Application form
National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities
2011
KM3NeT: The next generation neutrino telescope
With this proposal we request to maintain KM3NeT on the National Roadmap for Large-Scale
Research Facilities. At present, we do not request funding. We plan to submit a funding request at
the next available opportunity to balance the foreseen Dutch contribution to the construction of
KM3NeT, to purchase computing hardware for the real-time processing of the data and to
construct a temperature-sensor array for oceanographic research.
National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities
Contents
General information ............................................................................................................ 1
Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 3
Research proposal ............................................................................................................... 4
1
Science case ................................................................................................................ 4
2
Talent case .................................................................................................................. 9
3
Innovation case ......................................................................................................... 10
4
Partnership case ........................................................................................................ 11
5
Business case ............................................................................................................ 12
6
Technical case ........................................................................................................... 15
7
Possible focus for the Netherlands ................................................................................ 19
8
Critical mass.............................................................................................................. 19
9
Embedding ................................................................................................................ 20
10 Proven willingness to collaborate .................................................................................. 20
11 Reflection of social trends ........................................................................................... 21
Timetable......................................................................................................................... 22
Declaration and signature .................................................................................................. 24
Photograph of the launcher vehicle developed by NIOZ for KM3NeT on board the ship Meteor
(cruise organised by H. van Haren with participants from Nikhef, 24 January-6 February 2011).
National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities
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2 Research proposal
3 Timetable
4 Declaration/signature
General information
Kind of proposal
Progress report (type 4)
Main applicant
Title(s)
First name
Initials
Surname
Address for
correspondence
Telephone number
Fax
Email
Website
Prof.dr.
Maarten
M.
de Jong
FOM-Nikhef
Science park 105
1098 XG Amsterdam
+31 20 5922121
+31 20 5925155
mjg@nikhef.nl
www.nikhef.nl
(male)
Co-applicants
1.
Title(s)
First name
Initials
Surname
Address for
correspondence
Telephone number
Fax
Email
Website
2.
Title(s)
First name
Initials
Surname
Address for
correspondence
Telephone number
Fax
Email
Dr.
Hans
H.
van Haren
NIOZ
Landsdiep 4
1797 SZ Texel
+31 222 369451
+31 222 319674
hansvh@nioz.nl
www.nioz.nl
(male)
Dr.
Els
E.
de Wolf
University of Amsterdam
Science park 904
1098 XH Amsterdam
+31 20 5925123
+31 20 5925155
e.dewolf@uva.nl
(female)
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Abstract
Summary
KM3NeT1 is a large international effort with a challenging and compelling objective: The discovery
of neutrino sources in the Universe. The strong scientific case of KM3NeT has been recognised in
national and European roadmaps, including those of ApPEC 2 and ESFRI3. The infrastructure it
requires will be shared by a multitude of other sciences, making continuous and long-term
measurements in the area of oceanography, geophysics, and marine biological sciences possible.
The feasibility of neutrino astronomy with a detector in the deep sea was proved by the successful
deployment and operation of the Antares prototype detector. Nikhef is one of the co-founders of
KM3NeT and has contributed several cost-effective design innovations which have been adopted in
the final technical solution for the telescope. These design innovations have attracted interest from
industries in the field of telecommunications, deep-sea technology and light sensing. As such, this
project fits well in the top sector “High-tech systems and materials” defined by the Dutch
government. Today, the technical design has converged and the choice for a remotely operated
distributed telescope network has been made. The legal framework of the consortium is imminent
and the funds to start the construction are anticipated. With this proposal we request to maintain
KM3NeT on the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities. At present, we do not
request additional funding. Following acquisition of sufficient funds by partners in the consortium,
we will submit a funding request at the next available opportunity to balance the foreseen Dutch
contribution to the construction of KM3NeT, to purchase computing hardware for the real-time
processing of the data, and to construct a temperature-sensor array for oceanographic research.
This will make the Dutch financial contribution to the construction of the infrastructure
commensurate with the Dutch input to the design. In line with the Dutch contribution to Antares,
we will also accomplish a key component of the facility at a moderate cost. Finally, we will
augment the synergy between astro-particle physics and oceanographic research. To implement
the legal framework necessary for the continuation of the KM3NeT project in a timely manner, we
will use part of the available budget for setting up the KM3NeT headquarters in the Netherlands.
The real scientific promise of KM3NeT is in the realm of genuine discoveries, thereby establishing
neutrino astronomy as a new, viable and exciting field of research.
Summary of the research proposal in layman’s terms
The prime objective of this proposal is the scientific capitalization of the next generation neutrino
telescope: KM3NeT. Unlike traditional telescopes, KM3NeT will detect neutrinos and not light.
