Measurement of the atmospheric muon flux with the NEMO Phase-1 detector

TL;DR

This paper reports on the measurement of atmospheric muon flux using the NEMO Phase-1 underwater detector, validating detection and reconstruction capabilities for future neutrino telescopes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the successful deployment and operation of a prototype underwater detector for muon tracking and system calibration, informing the development of km3 neutrino telescopes.

Findings

Measured the angular distribution of atmospheric muons.

Validated the detector's ability to reconstruct muon tracks.

Compared results with Monte Carlo simulations.

Abstract

The NEMO Collaboration installed and operated an underwater detector including prototypes of the critical elements of a possible underwater km3 neutrino telescope: a four-floor tower (called Mini-Tower) and a Junction Box. The detector was developed to test some of the main systems of the km3 detector, including the data transmission, the power distribution, the timing calibration and the acoustic positioning systems as well as to verify the capabilities of a single tridimensional detection structure to reconstruct muon tracks. We present results of the analysis of the data collected with the NEMO Mini-Tower. The position of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) is determined through the acoustic position system. Signals detected with PMTs are used to reconstruct the tracks of atmospheric muons. The angular distribution of atmospheric muons was measured and results compared with Monte Carlo simulations.