理

• 批准号: 1205796
• 负责人: Joanna Kiryluk
• 金额: $ 51.61万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1205796&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Neutrino; Physics; Astrophysics; IceCube; Stony

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO) is a one cubic kilometer neutrino telescope at the South Pole with unique capabilities to observe high-energy phenomena in the Universe. Its primary goal is to discover cosmic neutrinos from Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma Ray Bursts, or other astrophysical sources. The IceCube design makes it possible to discover extra-terrestrial point sources of muon-neutrino flux as well as a diffuse flux of electron, muon, and tau neutrinos that may originate from multiple sources.This award will provide support for this group to analyze data obtained with the recently completed ICNO. They plan to measure the spectrum of yet unobserved high energy (~ TeV neutrino energies) atmospheric neutrino-induced cascades and to make sensitive searches for the diffuse flux of neutrino-induced muons. The combination of these search channels is anticipated to enhance the discovery potential of all-flavor diffuse neutrino flux searches. Once a signal is observed, the information about the neutrino flavor composition at Earth can be used to study the initial flavor composition of these fluxes at their source. The group will also study directional cascade reconstruction to search for up- and down-going neutrino-induced high energy cascades. This serves both astrophysical purposes and also the PI's longer-term interest to gain sensitivity to the high-energy neutrino-nucleon scattering cross section. The broader impacts of this award involve Stony Brook University's educational and outreach programs. The PI will take part in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program, which is designed to increase the number of women in science, math, and engineering. This will consist of a WISE introductory research course unit on cosmic ray research and detection, and in facilitating related research opportunities for undergraduate WISE students. The group will also participate in outreach activities for local high school teachers and students through K-12 and Summer programs organized by the Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME) and in activities aimed at the general public, such as the Stony Brook Astronomy Open Nights.

冰立方中微子天文台(ICNO)是一台位于南极的1立方公里中微子望远镜，具有观察宇宙高能现象的独特能力。它的主要目标是从活动星系核、伽马射线暴或其他天体物理来源发现宇宙中微子。IceCube的设计使我们有可能发现Muon-中微子通量的地外点源，以及可能来自多个来源的电子、Muon和tau中微子的扩散通量。该奖项将为该小组分析最近完成的ICNO获得的数据提供支持。他们计划测量尚未观测到的高能(~TeV中微子能量)大气中微子诱导的级联的光谱，并敏感地搜索中微子诱导的µ子扩散通量。这些搜索通道的组合有望增强全味漫射中微子通量搜索的发现潜力。一旦观测到信号，有关地球上中微子气味成分的信息就可以用来研究这些通量在源头上的初始气味成分。该小组还将研究定向级联重建，以寻找上行和下行的中微子诱导的高能级联。这既服务于天体物理目的，也服务于PI获得对高能中微子-核子散射截面的敏感性的长期兴趣。该奖项的更广泛影响涉及石溪大学的教育和外展项目。PI将参加女性科学与工程(WISE)计划，该计划旨在增加科学、数学和工程领域的女性人数。这将包括一个关于宇宙射线研究和探测的WISE入门研究课程单元，并为本科生提供相关的研究机会。该小组还将通过科学和数学教育中心(CESAME)组织的K-12和暑期计划，以及针对普通公众的活动，如石溪天文开放夜，参加针对当地高中教师和学生的外联活动。