C. Naumann

Towards Acoustic Detection of UHE Neutrinos in the Mediterranean Sea - The AMADEUS Project in ANTARES1

The acoustic detection method is a promising option for future neutrino telescopes operating in the ultra-high energy regime. It utilises the effect that a cascade evolving from a neutrino interaction generates a sound wave, and is applicable in different target materials like water, ice and salt. Described here are the developments in and the plans for the research on acoustic particle detection in water performed by the ANTARES group at the University of Erlangen within the framework of the ANTARES experiment in the Mediterranean Sea. A set of acoustic sensors will be integrated into this optical neutrino telescope to test acoustic particle detection methods and perform background studies.

Integration of Acoustic Neutrino Detection Methods into ANTARES

The ANTARES Neutrino Telescope [1] is a water Cherenkov detector currently under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. It is also designed to serve as a platform for investigations of the deep-sea environment. In this context, the ANTARES group at the University of Erlangen will integrate acoustic sensors within the infrastructure of the experiment. With this dedicated setup, tests of acoustic particle detection methods and deep-sea acoustic background studies shall be performed. The aim of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of a future acoustic neutrino telescope in the deep sea operating in the ultra-high energy regime. In these proceedings, the implementation of the project is described in the context of the premises and challenges set by the physics of acoustic particle detection and the integration into an existing infrastructure.

Understanding Piezo Based Sensors for Acoustic Neutrino Detection

The ANTARES collaboration is currently installing a neutrino telescope off the French Mediterranean coast to measure diffuse fluxes and point sources of high energy cosmic neutrinos. The complete detector will consist of 900 photomultipliers on 12 detector lines, using 0.01km3 of sea water as target material[1]. As part of the ANTARES deep-sea research infrastructure, the Erlangen group is planning to modify several ANTARES storeys by fitting them with acoustic receivers to study the feasibility of acoustic neutrino detection in the deep sea. In this paper, studies of the electromechanical properties of piezoelectric sensors are presented, based on an equivalent circuit diagram for the coupled mechanical and electrical oscillations of a piezoelectric element. A method for obtaining the system parameters as well as derivations of sensor properties like pressure sensitivity and intrinsic noise are treated and results compared to measurements. Finally, a possible application of these results for simulating system response and optimising reconstruction algorithms is discussed.

Measurements and simulation studies of piezoceramics for acoustic particle detection

Calibration sources are an indispensable tool for all detectors. In acoustic particle detection the goal of a calibration source is to mimic neutrino signatures as expected from hadronic cascades. A simple and promising method for the emulation of neutrino signals are piezo ceramics. We will present an detailed microscopic and macroscopic understanding of these piezo ceramics.

Towards an optimized design for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a future instrument for very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy that is expected to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over existing instruments. In order to meet the physics goals of CTA in a cost-effective way, Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope array are used in its design. Specifically, we simulate large arrays comprising numerous large-size, medium-size and small-size telescopes whose configuration parameters are chosen based on current technical design studies and understanding of the costs involved. Subset candidate arrays with various layout configurations are then selected and evaluated in terms of key performance parameters, such as the sensitivity. This is carried out using a number of data analysis methods, some of which were developed within the field and extended to CTA, while others were developed specifically for this purpose. We outline some key results from recent studies that illustrate our approach to the optimization of the CTA design.