Unveiling the Ultra-High Energy Universe with Neutrinos

Clark, Brian Allen, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

Brian Clark is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at Michigan State University. He will study very light, very penetrating subatomic particles called neutrinos. In particular, his work will involve designing and implementing searches for ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos by detecting the faint radio signal produced when a neutrino interacts with the Earth. He will develop techniques for extracting important information from detected neutrinos, such as their energy, the direction in the universe they came from, and the type of neutrino, called neutrino flavor. He will work with existing neutrino detectors at the South Pole and help to develop a future larger Radio Neutrino Observatory. Alongside this research, he will mentor undergraduate students who are involved in a summer research program. He will supervise research projects related to his work and will guide the students in their professional development. The project, if successful, will yield the detection of Ultra-High Energy (UHE) neutrinos, which, like gravitational waves, are probes of processes hidden to electromagnetic radiation, and it would thus advance the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea. The proposed scientific program will generate the world's most sensitive search for a diffuse flux of neutrinos with energies above 100 PeV, and potentially lead to the first observation of UHE neutrinos. Energy reconstruction will allow a precise measurement of the flux of UHE neutrinos and determine their overall spectrum. Direction reconstruction will enable a search for point sources, and flavor determination will make possible tests of neutrino oscillations on cosmic-scale baselines. The educational component of his work will be to advise and mentor young researchers through an established summer research program, thus helping to promote a more capable and diverse STEM workforce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.