Analysis of the first KM3NeT-ORCA data

• Published in: Journal of Instrumentation
• Main Authors: Pestel, V., Aly, Z., Nauta, L.
• Other Authors: Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille (CPPM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), KM3NeT
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: Cherenkov detectors; Neutrino detectors; activity report; neutrino: oscillation; performance; neutrino: atmosphere; neutrino: mass: hierarchy; sensitivity; KM3NeT; Cherenkov counter; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-INS-DET]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Instrumentation and Detectors [physics.ins-det]; Orca
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03473082; https://hal.science/hal-03473082/document; https://hal.science/hal-03473082/file/Proceedings_VLVNT2021_KM3NeT_Pestel_v1.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/11/C11010

International audience ORCA, Oscillation Research with Cosmics in the Abyss, is the low energy KM3NeT neutrino underwater detector, located in the French Mediterranean Sea. It comprises a dense array of optical modules designed to detect Cherenkov light emitted from charged particles resulting from neutrino interactions in the vicinity of the detector. Its main physics goal is the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy by quantifying the matter-induced effect on the oscillation probabilities of atmospheric neutrinos in the energy range, 3–50 GeV, where the effects of neutrino oscillation phenomena are dominant. In 2019, four detection units were operational. Two more had been added in early 2020. This work presents an overview of the detector performance in the 2019 configuration, as well as its sensitivity to neutrino oscillations.