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KM3NeT Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Calvo Diaz-Aldagalan, D., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Illuminati, G., Lotze, M., et al. (2016). Letter of intent for KM3NeT 2.0. J. Phys. G, 43(8), 084001–130pp.
Abstract: The main objectives of the KM3NeT Collaboration are (i) the discovery and subsequent observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the Universe and (ii) the determination of the mass hierarchy of neutrinos. These objectives are strongly motivated by two recent important discoveries, namely: (1) the high-energy astrophysical neutrino signal reported by IceCube and (2) the sizable contribution of electron neutrinos to the third neutrino mass eigenstate as reported by Daya Bay, Reno and others. To meet these objectives, the KM3NeT Collaboration plans to build a new Research Infrastructure consisting of a network of deep-sea neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean Sea. A phased and distributed implementation is pursued which maximises the access to regional funds, the availability of human resources and the synergistic opportunities for the Earth and sea sciences community. Three suitable deep-sea sites are selected, namely off-shore Toulon (France), Capo Passero (Sicily, Italy) and Pylos (Peloponnese, Greece). The infrastructure will consist of three so-called building blocks. A building block comprises 115 strings, each string comprises 18 optical modules and each optical module comprises 31 photo-multiplier tubes. Each building block thus constitutes a three-dimensional array of photo sensors that can be used to detect the Cherenkov light produced by relativistic particles emerging from neutrino interactions. Two building blocks will be sparsely configured to fully explore the IceCube signal with similar instrumented volume, different methodology, improved resolution and complementary field of view, including the galactic plane. One building block will be densely configured to precisely measure atmospheric neutrino oscillations.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Aguilar, J. A., Bigongiari, C., Calvo Diaz-Aldagalan, D., Emanuele, U., Gomez-Gonzalez, J. P., et al. (2013). Detection potential of the KM3NeT detector for high-energy neutrinos from the Fermi bubbles. Astropart Phys., 42, 7–14.
Abstract: A recent analysis of the Fermi Large Area Telescope data provided evidence for a high-intensity emission of high-energy gamma rays with a E-2 spectrum from two large areas, spanning 50 above and below the Galactic centre (the “Fermi bubbles”). A hadronic mechanism was proposed for this gamma-ray emission making the Fermi bubbles promising source candidates of high-energy neutrino emission. In this work Monte Carlo simulations regarding the detectability of high-energy neutrinos from the Fermi bubbles with the future multi-km(3) neutrino telescope KM3NeT in the Mediterranean Sea are presented. Under the hypothesis that the gamma-ray emission is completely due to hadronic processes, the results indicate that neutrinos from the bubbles could be discovered in about one year of operation, for a neutrino spectrum with a cutoff at 100 TeV and a detector with about 6 km(3) of instrumented volume. The effect of a possible lower cutoff is also considered.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Aiello, S. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Calvo, D., Coleiro, A., Colomer, M., Gozzini, S. R., et al. (2019). Sensitivity of the KM3NeT/ARCA neutrino telescope to point-like neutrino sources. Astropart Phys., 111, 100–110.
Abstract: KM3NeT will be a network of deep-sea neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean Sea. The KM3NeT/ARCA detector, to be installed at the Capo Passero site (Italy), is optimised for the detection of high-energy neutrinos of cosmic origin. Thanks to its geographical location on the Northern hemisphere, KM3NeT/ARCA can observe upgoing neutrinos from most of the Galactic Plane, including the Galactic Centre. Given its effective area and excellent pointing resolution, KM3NeT/ARCA will measure or significantly constrain the neutrino flux from potential astrophysical neutrino sources. At the same time, it will test flux predictions based on gamma-ray measurements and the assumption that the gamma-ray flux is of hadronic origin. Assuming this scenario, discovery potentials and sensitivities for a selected list of Galactic sources and to generic point sources with an E(-2 )spectrum are presented. These spectra are assumed to be time independent. The results indicate that an observation with 3 sigma significance is possible in about six years of operation for the most intense sources, such as Supernovae Remnants RX J1713.7-3946 and Vela Jr. If no signal will be found during this time, the fraction of the gamma-ray flux coming from hadronic processes can be constrained to be below 50% for these two objects.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), Alves, S., Calvo, D., Carretero, V., Gozzini, R., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., et al. (2023). Hint for a TeV neutrino emission from the Galactic Ridge with ANTARES. Phys. Lett. B, 841, 137951–7pp.
