Collaborative Research: Askaryan Radio Array Ultra-high Energy Neutrino Detector

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At high energies ( 10 PeV), neutrinos can be most efficiently detected in dense, radio frequency (RF) transparent media via the Askaryan effect. The abundant cold ice covering the geographic South Pole, with its exceptional RF clarity, has been host to several pioneering efforts to develop this approach. Within the last years, a two-phased experiment ? the Askaryan Radio Array (ARA), designed to ultimately accumulate hundreds of high-energy GZK neutrinos - has been initiated at the South Pole Station, combining the drilling and logistics experience of the IceCube project, as well as the in-situ RF experience of the RICE experiment and the sub-nanosecond-scale data acquisition of the long-duration balloon project ANITA. The goal of ARA's Phase 1 (2010?2013) was to make deployment of a few testbed-type stations that used equipment designed and built under the NSF-funded MRI award. The next phase is to continue observations with these testbed stations to accumulate knowledge about RF properties of the upper layers of the ice sheet at South Pole and develop reliable hardware and software for deployable in-ice stations in the future. Recently-deployed three testbed stations are currently operational collecting data. Although the deployment of three testbed stations was generally successful, a number of problems were found in the full, 37-stations array deployment plans. This award is to provide bridge funds to keep the deployed testbed stations operational for another 12 months, while the project team reworks their proposal devising a staged approach for the full array deployment.