{"677997":{"#nid":"677997","#data":{"type":"news","title":" Scientists Awarded $1.5M for Next-Gen Underwater Neutrino Observatory","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWithin Antarctic ice, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/icecube.wisc.edu\/\u0022\u003EIceCube Neutrino Observatory\u003C\/a\u003E is recording rare astronomical phenomena. Constructed in the harsh conditions of the South Pole, it is the first detector of its kind. But now, a sister project is underway \u2014 one located over 2,600 meters beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECalled the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pacific-neutrino.org\/\u0022\u003EPacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment\u003C\/a\u003E (P-ONE), it will be built off the coast of Washington State in the Cascadia Basin with global collaboration including Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/ignacio-taboada\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIgnacio Taboada\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETaboada, who is the current spokesperson of the IceCube collaboration and a professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/physics.gatech.ed\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E, has been awarded over $1.5 million in funding through a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build P-ONE\u2019s sensor trigger system, which will record and identify sources of light as they are captured by the telescope\u2019s sensors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis is a multi-institute collaboration,\u201d Taboada shares. Co-PI\u2019s include\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.drexel.edu\/~naoko\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENaoko Kurahashi Neilson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of Drexel University,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/directory.natsci.msu.edu\/Directory\/Profiles\/Person\/102095\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENathan Whitehorn\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/directory.natsci.msu.edu\/Directory\/Profiles\/Person\/102006\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETyce DeYoung\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of Michigan State University, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.uchicago.edu\/people\/profile\/alexandra-rahlin\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAlexandra Rahlin\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of the University of Chicago.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2,600 meters under the sea\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETaboada says the team was drawn to the underwater location, despite the associated building challenges because \u201cthe characteristics of the seawater mean that we could identify more individual sources better than IceCube can, if we can build a detector of the same size.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECapturing astrophysical particles is a balance of finding the right medium for the sensors: the medium\u2019s density contributes to how many particles are captured.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile an open-air observatory would be possible, Taboada explains that \u201cair is about 1,000 times less dense, so it means that we would get 1,000 times fewer neutrinos interacting in the detector \u2014 and neutrino detections are very, very rare.\u201d Using a medium like ice or seawater maximizes the possibility of capturing these particles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIce and seawater also present unique challenges. \u201cThe ice in Antarctica is extremely transparent,\u201d Taboada explains. This means that when a photon enters the ice, it can travel a very long distance within that ice. \u201cBut it doesn\u0027t travel in a straight line,\u201d he says. Instead, the particle ricochets and scatters, deviating from its original path.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis makes it more difficult to determine exactly where the particle has come from \u2014 a key aspect for astronomical observations. \u201cIn comparison, light entering seawater scatters much less,\u0022 Taboada says. \u201cIt always travels in a straight line.\u201d Because of this, neutrino directions are determined more precisely in seawater than in ice.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETracing the cosmos\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKey to capturing these particles is the trigger system that Taboada will build with this new funding. That component\u0026nbsp; will collect data around interesting events, which are seen as light to the system.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBut there are many sources of light in the ocean that aren\u2019t from astronomical phenomena. \u201cIt\u0027s not something that can be trivially predicted,\u201d says Taboada. \u201cIt\u0027s a very complicated situation and you have to adapt the trigger to various amounts of background light.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFor example, there\u2019s bioluminescence to consider.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESome sources, like fish or small organisms, can move around independently, while others, like bioluminescent plankton, might instead react to turbulence. The trigger system will need to identify and filter out all of these sources.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cSeawater also has a lot of potassium,\u201d Taboada adds. \u201cOne of the isotopes of potassium is radioactive, and the optical sensors can catch light from that.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOnce the trigger system recognizes and captures the event, the data is sent to the mainland, where computers will leverage machine and deep learning to determine exactly what the sensor has captured.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u0027s a process of gathering and analyzing interesting data,\u201d Taboada says, similar to looking into a night sky and differentiating shooting stars, constellations, satellites, and planes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom sea to space\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBecause P-ONE is one of the first projects of its kind, the research team plans to initially install six or seven lines of instrumentation across the seafloor. \u201cThat is rather small,\u201d says Taboada, \u201cbut it will demonstrate how to build the instrument and how to operate it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cP-ONE has the eventual objective of being similar to IceCube in size,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut it will be a northern hemisphere detector (meaning it can \u2018see\u2019 different parts of the sky than IceCube), and should have significantly better angular resolution and sensitivity.\u201d And while P-ONE\u2019s location will provide views that IceCube can\u2019t, the effort also has the potential to provide a new perspective of the ocean floor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe system will continuously monitor the deep ocean at an unprecedented scale, capturing data about environmental conditions and biological processes, key information for oceanographers and marine biologists \u2014 all while furthering the field of neutrino astrophysics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: NSF\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EP-ONE is a collaboration between the following organizations:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOcean Networks Canada; University of Victoria; University of Alberta; Department of Physics, Queen\u0027s University; Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University; TRIUMF; Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich; Friedrich-Alexander-Universit\u00e4t Erlangen-N\u00fcrnberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics; Collaborative Research Centre 1258 (SFB1258) at TUM funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG); European Southern Observatory; Institut f\u00fcr Kernphysik, Goethe Universit\u00e4t Frankfurt; GSI Helmholtzzentrum f\u00fcr Schwerionenforschung; Max Planck Institute for Physics; Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Science; University College London; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Drexel University; University of Chicago\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIgnacio Taboada\u003C\/strong\u003E has been awarded an NSF grant to build a sensor trigger system for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment \u2014 a powerful neutrino detector that will be built more than 2,600 meters under the surface of the Pacific Ocean, providing a new window into neutrino astrophysics.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ignacio Taboada has been awarded an NSF grant to build a sensor trigger system for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment \u2014 a powerful neutrino detector that will be built more than 2,600 meters under the surface of the Pacific Ocean."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2024-10-30 14:56:11","changed_gmt":"2024-11-22 18:32:15","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675706":{"id":"675706","type":"image","title":"School of Physics Professor Ignacio Taboada has been awarded over $1.5 million in funding to build P-ONE\u2019s sensor trigger system.","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Physics Professor Ignacio Taboada has been awarded over $1.5 million in funding to build P-ONE\u2019s sensor trigger system.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1732210813","gmt_created":"2024-11-21 17:40:13","changed":"1732210813","gmt_changed":"2024-11-21 17:40:13","alt":"School of Physics Professor Ignacio Taboada has been awarded over $1.5 million in funding to build P-ONE\u2019s sensor trigger system.","file":{"fid":"259361","name":"ignacio_taboada.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/ignacio_taboada_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/11\/21\/ignacio_taboada_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":170273,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/11\/21\/ignacio_taboada_0.png?itok=M9oPB7ud"}}},"media_ids":["675706"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.pacific-neutrino.org\/","title":"Visit the P-ONE website."}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}