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arXiv · 2511.10944

EUSO-SPB2 Cherenkov Telescope: Overview and First Neutrino Constraints

Tobias Heibges·Diksha Garg·Claire Guépin·Julia Burton-Heibges·John F. Krizmanic·Mary Hall Reno·Tonia M. Venters·Lawrence Wiencke
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Abstract

Earth-skimming tau neutrinos with energies above $\sim 10$ PeV can convert to tau leptons that decay in the atmosphere and initiate upward-going extensive air showers that generate optical Cherenkov signals. On a curtailed NASA balloon flight in May 2023, the Cherenkov telescope (CT) on the Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2) was launched and had a short flight at $\sim 30$ km altitude. With some time pointing below the Earth's limb, EUSO-SPB2 CT data allow searches for neutrino events that yield optical flashes from the forward-beamed Cherenkov light. We present an overview of the CT and provide upper limits for the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux from flight data as a proof-of-principle demonstration. We also briefly describe how the methodology is extended to potential transient neutrino point sources.

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Tobias Heibges, Diksha Garg, Claire Guépin, Julia Burton-Heibges, John F. Krizmanic, Mary Hall Reno, Tonia M. Venters, Lawrence Wiencke. 2025-11-14. EUSO-SPB2 Cherenkov Telescope: Overview and First Neutrino Constraints. https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.1155

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