STRAW (STRings for Absorption length in Water): pathfinder for a neutrino telescope in the deep Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Recently, an opportunity for a pathfinder mission towards a new neutrino telescope appeared in the Pacific Ocean. An existing deep-sea electrooptical infrastructure maintained by Ocean Networks Canada could pose as the base towards a potential new large-volume neutrino telescope. Two groups from Technical University Munich and the University of Alberta pursued the optical characterization of the 2.6 km deep site calledCascada Basinwithin the scope of the “Strings for Absorption length in Water” (STRAW) project. We present a summary of the 1-year construction timeline, impressions of the detector performance and first results.