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A Search for Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrinos: Data Analysis of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, Third Flight

Stafford, Samuel J
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6282-9979
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500417877886765

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Physics.
Ultra-high Energy (UHE) neutrinos represent an increasingly important messenger in astronomy and astrophysics. The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment campaign utilizes a balloon-borne phased antenna array to detect coherent Cherenkov radio-frequency pulses induced by UHE neutrinos interacting with the Antarctic ice. We analyzed the data from the third ANITA flight (ANITA-III) for evidence of Ultra-high energy neutrinos by augmenting interferometric methods used in analyses of previous ANITA flights. Continuous wave (CW) radio content from ground-based Antarctic habitations and orbiting geostationary communications satellites interferes with the detection and analysis of neutrino-induced radio signals; we developed circular polarization analysis methods to facilitate improved rejection of false positives induced by satellite CW. We also developed new methods of calculating signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of event waveforms, and enhanced event localization by applying a probability distribution function (PDF) based on the measured resolution of our interferometry. We developed a final linear discriminant cut for rejecting thermal and anthropogenic signals by dividing the continent into equal-area bins and optimizing the cut to each individual bin, so as to obtain the strongest possible the upper limit on cosmic neutrino flux.
James Beatty, PhD (Advisor)
John Beacom, PhD (Committee Member)
Amy Connolly, PhD (Committee Member)
Richard Kass, PhD (Committee Member)
187 p.
Astrophysics; Physics
neutrinos; interferometry; radio; antarctica; ANITA; antarctic impulsive transient antenna; ultra high energy neutrinos; astroparticle physics; askaryan;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stafford, S. J. (2017). A Search for Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrinos: Data Analysis of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, Third Flight [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500417877886765

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stafford, Samuel. A Search for Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrinos: Data Analysis of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, Third Flight. 2017. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500417877886765.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stafford, Samuel. "A Search for Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrinos: Data Analysis of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, Third Flight." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500417877886765

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1500417877886765
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.