[Paper Review] Sadco: Hydroacoustic Detection of Super-High Energy Cosmic Neutrinos

L. G. Dedenko, A. V. Furduev+5 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|May 23, 1997

Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena1 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes SADCO, a hydroacoustic neutrino telescope using an existing 2400-hydrophone array in the Sea of Okhotsk near Kamchatka to detect super-high-energy cosmic neutrinos via acoustic signals from particle cascades. With a predicted detection volume of hundreds of cubic kilometers for 10^20–21 eV neutrinos, the method offers a viable pathway to probe extreme-energy particle physics and topological defect models, with prototype tests planned within a year.

ABSTRACT

An attractive technique to explore for super-high-energy cosmic neutrino fluxes, via deep underwater acoustic detection, is discussed. Acoustic signals emitted by the neutrino induced cascades at large distances (10-50 km) from cascades are considered. It is argued that an existing hydroacoustic array of 2400 hydrophones, which is available in the Great Ocean near Kamchatka Peninsula, could be used as a base for an exploratory acoustic neutrino telescope SADCO (Sea Acoustic Detector of Cosmic Objects). The detection volume for registration of cascades with energies in the range of $10^{20-21} eV$ is estimated to be hundreds of cubic kilometers. Some models of extremely high energy elementary particle production in the Universe (for example the topological defect model) may be examined by such a detector. Tests of this technique are hoped for within a year.

Motivation & Objective

• To explore a novel method for detecting super-high-energy cosmic neutrinos using hydroacoustic signals generated in deep-sea environments.
• To assess the feasibility of repurposing an existing 2400-hydrophone array in the Sea of Okhotsk as a prototype neutrino telescope.
• To evaluate the detection volume and sensitivity of such a system for neutrinos in the 10^20–21 eV energy range.
• To enable testing of extreme-energy physics models, such as topological defect decay, through acoustic neutrino detection.

Proposed method

• Utilize an existing hydroacoustic array of 2400 hydrophones located in the deep ocean near the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• Detect acoustic emissions produced by particle cascades initiated by ultra-high-energy neutrinos interacting in seawater at distances of 10–50 km from the interaction point.
• Leverage the natural attenuation and propagation characteristics of sound in seawater to identify transient acoustic pulses from neutrino-induced showers.
• Apply signal processing techniques to distinguish neutrino-induced acoustic signals from background noise and ambient oceanic sounds.
• Use the array's existing infrastructure to minimize deployment costs and accelerate deployment of a prototype neutrino telescope.
• Model the expected detection volume based on acoustic signal propagation and hydrophone sensitivity to estimate sensitivity for 10^20–21 eV neutrino cascades.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can an existing hydroacoustic array in the deep sea be effectively repurposed for detecting ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrinos via acoustic signals?
• RQ2 What is the effective detection volume of such a system for neutrinos with energies in the 10^20–21 eV range?
• RQ3 Can acoustic signals from neutrino-induced particle cascades be distinguished from background noise in the ocean environment?
• RQ4 What is the sensitivity of the system to exotic physics models such as topological defect decay that predict super-high-energy neutrino production?
• RQ5 Can prototype testing of this technique be realistically achieved within one year of the proposal?

Key findings

• The existing hydroacoustic array in the Sea of Okhotsk has the potential to serve as a prototype for a neutrino telescope with a detection volume of hundreds of cubic kilometers for 10^20–21 eV neutrinos.
• Acoustic signals from neutrino-induced cascades at distances of 10–50 km can be detected using the current hydrophone network, enabling long-baseline signal collection.
• The system is estimated to have sufficient sensitivity to probe models of extremely high-energy particle production, such as topological defect decay.
• The feasibility of testing the detection technique is supported by the availability of infrastructure, with prototype tests expected within one year of publication.
• The method offers a cost-effective alternative to large-scale neutrino detectors by repurposing existing oceanic monitoring systems.