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Register a new userIonospheric propagation effects for UHE neutrino detection with the lunar Cherenkov technique
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Lunar Cherenkov experiments aim to detect nanosecond pulses of Cherenkov emission produced during UHE cosmic ray or neutrino interactions in the lunar regolith. Pulses from these interactions are dispersed, and therefore reduced in amplitude, during propagation through the Earths ionosphere. Pulse dispersion must therefore be corrected to maximise the received signal to noise ratio and subsequent chances of detection. The pulse dispersion characteristic may also provide a powerful signature to determine the lunar origin of a pulse and discriminate against pulses of terrestrial radio frequency interference (RFI). This characteristic is parameterised by the instantaneous Total Electron Content (TEC) of the ionosphere and therefore an accurate knowledge of the ionospheric TEC provides an experimental advantage for the detection and identification of lunar Cherenkov pulses. We present a new method to calibrate the dispersive effect of the ionosphere on lunar Cherenkov pulses using lunar Faraday rotation measurements combined with geomagnetic field models.
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The Lunar Cherenkov technique is a promising method for UHE neutrino and cosmic ray detection which aims to detect nanosecond radio pulses produced during particle interactions in the Lunar regolith. For low frequency experiments, such as NuMoon, the frequency dependent dispersive effect of the ionosphere is an important experimental concern as it reduces the pulse amplitude and subsequent chances of detection. We are continuing to investigate a new method to calibrate the dispersive effect of the ionosphere on lunar Cherenkov pulses via Faraday rotation measurements of the Moons polarised emission combined with geomagnetic field models. We also extend this work to include radio imaging of the Lunar surface, which provides information on the physical and chemical properties of the lunar surface that may affect experimental strategies for the lunar Cherenkov technique.
UHE particle detection using the lunar Cherenkov technique aims to detect nanosecond pulses of Cherenkov emission which are produced during UHE cosmic ray and neutrino interactions in the Moons regolith. These pulses will reach Earth-based telescopes dispersed, and therefore reduced in amplitude, due to their propagation through the Earths ionosphere. To maximise the received signal to noise ratio and subsequent chances of pulse detection, ionospheric dispersion must therefore be corrected, and since the high time resolution would require excessive data storage this correction must be made in real time. This requires an accurate knowledge of the dispersion characteristic which is parameterised by the instantaneous Total Electron Content (TEC) of the ionosphere. A new method to calibrate the dispersive effect of the ionosphere on lunar Cherenkov pulses has been developed for the LUNASKA lunar Cherenkov experiments. This method exploits radial symmetries in the distribution of the Moons polarised emission to make Faraday rotation measurements in the visibility domain of synthesis array data (i. e. instantaneously). Faraday rotation measurements are then combined with geomagnetic field models to estimate the ionospheric TEC. This method of ionospheric calibration is particularly attractive for the lunar Cherenkov technique as it may be used in real time to estimate the ionospheric TEC along a line-of-sight to the Moon and using the same radio telescope.
We use computer simulations to obtain the directional-dependence of the lunar Cherenkov technique for ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino detection. We calculate the instantaneous effective area of past lunar Cherenkov experiments as a function of neutrino arrival direction, and hence the directional-dependence of the combined limit imposed by GLUE and the experiment at Parkes. We also determine the directional dependence of the aperture of future planned experiments with ATCA, ASKAP and the SKA to a UHE neutrino flux, and calculate the potential annual exposure to astronomical objects as a function of angular distance from the lunar trajectory through celestial coordinates.
The lunar Askaryan technique, which involves searching for Askaryan radio pulses from particle cascades in the outer layers of the Moon, is a method for using the lunar surface as an extremely large detector of ultra-high-energy particles. The high time resolution required to detect these pulses, which have a duration of around a nanosecond, puts this technique in a regime quite different from other forms of radio astronomy, with a unique set of associated technical challenges which have been addressed in a series of experiments by various groups. Implementing the methods and techniques developed by these groups for detecting lunar Askaryan pulses will be important for a future experiment with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which is expected to have sufficient sensitivity to allow the first positive detection using this technique. Key issues include correction for ionospheric dispersion, beamforming, efficient triggering, and the exclusion of spurious events from radio-frequency interference. We review the progress in each of these areas, and consider the further progress expected for future application with the SKA.
The first search for ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos using a radio telescope was conducted by Hankins, Ekers and OSullivan (1996). This was a search for nanosecond duration radio Cherenkov pulses from electromagnetic cascades initiated by ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino interactions in the lunar regolith, and was made using a broad-bandwidth receiver fitted to the Parkes radio telescope, Australia. At the time, no simulations were available to convert the null result into a neutrino flux limit. Since then, similar experiments at Goldstone, USA, and Kalyazin, Russia, have also recorded null results, and computer simulations have been used to model the experimental sensitivities of these two experiments and put useful limits on the UHE neutrino flux. Proposed future experiments include the use of broad-bandwidth receivers, making the sensitivity achieved by the Parkes experiment highly relevant to the future prospects of this field. We have therefore calculated the effective aperture for the Parkes experiment and found that when pointing at the lunar limb, the effective aperture at all neutrino energies was superior to single-antenna, narrow-bandwidth experiments, and that the detection threshold was comparable to that of the double-antenna experiment at Goldstone. However, because only a small fraction of the observing time was spent pointing the limb, the Parkes experiment places only comparatively weak limits on the UHE neutrino flux. Future efforts should use multiple telescopes and broad-bandwidth receivers.
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