The Search for Neutrino Sources Beyond the Sun

Abstract

The hope is that in the near future neutrino astronomy, born with the identification of thermonuclear fusion in the sun and the particle processes controlling the fate of a nearby supernova, will reach throughout and beyond our Galaxy and make measurements relevant to cosmology, astrophysics, cosmic-ray and particle physics. The construction of a high-energy neutrino telescope requires a huge volume of very transparent, deeply buried material such as ocean water or ice, which acts as the medium for detecting the particles. The AMANDA muon and neutrino telescope, now operating 4 strings of photomultiplier tubes buried in deep ice at the South Pole, is scheduled to be expanded to a 10-string array. The data collected over the first 2 years cover the 3 basic modes in which such instruments are operated: i) the burst mode which monitors the sky for supernovae, ii) the detection of electromagnetic showers initiated by PeV-energy cosmic electron neutrinos, and iii) muon trajectory reconstruction for neutrino and gamma-ray astronomy. We speculate on the possible architectures of kilometer-scale instruments, using early data as a guideline.