2022-10-21 11:00  Online

A multi-cubic-km neutrino telescope in the Western Pacific Ocean

Prof. Donglian Xu

The origin of cosmic rays is a century-old puzzle. Discovery of astrophysical neutrino sources will be the smoking evidence for hadronic processes from high-energy cosmic rays. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole has observed a diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux since 2013, and detected the first compelling evidence of neutrino emission from a flaring blazar in 2017. The field of neutrino astronomy is at a critical point for major breakthroughs. Definite identification of several astrophysical neutrino sources will not only open a new arena for deciphering the origin of cosmic rays, but also will offer new opportunities for testing neutrino oscillation and hunting for new physics over fixed astronomical baselines. I will discuss a new proposal for constructing a multi-cubic-km neutrino telescope in the Western Pacific Ocean to help rapidly resolve neutrino sources from the diffuse flux discovered by IceCube.