Title of Abstract: Modelling Ultra-High-Energy Neutrino Experiments to Resolve Anomalous Data
Name of Mentor: Jeffrey Hyde
Mentor’s Organization or Department: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bowdoin College
Research Abstract: Neutrinos are an important particle in modern astrophysics because they have the potential to shine a light on some of the most obscure and distant astrophysical events. Ultra-high-energy (UHE) neutrinos, while interesting, are rare and difficult to detect. Therefore our understanding of their properties and origins is limited. My project looks at two recent UHE events detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), whose origins are unclear. I simulated a dark matter explanation to see how future experiments like POEMMA could differentiate between that and a less exotic explanation for the anomalous events. By calculating the expected flux of UHE neutrinos, I showed that there would have to be a significant disparity in POEMMA’s and ANITA’s detections.
Kathryn McGinnis ’21