Toward Detection of UHE neutrinos with the Radar Echo Telescope
Dr. Steven Prohira
CCAPP Fellow, OSU President's Postdoctoral Scholar
The Ohio State University
Detecting ultra-high-energy (UHE) neutrinos is key to understanding the most energetic processes in the universe: the astrophysical sources of UHE cosmic rays which have been detected at earth with energies exceeding 1 Joule per nucleon. As UHE cosmic messengers, neutrinos are unparalleled for their ability to travel from source to Earth unimpeded, therefore pointing back to their origins. Unfortunately, however, they are very difficult to detect, owing to their low flux and small interaction cross section. In this talk I will discuss a novel, forthcoming experimental effort: the Radar Echo Telescope, which uses well-established radar technology to detect the cascade produced by these elusive neutrinos as they interact in polar ice. I'll discuss the theory and storied history of the radar echo method, recent laboratory work that validated the method, our current experimental efforts in service of UHE neutrino detection with radar, and future prospects.
Hosted by Prof. Mathews
email physics@nd.edu for zoom link