AMANDA

Overview

AMANDA is a large neutrino telescope that consists of numerous large photomultiplier tubes deployed deep in the antarctic ice-cap. As of 1999, a total of 422 optical modules were deployed on 13 strings from 1150-2350m depth throughout a cylinder of 100m radius, with a majority between 1500-2000m within a 60m radius. Another 6 strings were added to AMANDA during the 1999-2000 summer season to complete the outermost 100m circle. The SPASE2 air-shower array consisting of 120 scintillator modules spread over a 100m radius is situated 370m away on the surface, which provides a tagged muon beam for AMANDA calibrations and provides a unique opportunity for a combined experiment to investigate the composition of cosmic rays at energies around the knee of the spectrum.

Related Activities at Bartol

• Tom Gaisser and Todor Stanev, Faculty - Improvement of SIBYLL interaction model incorporating most recent physics data, with the hard work of Research Scientist Ralf Engel. Merged the MOCCA Air Cerenkov program of Michael Hillas with the SIBYLL interaction model to simulate all components of air showers measurable by SPASE-AMANDA: muons, electrons at surface, and air Cerenkov photons. Calculations of atmospheric muon and neutrino fluxes.
• Glenn Spiczak, Research Scientist - Analyzing 1997-1999 SPASE2 data using improved, combined Leeds/Bartol, analysis code. Air shower simulations using HEMAS (in past) and now CASC and MOCCA shower generation codes with SIBYLL interaction model. Simulation of SPASE2 detector response and output of events in f2000 format. Input of simulated SPASE2 events into AMANDA using Siegmund and Amasim packages developed at DESY and U. of Wisconsin. Simulation of AMANDA response to SPASE2 events. Comparing AMANDA muon tomography results from SPASE1 and SPASE2 with official South Pole site survey data. Tracking South Pole atmospheric parameters and investigating correlations with data. Communication with winterovers (Darryn and Mike) to deal with SPASE2 data transfer, daily diagnostics, and trouble shooting. Simulations for IceTop, a square kilometer surface array of frozen pools to be integrated with IceCube, a cubic kilometer scale neutrino detector proposed for the South Pole.
• Xinhua Bai, Postdoctoral Fellow - South Pole winterover scientist during 1999 season, now a Postdoc of Todor Stanev at Bartol. Performed muon tomography scan of AMANDA using SPASE1 muons and combined with SPASE2 scan in order to get absolute 3-dimensional locations of all AMANDA optical modules. Simulations for IceTop, a square kilometer surface array of frozen pools to be integrated with IceCube, a cubic kilometer scale neutrino detector proposed for the South Pole.
• Tim Miller, former Research Scientist - No longer working at Bartol...new position on research staff at the Institute for Defense Analysis. Analyzed SPASE2-AMANDA coincidences during the 1997 and 1998 VULCAN top notch period. Worked on constructing a parameter from the AMANDA f2000 data proportional to number of muons, using both ADC and Nhit information. Input of simulated SPASE2 events into AMANDA using Siegmund and Amasim packages developed at DESY and U. of Wisconsin. Simulation of AMANDA response to SPASE2 events. Performed muon tomography scan of AMANDA using SPASE2 muons. Internal reports regarding AMANDA-A 1997-98 season calibrations, current composition analysis status, muon survey of AMANDA-B optical module positions, etc. are on the AMANDA page.
• Katie Rochester, Graduate Student (Leeds, UK) - Working an analysis of 1997-1999 VULCAN air Cerenkov telescope data combined with information from AMANDA. Implementation of a combined track fit using information from both experiments for improving accuracy. Air shower/Air Cherenkov simulations using MOCCA/SIBYLL. Plans to finish thesis in 2000.
• Jim Hinton, former Graduate Student (Leeds, UK) - Modified the output of MOCCA simulation package to f2000 format for compatibility with all AMANDA simulation packages. Completed thesis on analysis and simulation of VULCAN air Cerenkov telescope data. Now working as a postdoc on Auger at Leeds...headed to U. of Chicago in March, 2000.