Hardware studies, in-situ prototype calibration and data analysis of the novel multi-PMT digital optical module for the KM3NeT neutrino telescope
The KM3NeT neutrino telescope is currently being built in the Mediterranean Sea. It will, upon com- pletion, be the first cubic-kilometre-size neutrino telescope in the northern hemisphere. Although the recent discovery of a high-energy cosmic neutrino flux by the IceCube detector was a major breakt...
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| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2019
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| Online Access: | https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/10417 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:29-opus4-104172 https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/files/10417/jreubelt_doktorarbeit_publish.pdf |
| Summary: | The KM3NeT neutrino telescope is currently being built in the Mediterranean Sea. It will, upon com- pletion, be the first cubic-kilometre-size neutrino telescope in the northern hemisphere. Although the recent discovery of a high-energy cosmic neutrino flux by the IceCube detector was a major breakthrough in the field of neutrino astronomy, the sources of cosmic neutrinos remain unknown. The KM3NeT/ARCA (Astroparticle Research with Cosmics in the Abyss) detector will help to shed light on the question of the origins of high-energy cosmic neutrinos by complementing the IceCube telescope and expanding the field of view into the direction of the Galactic Centre. In addition, open questions in particle physics like fundamental neutrino properties and neutrino oscillations are tackled by the KM3NeT/ORCA (Oscillation Research with Cosmics in the Abyss) detector. Both sub-detectors consist of a three-dimensional grid of optical sensors, so-called digital op- tical modules (DOM), which are deployed at different sites in a depth of up to 3500 m. They are designed to measure the Cherenkov radiation of secondary charged particles produced in interac- tions of neutrinos with nuclei in the water. While the optical sensors of existing neutrino telescopes house only one big photomultiplier tube (PMT), the KM3NeT detector is the first to use a novel type of DOMs housing 31 smaller PMTs. The so-called multi-PMT DOM has crucial advantages com- pared to conventional optical modules, of which the most important are: a three times larger overall photocathode area; enhanced angular acceptance; intrinsic directional sensitivity; improved photon counting; and improved capability of background suppression. The focus of this thesis is on the characterisation and selection of optical components for the ap- plication in the novel multi-PMT DOM as well as the calibration and in-situ data analysis of prototype DOMs. Specification and characterisation of crucial PMT parameters guarantee high performance and stable operation of the DOMs. By ... |
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