Speaker
Mr
Martin Rongen
(RWTH Aachen)
Description
A goal for next-generation neutrino telescopes is the search for cosmogenic neutrinos in the extremely high energy region as expected from the GZK effect. Event rates are lower than one event/km^3/year and therefore a detector volume more than one order of magnitude larger than IceCube is desirable. A possible approach to achieve such an increase in a cost-effective way is the acoustic detection of neutrinos, based on the principle of thermoacoustic signal generation by neutrino-induced hadronic cascades. The Aachen Acoustic Laboratory provides the means to investigate the thermoacoustic effect in a controlled environment. It consists of a cooling container in which a large volume of bubble-free clear ice(~3m^3) can be produced. Thermoacoustic signals are generated by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with an energy of up to 50mJ/pulse. The acoustic signals are recorded by an array of 19 piezo-based sensors embedded in the ice. The setup has recently been upgraded with a new light injection system and to allow for minimum temperatures of -50°C. This talk presents the status of the investigations.
Primary author
Mr
Martin Rongen
(RWTH Aachen)
Co-authors
Prof.
Christopher Wiebusch
(RWTH Aachen)
Mr
Dirk Heinen
(RWTH Aachen)
Ms
Larissa Paul
(RWTH Aachen)
Mr
Simon Zierke
(RWTH Aachen)