NUTRIG: novel techniques for pure, efficient and scalable autonomous radio detection of high energy neutrinos and cosmic rays

NUTRIG：用于高能中微子和宇宙射线的纯净、高效和可扩展自主无线电探测的新技术

• 批准号: 490843803
• 负责人: Dr. Tim Huege
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Astroteilchenphysik (IAP)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/490843803?language=en
• 关键词: NUTRIG; novel; techniques; pure; efficient

The origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays - the most energetic particles in the Universe, sometimes exceeding energies of 10^20 eV - is still a mystery, after more than a century of theoretical and experimental research. Detection of cosmic neutrinos beyond energies of 10^17 eV may allow to identify their source. These elusive messengers would be precious tools to study violent phenomena in the Universe, especially if their observation is combined with that of gravitational waves, gamma rays or electromagnetic waves at other wavelengths. One of the most promising and mature experiment proposals so far for the observation of these ultra-high energy neutrinos consists in deploying giant radio arrays covering areas of 100,000 km^2 or beyond, such as proposed by the GRAND project in particular. Such radio arrays would detect the targeted cosmic particles (neutrinos or cosmic rays) thanks to the transient radio emission of particle showers induced by their interaction in the atmosphere. The very affordable radio technique is perfectly adapted to achieve the gigantic detection areas needed to collect the rare particles observed at these extreme energies. Yet, a major unsolved challenge lies in the realization of an autonomous online rejection of background radio transients (associated with a wealth of sources such as power lines, radio communication on Earth, air planes, thunderstorms, etc.) which induce - even in remote, desertic areas such as the one targeted by GRAND - a much higher rate of radio pulses than air showers. We propose with the NUTRIG project to address this specific issue by developing an efficient and pure triggering system, scalable to giant areas, which will allow selecting radio transients associated with cosmic particles through specific signatures which differ from those of background signals. This unique project, developed by our German-French collaboration, will be validated in real conditions using the GP300 experiment, a pathfinder for the GRAND project. The combined expertise of our two teams, experts in the field of cosmic rays and autonomous radio detection of air showers, puts us in a perfect position to address this key issue, and will pave the way for future giant detectors of cosmic particles.

经过世纪的理论和实验研究，超高能宇宙射线--宇宙中能量最高的粒子，有时超过10^20 eV --的起源仍然是一个谜。探测到能量超过10^17 eV的宇宙中微子可能有助于确定它们的来源。这些难以捉摸的信使将是研究宇宙中暴力现象的宝贵工具，特别是如果它们的观测与引力波，伽马射线或其他波长的电磁波相结合。迄今为止，观测这些超高能中微子的最有希望和最成熟的实验方案之一是部署覆盖10万平方公里或更大面积的巨型射电阵列，特别是GRAND项目提出的方案。这种无线电阵列将探测目标宇宙粒子（中微子或宇宙射线），这要归功于它们在大气中相互作用引起的粒子簇射的瞬态无线电发射。非常实惠的无线电技术完全适合实现收集在这些极端能量下观察到的稀有粒子所需的巨大探测区域。然而，一个主要的未解决的挑战在于实现对背景无线电瞬变的自主在线拒绝（与诸如电力线、地球上的无线电通信、飞机、雷暴等的大量源相关联）。即使是在偏远的沙漠地区，比如GRAND的目标地区，也会产生比空气阵雨高得多的无线电脉冲。我们建议NUTRIG项目通过开发一个有效和纯粹的触发系统来解决这个具体问题，该系统可扩展到巨大的区域，这将允许通过与背景信号不同的特定签名来选择与宇宙粒子相关的无线电瞬变。这个独特的项目由我们的德法合作开发，将在真实的条件下使用GP 300实验进行验证，GP 300实验是GRAND项目的探路者。我们两个团队的综合专业知识，宇宙射线和空气簇射自主无线电探测领域的专家，使我们处于解决这一关键问题的完美位置，并将为未来的宇宙粒子巨型探测器铺平道路。