Speaker
Dr
Robert Lahmann
(Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics)
Description
KM3NeT is a future deep-sea research infrastructure in the
Mediterranean Sea that will hold a multi-cubic-kilometer neutrino
telescope. Located in the Northern Hemisphere, KM3NeT will be able to
observe point-like sources of cosmic neutrinos in a region of the sky
that includes the Galactic Center.
KM3NeT will employ a number of innovative technologies that are the
main subject of the presentation. It is currently planned to install
optical modules of 17 inch diameter that will contain 31
photomultiplier tubes each. Triggered data will be digitized
off-shore. These "digital optical modules" will be installed on
horizontal bar structures of several meters of length. Several of
these structures will be stacked to form a vertical tower,
interconnected by tethers at distances of several tens of meters.
To reconstruct the Cherenkov cones of charged particles produced in
neutrino interactions, a time synchronization on a sub-nanosecond
level is required. To calibrate the complete timing in situ, LED
beacons, integrated into the optical modules, will be used. The
devices are currently tested within the ANTARES neutrino telescope. To
calibrate the position of the optical modules on the towers, which are
free to sway with the sea currents, a system of acoustic transceivers
at fixed positions on the sea floor and receivers along the towers
will be used. The data will be sent continuously to shore, where the
algorithms for position calibration will be applied. Sending all data
to shore will allow both for flexibility in applying the position
calibration algorithms and for using the data for further analyses,
such as for marine science investigations or acoustic neutrino
detection.
Author
Dr
Robert Lahmann
(Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics)
