In-ice radio signatures of cosmic ray particle cascades
宇宙线粒子级联在冰内的射电特征
To detect ultra-high-energy neutrinos, experiments such as the Askaryan Radio Array and the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland target the radio emission induced by these particles as they cascade in the ice. This is done by, amongst others, using deep in-ice antennas at the South Pole or in Greenland. A crucial step towards this goal is the characterization of the in-ice radio emission from cosmic-ray─induced particle showers. These showers form a primary background for neutrino searches, but can also be used to validate the detection principle and provide calibration signals for in-ice radio detectors. In this work, we use the Monte-Carlo framework FAERIE to perform the first characterization of cosmic ray signals with simulations that incorporate both their in-air and in-ice emissions. We investigate cosmic ray signatures such as their radiation energy, timing, polarization, and frequency spectrum and quantify how they depend on shower properties. These results provide key guidelines for cosmic-ray identification and cosmic-ray/neutrino discrimination in future in-ice radio experiments.
展开 ▾首次统一模拟空气和冰内辐射,揭示冰内成分高频占优、径向极化,空气成分低频占优、水平极化,并给出双脉冲事件的空间分布和比率,为宇宙线/中微子识别提供崭新观测标志。
既往研究如de Vries+ 2016预测了宇宙线空气簇射在Askaryan探测器的信号,De Kockere+ 2022模拟了冰内级联,随后De Kockere+ 2024开发了FAERIE框架以实现空气-冰内统一模拟。本文首次对宇宙线粒子级联的射电能量、频谱、极化、深度依赖及双脉冲等特征进行系统刻画,为ARA、RNO-G等实验提供了鉴别宇宙线背景和中微子信号的重要观测依据,ARA Collaboration 2025已报告首批冰内宇宙线射电信号。未来,利用信号幅度对深度的敏感依赖可有效排除远距离人工噪声RNO-G collaboration 2025,而双脉冲事件有望成为宇宙线的标志性特征,助推中微子探测灵敏度的提升。
预印本 2026-01-10 · 刊出 2026-07-04 · 收录 2026-07-22