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Physical Society Colloquium[an error occurred while processing this directive]
the AMANDA experiment Prof. Francis Halzen University of Wisconsin-Madison I will present results on the performance of natural polar ice at one and two kilometer depths as a particle detector. I will then discuss the first data from a neutrino telescope which uses large volumes of ultra-transparent South Pole ice as a low-noise particle detector sensing the Cherenkov light from neutrino-induced muons and electrons. This instrument is monitoring the sky for neutrinos from supernovae and gamma ray bursts. It is performing a first search for neutrino emission from the most energetic cosmic processes involving pulsars, black holes, active galactic nuclei and the like. The detector also has unique capabilities in searching for neutrino mass and dark matter. I will argue however that a high energy neutrino telescope should ultimately have an effective volume of order 1 kilometer cube and will speculate on how to commission it.
Friday, October 16th 1998, 15:30 |