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arXiv · 2109.03125

Trinity: An Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope to Search for Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos

Anthony M. Brown·Mahdi Bagheri·Michele Doro·Eliza Gazda·Dave Kieda·Chaoxian Lin·Yasar Onel·Nepomuk Otte·Ignacio Taboada·Andrew Wang
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Abstract

Earth-skimming neutrinos are those which travel through the Earth's crust at a shallow angle. For Ultra-High-Energy (E > 1 PeV; UHE) earth-skimming tau neutrinos, there is a high-probability that the tau lepton created by a neutrino-Earth interaction will emerge from the ground before it decays. When this happens, the decaying tau particle initiates an air shower of relativistic sub-atomic particles which emit Cherenkov radiation. To observe this Cherenkov radiation, we propose the Trinity Observatory. Using a novel optical structure design, pointing at the horizon, Trinity will observe the Cherenkov radiation from upward-going neutrino-induced air showers. Being sensitive to neutrinos in the 1-10,000 PeV energy range, Trinity's expected sensitivity will have a unique role to play filling the gap between the observed astrophysical neutrinos observed by IceCube and the expected sensitivity of radio UHE neutrino detectors.

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Anthony M. Brown, Mahdi Bagheri, Michele Doro, Eliza Gazda, Dave Kieda, Chaoxian Lin, Yasar Onel, Nepomuk Otte, Ignacio Taboada, Andrew Wang. 2021-09-07. Trinity: An Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope to Search for Ultra-High-Energy Neutrinos. https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.03125

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