A water Cherenkov detector prototype for future high-energy tau-neutrino experiment
Abstract
The detection of high-energy tau neutrinos remains a critical challenge in neutrino astronomy, limited by inadequate angular resolution and sensitivity in current detectors like IceCube and KM3NeT. We present a modular water Cherenkov detector prototype optimized for tau-neutrino-induced extensive air showers (EAS) in the 1-100 PeV range, leveraging canyon terrain for natural cosmic-ray shielding. Laboratory validation demonstrates this prototype design has high detection efficiency (>99%) and timing resolution (<2 ns) on MIP particles, enabling precise tau-neutrino-induced EAS reconstruction for future study. The results establish a foundation of a low-cost, scalable neutrino observatory, advancing flavor ratio measurements and cosmic-ray origin problems.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2508.14743,
title = {A water Cherenkov detector prototype for future high-energy tau-neutrino experiment},
author = {Monong Yu and Yiren Chen and Lei Wang and Shiping Zhao and Xingyu Li and Qiang Yuan and Yi Zhang and Guang Yang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.14743},
year = {2025}
}