Reconstruction of Atmospheric Neutrinos in Antares

TL;DR

This paper discusses the methods used by the Antares neutrino telescope to accurately reconstruct atmospheric neutrino events and distinguish them from backgrounds, highlighting recent results in atmospheric neutrino measurement.

Contribution

It introduces novel reconstruction techniques for neutrino detection in deep-sea environments and reports the first identification of neutrino events by Antares.

Findings

Successful identification of neutrino events

Development of muon reconstruction methods

Measurement of atmospheric neutrino flux

Abstract

In May 2008, the Antares neutrino telescope was completed at 2.5 km depth in the Mediterranean Sea; data taking has been going on since. A prerequisite for neutrino astronomy is an accurate reconstruction of the neutrino events, as well as a detailed understanding of the atmospheric muon and neutrino backgrounds. Several methods have been developed to confront the challenges of muon reconstruction in the sea water environment, which are posed by e.g. backgrounds due to radioactivity and bioluminescence. I will discuss the techniques that allowed Antares to confidently identify its first neutrino events, as well as recent results on the measurement of atmospheric neutrinos.