Begin forwarded message:
From: TOSCANO Simona via Seminars-iihe <seminars-iihe@listserv.vub.be>
Subject: [Seminars-iihe] IIHE Invited seminar: Fiber optic hydrophones for acoustic neutrino detection - Friday April 17 at 2PM
Date: 13 April 2026 at 11:04:08 CEST
To: allusers-iihe <allusers-iihe@listserv.vub.ac.be>, "seminars-iihe@listserv.vub.be" <seminars-iihe@listserv.vub.be>
Cc: Ernst-Jan Buis <ebuis@nikhef.nl>
Reply-To: TOSCANO Simona <simona.toscano@ulb.be>
Dear all,_______________________________________________
This week we have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Ernst-Jan Buis from Nikhef. Dr. Buis will discuss his research work and progress on fiber-optic hydrophones for acoustic detection of UHE neutrinos.The seminar will take place in the J. Sacton Room this Friday, April 17th, at 2:00 PM.
Please find further details below:
*********************************************
Title: Fiber optic hydrophones for acoustic neutrino detection
Abstract: The scientific potential for detecting cosmic neutrinos with energies at or above the GZK cut-off—the energy limit for cosmic rays due to interactions with the cosmic microwave background—has been extensively discussed in the literature. The recent observation of a very high-energy event by the KM3NeT telescope has further fueled this discussion, as it may represent the first detection of a GZK neutrino. However, despite this remarkable result, the extremely low expected flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos (Eν > 1018 eV) clearly indicates that their detection will require a telescope with an effective volume exceeding 100 km3.
Acoustic detection offers a promising approach for observing these ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos. The sound waves generated by their energy deposition in the deep sea can propagate over many kilometers with little attenuation, making it feasible to instrument a vast volume of water for neutrino detection. Achieving this requires the development of acoustic detection technologies capable of supporting a large-scale, deep-sea sensor network.
Fiber-optic hydrophone technology stands out as a promising candidate for such a network, combining the necessary sensitivity to detect the faint acoustic signals from neutrino interactions with the potential for cost-effective large-scale deployment. Nikhef is actively developing this fiber-optic hydrophone technology to meet the sensitivity and operational requirements of deep-sea environments.
In this presentation, I will report on the progress of the hydrophone development and outline the plans toward a future acoustic neutrino telescope — opening a window to explore the universe beyond the GZK horizon.
**************************************
As always, I look forward to a well-attended seminar and to seeing many of you on Friday!Simona.
Dr. Simona Toscano (she / her / hers)Université Libre de Bruxelles
Inter-university Institute for High Energies (IIHE)
Service de physique de particules élémentaires, ULB - CP 230Boulevard du Triomphe - 1050 Bruxelles (Belgium)Office : G.0.16 tel: +32.(0)2.629.3216Email: stoscano@ulb.be or toscano@icecube.wisc.edu
Seminars-iihe mailing list -- seminars-iihe@listserv.vub.be
To unsubscribe send an email to seminars-iihe-leave@listserv.vub.be