Abstract: Interactions of cosmic ray protons, atomic nuclei, and electrons in the interstellar medium in the inner part of the Milky Way produce gamma-ray flux from the Galactic Ridge. If the gamma-ray emission is dominated by proton and nuclei interactions, a neutrino flux comparable to the gamma-ray flux is expected from the same sky region. Data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope are used to constrain the neutrino flux from the Galactic Ridge in the 1-100 TeV energy range. Neutrino events reconstructed both as tracks and showers are considered in the analysis and the selection is optimized for the search of an excess in the region |l| < 30 degrees, |b| < 2 degrees. The expected background in the search region is estimated using an off-zone region with similar sky coverage. Neutrino signal originating from a power-law spectrum with spectral index ranging from Gamma nu = 1to 4is simulated in both channels. The observed energy distributions are fitted to constrain the neutrino emission from the Ridge. The energy distributions in the signal region are inconsistent with the background expectation at similar to 96% confidence level. The mild excess over the background is consistent with a neutrino flux with a power law with a spectral index 2.45(-0.34)(+0.22) and a flux normalization dN nu/dE nu= 4.0(-2.0)(+2.7) x 10(-16) GeV-1 cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) at 40 TeV reference energy. Such flux is consistent with the expected neutrino signal if the bulk of the observed gamma-ray flux from the Galactic Ridge originates from interactions of cosmic ray protons and nuclei with a power-law spectrum extending well into the PeV energy range.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Ageron, M. et al), Aguilar, J. A., Bigongiari, C., Carmona, E., Dornic, D., Emanuele, U., et al. (2011). ANTARES: The first undersea neutrino telescope. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 656(1), 11–38.
Abstract: The ANTARES Neutrino Telescope was completed in May 2008 and is the first operational Neutrino Telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The main purpose of the detector is to perform neutrino astronomy and the apparatus also offers facilities for marine and Earth sciences. This paper describes the design, the construction and the installation of the telescope in the deep sea, offshore from Toulon in France. An illustration of the detector performance is given.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Aiello, S. et al), Alves Garre, S., Calvo, D., Carretero, V., Colomer, M., Gozzini, S. R., et al. (2022). Nanobeacon: A time calibration device for the KM3NeT neutrino telescope. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 1040, 167132–13pp.
Abstract: The KM3NeT Collaboration is currently constructing a multi-site high-energy neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea consisting of matrices of pressure-resistant glass spheres, each holding a set of 31 small-area photomultipliers. The main goals of the telescope are the observation of neutrino sources in the Universe and the measurement of the neutrino oscillation parameters with atmospheric neutrinos. A relative time synchronisation between photomultipliers of the nanosecond order needed to guarantee the required angular resolution of the detector. Due to the large detector volumes to be instrumented by KM3NeT, a cost reduction of the different systems is a priority. To this end, the inexpensive Nanobeacon has been designed and developed by the KM3NeT Collaboration to be used for detector time-calibration studies. At present, more than 600 & nbsp;Nanobeacons have been already produced. The characterisation of the optical pulse and the wavelength emission profile of the devices is critical for the time calibration. The optical pulse rise time has been quantified as less than 3 ns, while the Full Width Half Maximum is less than 6 ns. The wavelength drift, due to a variation of the supply voltage, has also been qualified as lower than 10 nm for the full range of the Nanobeacon. In this paper, more details about the main features of the Nanobeacon design, production and operation, together with the main properties of the light pulse generated are described.
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Real, D., & Calvo, D. (2022). Production requirements and functional tests of the KM3NeT Digital Optical Module Power Board. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 1042, 167426–3pp.
Abstract: The KM3NeT research facility is being built in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of matrices of optical detectors, the so-called Digital Optical Module. Each of this elementary detector holds a set of 31 small-area photomultipliers, which detect the Cherenkov light generated by secondary particles produced in neutrino interactions. It includes also the acquisition electronics and the power board which supplies both, the acquisition electronics and the photomultipliers. The production of electronics boards needs to have a high quality and reliability level as it is going to be deployed for more than ten years without any maintenance possible. This work presents the requirements and the qualification tests being implemented in order to increase the reliability of the Power Board of the acquisition electronics of KM3NeT during the mass production. At the moment, more than one thousand board have been produced. Results on the production of the boards, including the production yield is presented. From the already produced boards, more than 350 have been already deployed and are operative in the detectors.
