arXiv subjects

Felix Henningsen

Publications and source records attributed to Felix Henningsen.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

STRAW-b (STRings for Absorption length in Water-b): the second pathfinder mission for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment

Since 2018, the potential for a high-energy neutrino telescope, named the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE), has been thoroughly examined by two pathfinder missions, STRAW and STRAW-b, short for short for Strings for Absorption Length in Water. The P-ONE project seeks to install a neutrino detector with a one cubic kilometer volume in the Cascadia Basin's deep marine surroundings, situated near the western shores of Vancouver Island, Canada. To assess the environmental conditions and feasibility of constructing a neutrino detector of that scale, the pathfinder missions, STRAW and STRAW-b, have been deployed at a depth of 2.7 km within the designated site for P-ONE and were connected to the NEPTUNE observatory, operated by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). While STRAW focused on analyzing the optical properties of water in the Cascadia Basin, \ac{strawb} employed cameras and spectrometers to investigate the characteristics of bioluminescence in the deep-sea environment. This report introduces the STRAW-b concept, covering its scientific objectives and the instrumentation used. Furthermore, it discusses the design considerations implemented to guarantee a secure and dependable deployment process of STRAW-b. Additionally, it showcases the data collected by battery-powered loggers, which monitored the mechanical stress on the equipment throughout the deployment. The report also offers an overview of STRAW-b's operation, with a specific emphasis on the notable advancements achieved in the data acquisition (DAQ) system and its successful integration with the server infrastructure of ONC.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Letter of Interest: Ocean science with the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment

The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) is a proposed cubic-kilometer scale neutrino telescope planned to be installed in the deep-sea of the north-east Pacific Ocean. In collaboration with the optical deep-sea data and communications network operated by Ocean Networks Canada, an international collaboration of researchers plans to install an array of kilometer-long mooring lines in a depth of around 2660 m to the relatively flat deep-sea region called Cascadia Basin, around 300 miles West of Vancouver Island. With the design and development ongoing, the P-ONE collaboration is interested to initiate participation of fellow scientists of the oceanographic and marine science communities to provide expertise and experience towards deploying additional or inclusive instrumentation and measurement strategies for doing oceanographic research. In addition to the monitoring of optical bioluminescence and deep-ocean dynamics and thermodynamics, active and passive acoustics can be installed within the P-ONE array. This letter summarizes the P-ONE detector and a non-exhaustive list of potential topics of interest for oceanographic and marine research.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Two-Year Optical Site Characterization for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment P-ONE in the Cascadia Basin

The STRings for Absorption length in Water (STRAW) are the first in a series of pathfinders for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE), a future large-scale neutrino telescope in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean. STRAW consists of two 150 m long mooring lines instrumented with optical emitters and detectors. The pathfinder is designed to measure the attenuation length of the water and perform a long-term assessment of the optical background at the future P-ONE site. After two years of continuous operation, measurements from STRAW show an optical attenuation length of about 28 metres at 450 nm. Additionally, the data allow a study of the ambient undersea background. The overall optical environment reported here is comparable to other deep-water neutrino telescopes and qualifies the site for the deployment of P-ONE.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

POCAM in the IceCube Upgrade

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the geographic South Pole instruments a gigaton of glacial Antarctic ice with over 5000 photosensors. The detector, by now running for over a decade, will be upgraded with seven new densely instrumented strings. The project focuses on the improvement of low-energy and oscillation physics sensitivities as well as re-calibration of the existing detector. Over the last few years we developed a Precision Optical Calibration Module (POCAM) providing self-monitored, isotropic, nanosecond, light pulses for optical calibration of large-volume detectors. Over 20 next-generation POCAMs will be calibrated and deployed in the IceCube Upgrade in order to reduce existing detector systematics. We report a general overview of the POCAM instrument, its performance and calibration procedures.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

The POCAM as self-calibrating light source for the IceCube Upgrade

The planned IceCube Upgrade, consisting of seven new instrumentation strings, will be installed at the South Pole within 2022/2023. The focus of this upgrade is calibration, reduction of systematic uncertainties and atmospheric neutrino physics. Within this scope, the "Precision Optical Calibration Module" (POCAM) will be installed at a number of positions on these new strings, to act as a calibration light source. The POCAM is an in-situ self-calibrating, isotropic, nanosecond light source that emits flashes of adjustable intensity and pulse duration. The isotropy is achieved using a teflon integrating sphere which further allows the calibration of the total number of emitted photons per pulse, using the integrated sensors. Prototypes have been deployed and operated within the GVD telescope in Lake Baikal and within the STRAW experiment in the Pacific Ocean. We present POCAM results and experiences from the GVD and STRAW installations as well as first IceCube sensitivity studies and the following design prospects for this next-generation POCAM iteration.

astro-ph.IM↗