NuRadioOpt
The ERC Starting Grant project NuRadioOpt aims to advance the detection of ultra-high-energy (UHE) neutrinos - extremely rare particles with energies above 1017 eV. Observing these neutrinos would be one of the most important breakthroughs in astroparticle physics in the 21st century and would open a new window onto the most violent phenomena in our Universe.
At such extreme energies, radio detection is currently the only viable technique. However, due to the very small expected flux of UHE neutrinos, even next-generation observatories are expected to detect only a handful of events per year. Improving detector efficiency is therefore crucial.
NuRadioOpt addresses this challenge by applying recent advances in deep learning and differential programming to substantially enhance the performance of future UHE neutrino detectors:
Optimizing neutrino telescope design
The upcoming construction phase of next-generation observatories offers a unique opportunity to substantially enhance their design and scientific capabilities now.
Boost UHE neutrino detection rates
Threshold-based trigger systems foreseen for future detectors will be replaced by neural-network-based triggers. This approach is expected to double the number of detected UHE neutrinos without additional hardware costs.
Improve detector layout
Full end-to-end optimization using differential programming will significantly improve the reconstruction accuracy of neutrino direction and energy.
The timing of this project is ideal for influencing the design of IceCube-Gen2, whose construction is planned to begin in the next decade. IceCube-Gen2 will be the largest neutrino facility for astroparticle physics in the coming decade. Through the methods developed in NuRadioOpt, the in-ice radio detector of IceCube-Gen2 could become up to three times more powerful, enabling breakthroughs in astroparticle physics years earlier than currently anticipated.