Sensitivity of an underwater acoustic array to ultra-high energy neutrinos

Abstract

We investigate the possibility of searching for ultra high energy neutrinos in cosmic rays using acoustic techniques in ocean water. The type of information provided by the acoustic detection is complementary to that of other techniques, and the filtering effect of the atmosphere, imposed by the fact that detection only happens if a shower fully develops in water, would provide a clear neutrino identification. We find that it may be possible to implement this technique with very limited resources using existing high frequency underwater hydrophone arrays. We review the expected acoustic signals produced by neutrino-induced showers in water and develop an optimal filtering algorithm able to suppress statistical noise. The algorithm found is computationally appropriate to be used as a trigger for the signal processors available on existing arrays. We estimate the noise rates for a trigger system on a very large size hydrophone array of the US Navy and find that, while a higher density of hydrophones would be desirable, the existing system may already provide useful data.