Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme
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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik
T 17: Neutrino Astronomy I
T 17.4: Talk
Monday, March 16, 2026, 17:00–17:15, KS H C
Downward ultra-high-energy neutrino detection in the atmosphere with radio antenna at the ground-based observatories — •Yue Baobiao for the Pierre Auger collaboration — Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Ultra-high-energy (UHE) neutrinos are unique cosmic messengers offering direct insight into the most energetic processes in the universe. Radio detection promises significant advantages for detecting highly inclined air showers induced by UHE neutrinos, including a larger exposure range compared to particle detectors, which is due to minimal atmospheric attenuation of radio signals combined with good reconstruction precision. Furthermore, this technique improves the air shower longitudinal reconstruction, which can be used to identify neutrinos with their first interaction far below the top of the atmosphere. In this work, we present a method to reconstruct the radio emission maximum (Xmaxradio) and demonstrate its power in distinguishing deeply developing neutrino-induced showers from background cosmic rays. Using the Pierre Auger Observatory as a case study, we evaluate the detection efficiency of the νe-CC, and the resulting effective area. Our results show that radio detection significantly enhances the sensitivity to very inclined showers above 1 EeV, complementing traditional particle detectors. This technique is highly scalable and applicable to future radio observatories such as GRAND. The proposed reconstruction and identification strategy provides a pathway toward achieving the sensitivity needed to detect UHE neutrinos. *Supported by BMBF Verbundforschung Astroteilchenphysik (Vorhaben 05A23PX1)
Keywords: Astrophysical neutrinos; Ultra-High-Energy neutrino; radio antenna; air shower reconstruction; UHE neutrino identification