ANTARES ANTARES

aims, status and prospectsaims, status and prospects

Susan Cartwright

University of Sheffield

OutlineOutline

Principles of neutrino telescopesPrinciples of neutrino telescopes The ANTARES DetectorThe ANTARES Detector Results from current deploymentResults from current deployment Expected physics performanceExpected physics performance ConclusionsConclusions

Neutrino telescopesNeutrino telescopes

Basic principleBasic principle instrument natural body of water instrument natural body of water

(ocean, ice cap) to act as water (ocean, ice cap) to act as water Cherenkov experimentCherenkov experiment

sensitive to sensitive to high energyhigh energy muonmuon neutrinosneutrinos

• sparsely instrumented, so need long tracksparsely instrumented, so need long track

highly directionalhighly directional• for high energy neutrinos, muon direction for high energy neutrinos, muon direction

= neutrino direction= neutrino direction

Aims and problems Aims and problems (general)(general) Aim: detect high energy neutrinos from Aim: detect high energy neutrinos from

astrophysical sourcesastrophysical sources ““beam dump” sources (proton accelerators)beam dump” sources (proton accelerators) particle sources (particle sources (χχχχ annihilation, decays of annihilation, decays of

heavy exotics)heavy exotics) Problems:Problems:

cosmic ray muon backgroundcosmic ray muon background• go deep, look downgo deep, look down

atmospheric neutrino backgroundatmospheric neutrino background light transmission/backgrounds in natural light transmission/backgrounds in natural

waterwater

ANTARESANTARES

Located off southern Located off southern France in 2.4 km deep France in 2.4 km deep waterwater

Extensive site Extensive site evaluation programme, evaluation programme, 1996–20021996–2002 water qualitywater quality rates and backgroundsrates and backgrounds site surveysite survey

Infrastructure and Infrastructure and prototype deployment, prototype deployment, 2001–20052001–2005

Fully deployed by 2007Fully deployed by 2007

ANTARES deploymentANTARES deployment

laying the cable

Junction Box deployment

sector line tests

sector line deployment

submarine connection

Underwater Underwater now…now… Made in

Sheffield!

Data from MILOMData from MILOM

EnvironmentEnvironment

backgrounds:• 40K content of seawater• continuous bioluminescence• bioluminescence bursts

Data from MILOMData from MILOM

PerformancePerformance

single photo-electron peak

Sky coverage of Sky coverage of ANTARESANTARES

located in mid-northern latitudes, so

see southern sky

complementary to AMANDA/

IceCube at South Pole

Expected physics Expected physics performanceperformance

Expected physics Expected physics performanceperformance

point source searches

Expected physics Expected physics performanceperformance Angular Angular

resolution resolution dominated by dominated by intrinsic intrinsic μ−νμ−ν for for E < 10 TeV, E < 10 TeV, ~0.2~0.2° for high E° for high E

Critical for Critical for identifying any identifying any observed point observed point sourcesource

Possible sourcesPossible sources

Same candidates as UHE cosmic-Same candidates as UHE cosmic-ray sourcesray sources blazarsblazars

• subspecies of active galactic nucleisubspecies of active galactic nuclei

gamma-ray burstsgamma-ray bursts young supernova remnantsyoung supernova remnants microquasars microquasars

• accreting binary systems producing accreting binary systems producing relativistic jet outflowsrelativistic jet outflows

Effect of neutrino mass Effect of neutrino mass

Direct mass effectsDirect mass effects none worth mentioning!none worth mentioning!

Oscillation effectsOscillation effects ““beam dump” sources produce muon beam dump” sources produce muon

neutrinos through pion decayneutrinos through pion decay these will oscillate to tau neutrinosthese will oscillate to tau neutrinos

• this reduces efficiencythis reduces efficiency• tau neutrinos can be tagged through tau neutrinos can be tagged through

“double bang” effects, but ANTARES is “double bang” effects, but ANTARES is too small (can be done in IceCube)too small (can be done in IceCube)

note high energy threshold → no supernova or solar neutrinos

Dark matter via Dark matter via neutrinosneutrinos WIMPs travel at around 200 km/sWIMPs travel at around 200 km/s

scattering in Sun or Earth may slow them scattering in Sun or Earth may slow them enough for gravitational captureenough for gravitational capture

accumulate in coreaccumulate in core annihilation produces annihilation produces

neutrino signal vianeutrino signal viaχχχχ→→ZZ, tt, bb, etc.ZZ, tt, bb, etc.

• in decreasing order ofin decreasing order ofANTARES’ sensitivity!ANTARES’ sensitivity!

flavour democratic,flavour democratic,oscillation not importantoscillation not important

Dark matter search in Dark matter search in mSUGRA modelsmSUGRA models Sun is best Sun is best

“standard” “standard” sourcesource up to several up to several

thousand muons thousand muons per kmper km22 per year per year

mainly WW mainly WW and ZZand ZZ

mainly ttmainly tt

SuSpect + DarkSUSY, Nezri et al

ConclusionsConclusions

AMANDA/IceCube has proven feasibility AMANDA/IceCube has proven feasibility of high-energy neutrino astrophysicsof high-energy neutrino astrophysics

ANTARES will provide complementary ANTARES will provide complementary sky coveragesky coverage string deployment 2006/7string deployment 2006/7 EU FP6 Design Study programme for scale-EU FP6 Design Study programme for scale-

up to cubic kilometre (KM3NET)up to cubic kilometre (KM3NET) solar neutrinos turned out to be a way solar neutrinos turned out to be a way

of studying neutrinos using astrophysicsof studying neutrinos using astrophysics high energy neutrinos will be a way to high energy neutrinos will be a way to

study astrophysics with neutrinosstudy astrophysics with neutrinos