ANTARES and Beyond - Fishing for Neutrinos in the Mediterranean with Light & Sound

by Alexander Kappes (Erlangen-Nürnberg University)

Wednesday 24 Sept 2003, 16:30 → 17:30 Europe/Zurich

500/1-001 - Main Auditorium (CERN)

The ANTARES collaboration is currently building a neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean off the coast of Toulon (South-France) in a depth of 2400 m. In the final stage the telescope will consist of 12 strings equipped with 900 photomultipliers that instrument an effective volume of 0.03 km³. The reconstruction of the neutrinos is performed via Cherenkov light emitted by electrons or muons which are generated by the interactions of the neutrinos in water or rock. The objective is the measurement of the diffuse cosmic-neutrino flux, its angular and energy spectrum and the search for point sources as well as the search for signals from WIMPs and other exotic particles.
In the context of the planning for a larger successor telescope the possibility of the neutrino detection by acoustic signals is currently investigated intensively. The interaction of a neutrino in water induces a shower which, according to the thermo-acoustic model, leads to a pressure wave. The advantage of using sound instead of light as the "detection medium" is its approximately 10 times longer range in water potentially allowing to equip a much larger volume with detectors.

Organiser(s): C. Amelung / EP Division

Note: Tea & coffee will be served at 16.00 hrs.
Please note unusual day.

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