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Real, D., Calvo, D., Diaz, A., Alves Garre, S., Carretero, V., Sanchez Losa, A., et al. (2023). An Ultra-Narrow Time Optical Pulse Emitter Based on a Laser: UNTOPEL. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 70(10), 2364–2372.
Abstract: Light sources that emit repetitive subnanosecond pulses are used in neutrino telescopes for time calibration. Optical pulses with an ultra-narrow (subnanosecond) width can replicate the light produced by neutrino interactions, and are an important calibration and test element. By measuring the time-of-flight of the light, it is possible to provide a relative time calibration for all the detector photomultipliers. This work presents the ultra-narrow time optical pulse emitter based on a laser (UNTOPEL), an instrument emitting ultra-short laser optical pulses with a duration of 500 ps, energies per pulse of four microjoules at a wavelength of 532 nm, and a timing precision of 400 ps. The UNTOPEL pulse intensity can be fine-tuned, which is a novelty and a significant advantage in those applications that need to illuminate light detectors located at different distances with the same light intensity. The UNTOPEL pulse intensity can be controlled remotely, allowing for its use in operating conditions where physical access is impossible or difficult. Moreover, it is easy to operate and can be easily controlled through an inter-integrated circuit bus. The UNTOPEL is a sound instrument used when subnanosecond pulses and variable energy emissions are needed.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Aiello, S. et al), Alves Garre, S., Calvo, D., Carretero, V., Colomer, M., Corredoira, I., et al. (2020). gSeaGen: The KM3NeT GENIE-based code for neutrino telescopes. Comput. Phys. Commun., 256, 107477–15pp.
Abstract: The gSeaGen code is a GENIE-based application developed to efficiently generate high statistics samples of events, induced by neutrino interactions, detectable in a neutrino telescope. The gSeaGen code is able to generate events induced by all neutrino flavours, considering topological differences between tracktype and shower-like events. Neutrino interactions are simulated taking into account the density and the composition of the media surrounding the detector. The main features of gSeaGen are presented together with some examples of its application within the KM3NeT project. Program summary Program Title: gSeaGen CPC Library link to program files: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/ymgxvy2br4.1 Licensing provisions: GPLv3 Programming language: C++ External routines/libraries: GENIE [1] and its external dependencies. Linkable to MUSIC [2] and PROPOSAL [3]. Nature of problem: Development of a code to generate detectable events in neutrino telescopes, using modern and maintained neutrino interaction simulation libraries which include the state-of-the-art physics models. The default application is the simulation of neutrino interactions within KM3NeT [4]. Solution method: Neutrino interactions are simulated using GENIE, a modern framework for Monte Carlo event generators. The GENIE framework, used by nearly all modern neutrino experiments, is considered as a reference code within the neutrino community. Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: The code was tested with GENIE version 2.12.10 and it is linkable with release series 3. Presently valid up to 5 TeV. This limitation is not intrinsic to the code but due to the present GENIE valid energy range. References: [1] C. Andreopoulos at al., Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A614 (2010) 87. [2] P. Antonioli et al., Astropart. Phys. 7 (1997) 357. [3] J. H. Koehne et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 184 (2013) 2070. [4] S. Adrian-Martinez et al., J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 43 (2016) 084001.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Aiello, S. et al), Calvo, D., Coleiro, A., Colomer, M., Gozzini, S. R., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., et al. (2020). The Control Unit of the KM3NeT Data Acquisition System. Comput. Phys. Commun., 256, 107433–16pp.
Abstract: The KM3NeT Collaboration runs a multi-site neutrino observatory in the Mediterranean Sea. Water Cherenkov particle detectors, deep in the sea and far off the coasts of France and Italy, are already taking data while incremental construction progresses. Data Acquisition Control software is operating off-shore detectors as well as testing and qualification stations for their components. The software, named Control Unit, is highly modular. It can undergo upgrades and reconfiguration with the acquisition running. Interplay with the central database of the Collaboration is obtained in a way that allows for data taking even if Internet links fail. In order to simplify the management of computing resources in the long term, and to cope with possible hardware failures of one or more computers, the KM3NeT Control Unit software features a custom dynamic resource provisioning and failover technology, which is especially important for ensuring continuity in case of rare transient events in multi-messenger astronomy. The software architecture relies on ubiquitous tools and broadly adopted technologies and has been successfully tested on several operating systems.
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