Speaker
Dr
Carla Distefano
(LNS, Catania)
Description
ANTARES (Astronomy with a Neutrino Telescope and Abyss environmental RESearch)
is the largest underwater neutrino detector currently operating in the Northern hemisphere. It consists of 885 PMTs, which are distributed in 12 vertical lines, various calibration systems and devices for environmental measurements. The telescope, installed at a depth of about 2500 meters in the Mediterranean Sea near Toulon (France), was completed in May of 2008. The PMTs detect the Cherenkov light emitted by high-energy neutrino induced muons. A likelihood-based algorithm is then used to reconstruct the muon tracks, allowing the knowledge of the neutrino direction. The main goal of the experiment is the search for high-energy neutrinos from the astrophysical sources where cosmic ray acceleration takes place. The design and status of the ANTARES detector will be presented. The latest results will be discussed, including searches for a diffuse high-energy cosmic neutrino flux, neutrinos from Gamma Ray Bursts, and for (galactic) point-like sources.
Author
Dr
Carla Distefano
(LNS, Catania)
