Hyper-Kamiokande detector and its capabilities in astrophysical neutrino search

Abstract

Abstract Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) is a next generation underground large water Cherenkov detector. Its tank will be filled with 260000 metric tons of ultra-pure water with a fiducial volume of 0.19 Mtons, which is about 8 times larger than that of its predecessor Super-Kamiokande. In its water volume, Cherenkov light will be produced by neutrino interactions and detected by newly developed photo sensors installed in a dedicated frame. Two different kinds of photo-detectors systems are considered for Hyper-K: 20-inch PMT and multi-PMT (mPMT). In particular, the mPMT system consists of a pressure sealed vessel with 19 3-inch PMTs installed inside. This configuration was implemented for the first time in the KM3NeT experiment, and has been demonstrated to improve the Hyper-K physics capabilities [1, 2]. Hyper-K will be located in the Kamioka mine (Japan), where a dedicated cavern under a 600m-high mountain is being excavated for the installation of the detector. With its fruitful physics research program, Hyper-K will play a highly significant role in the next neutrino physics frontier, in particular for the CP violation, and including the neutrino astrophysics program, providing important information from its measurements. The physics potential of the Hyper-K neutrino astrophysics program will be discussed in this contribution.