Acoustic Transmitters for Underwater Neutrino Telescopes

TL;DR

This paper presents the development of specialized acoustic transmitters for underwater neutrino telescopes, including a versatile transceiver for positioning and a calibration array mimicking neutrino signals, with potential applications in marine acoustics.

Contribution

It introduces novel acoustic transmitters tailored for neutrino telescope needs, combining low cost, high pressure resistance, and signal processing capabilities, along with a calibration array using parametric sources.

Findings

Transceiver meets requirements of low cost, low power, high pressure resistance, and versatile signal emission.

Calibration array successfully mimics ultra-high-energy neutrino signatures.

Prototype tests demonstrate practical usability and potential for other marine applications.

Abstract

In this paper acoustic transmitters that were developed for use in underwater neutrino telescopes are presented. Firstly, an acoustic transceiver has been developed as part of the acoustic positioning system of neutrino telescopes. These infrastructures are not completely rigid and require a positioning system in order to monitor the position of the optical sensors which move due to sea currents. To guarantee a reliable and versatile system, the transceiver has the requirements of reduced cost, low power consumption, high pressure withstanding (up to 500 bars), high intensity for emission, low intrinsic noise, arbitrary signals for emission and the capacity of acquiring and processing received signals. Secondly, a compact acoustic transmitter array has been developed for the calibration of acoustic neutrino detection systems. The array is able to mimic the signature of ultra-high-energy neutrino interaction in emission directivity and signal shape. The technique of parametric acoustic sources has been used to achieve the proposed aim. The developed compact array has practical features such as easy manageability and operation. The prototype designs and the results of different tests are described. The techniques applied for these two acoustic systems are so powerful and versatile that may be of interest in other marine applications using acoustic transmitters.