Collaborative Research: WoU-MMA: Askaryan Radio Array: The World's Forefront Neutrino Astrophysics Program from 100 PeV

合作研究：WoU-MMA：阿斯卡扬射电阵列：世界最前沿的 100 PeV 中微子天体物理项目

• 批准号: 2012951
• 负责人: Dave Besson
• 金额: $ 21.48万
• 依托单位: University of Kansas Center for Research Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2012951&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; WoU; MMA; Askaryan

This award will push the frontier of ultra-high-energy (UHE) neutrino astrophysics above 100 peta-electron-volts (PeV) with the Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) testbed at the South Pole Station, whose dataset is now large enough to enable either a discovery of the highest energy neutrinos ever detected or setting the world’s best constraints in this crucial energy regime. The study will continue operation of this testbed experiment, doubling the size of the dataset in the next three years, streamline neutrino searches in the growing ARA dataset, calibrate simulations of neutrino detectors using newly-detected cosmic ray air showers, and test next-generation data acquisition electronics in the South Pole environment. ARA serves as a platform for recruitment of young scientists into STEM fields, and the development of junior scientists to work on the next generation of UHE neutrino detectors. This group engages secondary-school, undergraduate and graduate students in innovative neutrino research, and will develop a new module for the Masterclass for high school students on big data strategies to search for rare events in large datasets, using data from ARA and from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.The radio technique used by ARA allows astrophysics to extend to these UHE neutrinos. ARA is laying the groundwork for the radio component of the next generation of neutrino observatories. A neutrino observation from ARA will constrain the properties of any global population of sources of the highest energy cosmic rays, complementing cosmic ray experiments that sample only local sources at the highest energies. Any event detected would be the highest energy neutrino ever observed, cosmic or terrestrial, and be the first-ever detection of a neutrino via radio frequency emission. This would be a major event in the pursuit of UHE neutrinos, and would provide crucial information for the technical design of future facilities. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项将推动超高能（UHE）中微子天体物理学的前沿超过100 peta-electron-volts（PeV）与南极站的Askaryan Radio Array（ARA）测试平台，其数据集现在足够大，可以发现有史以来检测到的最高能量中微子或在这个关键的能量领域设置世界上最好的约束。 该研究将继续运行该试验台实验，在未来三年内将数据集的大小增加一倍，简化不断增长的ARA数据集中的中微子搜索，使用新探测到的宇宙射线空气簇射校准中微子探测器的模拟，并在南极环境中测试下一代数据采集电子设备。 ARA是一个招募年轻科学家进入STEM领域的平台，也是年轻科学家开发下一代UHE中微子探测器的平台。 该小组让中学生、本科生和研究生参与创新中微子研究，并将为高中生的大数据策略大师班开发一个新模块，利用ARA和IceCube中微子天文台的数据在大型数据集中搜索罕见事件。ARA使用的无线电技术使天体物理学能够扩展到UHE中微子。 ARA正在为下一代中微子天文台的无线电部分奠定基础。 来自ARA的中微子观测将限制任何全球最高能量宇宙射线源的特性，补充只对最高能量的本地源进行采样的宇宙射线实验。 探测到的任何事件都将是有史以来观测到的最高能量的中微子，无论是宇宙还是地球，并且是有史以来第一次通过射频发射探测到中微子。 这将是追求UHE中微子的一个重大事件，并将为未来设施的技术设计提供关键信息。 该项目推进了NSF宇宙大创意窗口的目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。