Earth-skimming Ultra-high Energy Tau Neutrinos simulated with MonteCarlo method and CONEX code

TL;DR

This study uses Monte Carlo and CORSIKA simulations to evaluate the feasibility of detecting Earth-skimming ultra-high energy tau neutrinos in mountain-valley sites, aiming to optimize detector placement and site selection.

Contribution

It introduces a combined Monte Carlo and CORSIKA simulation approach to determine optimal site dimensions and detector placement for tau neutrino detection.

Findings

Optimal mountain dimensions identified for neutrino detection

Valley width and detector placement recommendations provided

Feasibility of detecting ultra-high energy tau neutrinos demonstrated

Abstract

This paper aims to study the feasibility of building an Earth-skimming cosmic tau neutrinos detector, with the aim of eventually identifying the ideal dimensions of a natural site (mountainvalley) for the detection, with the energy range to be determined (evidently, the highest possible numbers range from 1015 eV to 1020 eV), and possibly locate one such site in Algeria. First, a Monte Carlo simulation of the neutrino-[mountain]matter interaction as well as the resulting decay of the tau lepton is conducted to determine the optimal dimensions of the mountain as well as the location of the tau decay in the valley. Second, a CORSIKA (COsmic Ray Simulation for KAscade) [1] simulation with the CONEX option is conducted to track the evolution of the almost horizontal air shower born from the tau lepton. Among the particles produced in the shower are: electrons, muons, gammas, pions, etc). The study of the spatial distribution of these particles enables the discovery of the optimal width of the valley, and consequently, the distance at which to lay the detection network.