ARIANNA: A radio detector array for cosmic neutrinos on the Ross Ice Shelf

TL;DR

ARIANNA is a proposed large-scale radio detector array on the Ross Ice Shelf designed to detect ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos, aiming to uncover their origins and observe GZK neutrino signals within a year.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design and expected performance of ARIANNA, a novel large-scale radio array for detecting ultra-high energy neutrinos in Antarctica.

Findings

Projected detection of 3 to 51 GZK neutrino events in one year

Detection capability based on radio Cherenkov emission from neutrino interactions

Array design utilizing 900 stations with 8 antennas each

Abstract

ARIANNA (The Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf Antenna Neutrino Array) is a proposed 100 km^3 detector for ultra-high energy (above 10^17 eV) astrophysical neutrinos. It will study the origins of ultra-high energy cosmic rays by searching for the neutrinos produced when these cosmic rays interact with the cosmic microwave background. Over 900 independently operating stations will detect the coherent radio Cherenkov emission produced when astrophysical neutrinos with energy above 10^17 eV interact in the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf. Each station will use 8 log periodic dipole antennas to look for short RF pulses, with the most important frequencies between 80 MHz and 1 GHz. By measuring the pulse polarization and frequency spectrum, the neutrino arrival direction can be determined. In one year of operation, the full array should observe a clear GZK neutrino signal, with different models predicting between 3 and 51 events, depending on the nuclear composition of the cosmic-rays and on the cosmic evolution of their sources.