KM3NeT The Birth of a Giant V. Popa, KM3NeT Collaboration Institute for Space Sciences, Magurele-Bucharest, Romania

KM3NeT will be a very large volume (> km 3 ) Neutrino Telescope, to be deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, after The consortium includes 40 Institutes or University groups from 10 European countries. The research is financed trough 2 European projects: “KM3NeT-DS” and “KM3NeT-PP”. There will be room for Earth and Ocean Sciences. Official web page: One of the Magnificent Seven of the ASPERA Roadmap

Status of the KM3NeT – Design Study The Design Study ends in October this year. The Conceptual Design Report published in April The Technical Design Report due till Christmas, some fundamental choices will have to be made… Location Architecture Optical modules Power and data management ………

KM3NeT takes advantage on the 3 pilot experiments ANTARES NEMO NESTOR All in the Mediterranean Sea Most of the involved people are members of the KM3NeT

KM3NeT takes advantage on the 3 pilot experiments ANTARES NEMO NESTOR This is why other neutrino telescopes (AMANDA, IceCUBE, Baikal, DUMAND) are not included in the list.

KM3NeT takes advantage on the 3 pilot experiments ANTARES NEMO NESTOR -The only undersea neutrino telescope successfully deployed and tacking data - Introducing and testing a different structure concept: the towers. - First successful long term operation of a neutrino telescope floor at ~4000 m in 2003.The star structure, and a new deployment strategy - All have taught us that the marriage between neutrino physics and deep sea is not always a happy one…

Architecture: Optical Modules Single large (8”, 10”) PMTs?

Architecture: Optical Modules Many (31) small (~3”) PMTs?

Architecture: the detection units. “MEDUSA” ANTARES-like strings. SOM MOM SOM Breakout

Architecture: the detection units “NuONE” NEMO-like towers. 8m

Architecture: the detection units. “SeaWiet” New ideas. -Full readout to shore via fiber -Optics Self-sustained OMs Many strings might be deployed in the same operation

Decisions to be taken soon, based on intensive detector simulations and cost estimations Common Layout 91 Detector Units Hexagon 20 storeys per DU 30m between storey Compare configurations DU spacing: 100, 130m, 160m for each analysed configurations

Architecture: overall layouts Homogeneous Cluster Ring …….

The site 3 candidate locations, corresponding to the pilot experiments The depth. (Deeper is better? But also more expensive…) Water optical properties Distance to the shore station The bioluminescence The 40 K concentration Current flow Sediment flux Shore infrastructure (ports, roads, airports…) Cost effectiveness (including possible contributions from the local Governments) Synergy with other undersea projects (GMES – Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, GOOS - Global Ocean Observing Systems, EuroGOOS, DEOS –Dynamics of Earth and Ocean System, EMSO – KM3NeT will be one of its nodes) …

Status of the KM3NeT – Preparatory Phase The project started last year and is due to end in 2012 The primary objective of the KM3NeT Preparatory Phase is to pave the path to political and scientific convergence on the legal, governance, financial engineering and site related aspects of the infrastructure and to prepare rapid and efficient construction once approved. As has become apparent in the ongoing KM3NeT Design Study, reconciliation of national and regional political and financial priorities with scientific and technological considerations will be a major issue

The main scientific goal: Neutrino Astronomy How does it work?

The main scientific goal: Neutrino Astronomy Point Sources Supernova Remnants Microquasars Gamma Ray Bursters Hidden Sources (not seen in other “wavelengths”)

Neutrino Astronomy: Sky coverage From the South: IceCube (angular resolution ~ 1 0 ) From the North: KM3NeT (angular resolution ~ )

Muon neutrinos interactions are the golden channel for point sources searches, but a very large volume neutrino telescope will be sensitive to all neutrino flavors!

Other scientific goals: Diffuse neutrino flux Dark Matter Exotic Particles Atmospheric muons and neutrinos Neutrino Cross Sections …

Exotic Particles GUT Magnetic Monopoles Intermediate mass Magnetic Monopoles Nuclearites Q-balls …

KM3NeT sensitivity to exotic particles (one year of data tacking) should be at the level of cm -2 s -1 sr -1, depending on: The actual geometry of the telescope The efficiency of the dedicated triggers The efficiency of the off-line analysis (background removal, reconstruction strategy, etc.) Intensive simulations to be made after the completion of the Technical Design Report…

Conclusions…