Nanobeacon: a time calibration device for the KM3NeT neutrino telescope

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 so...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Aiello, S, Albert, Arnauld, Alshamsi, Mohammed, Alves Garre, Sergio, Aly, Zineb, Ambrosone, Antonio, Ameli, Fabrizio, André, Michel|||0000-0002-0091-7279, Androulakis, Giorgos, Anghinolfi, Marco, Anguita, M., Ardid Ramírez, Miguel, Ardid Ramírez, Joan Salvador
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/374432
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/374432
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2022.167132
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Telescopes
Astroparticle physics
Astrophysics
Optical detectors
Terms—time calibration
instrumentation
neutrino telescopes
Neutrins
Detectors òptics
Telescopis
Astrofísica
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física
Descripción
Sumario: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. Both extraterrestrial and atmospheric neutrinos are detected through the Cherenkov light induced in seawater by charged particles produced in neutrino interactions in the surrounding medium. A relative time synchronization between photomultipliers of the order of 1 ns is 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 Nanobeacons have been already produced. The characterization of the optical pulse and the wavelength emission profile of the devices are critical for the time calibration. In this paper, the main features of the Nanobeacon design, production and operation, together with the main properties of the light pulse generated are described