Direction reconstruction for the in-ice radio array of IceCube-Gen2

TL;DR

This paper presents a direction reconstruction algorithm for the deep in-ice radio detectors of IceCube-Gen2, analyzing its performance and optimizing station configuration for improved angular resolution in ultra-high-energy neutrino detection.

Contribution

It adapts and evaluates a reconstruction algorithm from RNO-G for IceCube-Gen2, providing insights into its performance and station optimization.

Findings

Achieved angular resolution with asymmetric characteristics.

Identified key factors affecting reconstruction accuracy.

Optimized station configuration for better directional detection.

Abstract

The IceCube-Gen2 facility will extend the energy range of IceCube to ultra-high energies. The key component to detect neutrinos with energies above 10 PeV is a large array of in-ice radio detectors. In previous work, direction reconstruction algorithms using the forward-folding technique have been developed for both shallow ($\lesssim 20$ m) and deep in-ice detectors, and have also been successfully used to reconstruct cosmic rays with ARIANNA. Here, we focus on the reconstruction algorithm for the deep in-ice detector, which was recently introduced in the context of the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G). We discuss the performance-critical aspects of the algorithm, as well as recent and future improvements, and apply it to study the performance of a station of the IceCube-Gen2 in-ice radio array. We obtain the angular resolution, which turns out to be strongly asymmetric, and use this to optimize the configuration of a single station.