Speaker
Dr
Jan Auffenberg
(University of Wisconsin Madison)
Description
IceCube, the world’s largest high-energy neutrino observatory, built at the South Pole,
recently reported evidence of an astrophysical neutrino flux extending to PeV energies
in the Southern Hemisphere. This observation raises the question of how the
sensitivity in this energy range could be further increased. In the downgoing sector, in
IceCube’s case the Southern Hemisphere, backgrounds from cosmic ray muons and
neutrinos pose a challenge to the identification of an astrophysical neutrino flux. The
IceCube analysis, which led to the evidence for astrophysical neutrinos, is based on an
in-ice veto strategy for background rejection. One possibility available to IceCube is
the concept of an extended surface detector, IceVeto, which could allow the rejection
of a large fraction of atmospheric backgrounds, primarily for muons from air showers
as well as from neutrinos in the same air showers. Building on the experience of
IceTop/IceCube, possibly the most cost-effective and detection-efficient way to build
IceVeto is as an extension of the IceTop detector, with simple photomultiplier based
detector modules for CR air shower detection. Initial simulations and estimates
indicate that such a veto detector will significantly increase the sensitivity to an
astrophysical flux of nu_mu induced muon tracks in the Southern Hemisphere
compared to current analyses. Here we present the motivation and capabilities based
on initial simulations. Conceptual ideas for simplified surface detectors will be discussed
briefly.
Author
Dr
Jan Auffenberg
(University of Wisconsin Madison)