The detection of neutrinos from the cosmos will break new grounds in the study of various frontier
questions in science such as those related to the origin of cosmic rays, the mechanism of
astrophysical particle acceleration and the birth of relativistic jets in the Universe.
Key words
• astro-particle physics,
• neutrino telescope,
• oceanographic research,
• deep-sea technology,
• information technology.
1
2
3
A km3 sized Neutrino Telescope
Astro-particle Physics European Coordination
European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures
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Research proposal
1 Science case
KM3NeT is a deep-sea research infrastructure to be constructed in the Mediterranean Sea hosting
the next generation neutrino telescope. The infrastructure will be shared by a multitude of other
sciences, making continuous and long-term measurements in the area of oceanography,
geophysics, and marine biological sciences possible. An overview of the science case can be found
in the Conceptual Design Report (1), the Technical Design Report (2) and an earlier proposal for
which funding was granted (3). In the following, a brief introduction to the field and the scientific
focus of this proposal are presented.
1.1 Neutrino astronomy
The study of cosmic neutrinos is a key component in the field of astro-particle physics. The fruitful
interplay between astrophysics and accelerator-based particle physics is exemplified by the
resolution of the so-called solar neutrino problem. The potential of a neutrino telescope became
evident in 1987. Eighteen hours before the arrival of the light flash from a supernova, a handful of
neutrinos was detected by chance, establishing the neutrino as a viable cosmic messenger. For
more than hundred years, a third cosmic messenger is known to exist. Protons and nuclei of
ordinary matter emanating from the Universe spark off a sudden shower of particles in the Earth’s
atmosphere. These particle showers are commonly referred to as cosmic rays. The cosmic
neutrinos detected so far have energies up to a few tens of MeV. They are not the subject of this
proposal. The angular resolution of the telescope would then be limited to 10 degrees or so. With
the advent of a new generation of high-energy neutrino telescopes, the study of cosmic neutrinos
with an angular resolution of about 0.2 degrees has become possible. This corresponds to about
half of the apparent size of the Sun on the sky. The realisation of this perspective started in
Europe with the successful deployment and operation of a prototype detector built by the Antares
collaboration of which Nikhef is a long-standing member (http://antares.in2p3.fr). Today, many
high-energy neutrino sources have been proposed, ranging from supernova remnants in our
Galaxy to gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). It is expected that high-energy cosmic neutrinos will be
detected for the first time by large neutrino telescopes, such as KM3NeT, in the next decade
(http://km3net.org).
Supernova remnants
It is often advocated that the observed high-energy gamma rays from supernova remnants are
produced by inverse Compton scattering. In this process, a high-energy electron exchanges energy
with a low-energy photon. However, an alternative production mechanism has been suggested
based on the production and subsequent decay of neutral pions. Pions are short-lived particles and
constitute the family of the lightest hadrons (i.e. particles that are sensitive to the strong nuclear
force). At present, neither of the two production mechanisms can be excluded. The neutral pions
are naturally accompanied by charged pions that decay predominantly to neutrinos. The flux of
neutrinos can then be calculated on the basis of the observed flux of gamma rays and well known
particle physics. Detection of these neutrinos will confirm the hadronic origin of high-energy
gamma rays. It is generally believed that the pions are produced by interactions of protons or
nuclei that are accelerated to very high energies. After travelling through our Galaxy for millions of
years, some of these protons will eventually hit the Earth’s atmosphere producing a shower of
particles known as cosmic rays. So far, it has not been possible to identify the origin of cosmic rays
because the protons and nuclei are either deflected on their way to Earth by (inter-)galactic
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magnetic fields or are stopped by the cosmic microwave background. Detection of neutrinos would
not only resolve the question of the production mechanisms of high-energy gamma rays but also
pinpoint the origin of cosmic rays. During the International Cosmic Ray Conference (August 11-18
2011 in Beijing, China), the importance of detecting neutrinos from supernova remnants was
emphasized by several keynote speakers.
Progress
In the study of cosmic neutrinos, there is a small but inevitable background due to neutrinos that
are produced in the Earth’s atmosphere by interactions of cosmic rays. For point sources, this
background scales with the square of the angular resolution. In an analysis led by Nikhef, the
angular resolution of the Antares prototype detector was determined and found to be 0.4 degrees
(4). This not only shows that one can cope with the optical background due to Potassium decays
and bioluminescence but also confirms the superior properties of water compared to ice. The skymap of the observed neutrinos is shown in Figure 1. Simulations of the detector response indicate
that with KM3NeT an angular resolution of 0.1 degrees can be reached. Based on commonly
accepted models, this implies that the observation of a neutrino signal from supernova remnants
could be made within three years.
Figure 1: Sky-map of neutrinos observed with the Antares prototype detector. The horizontal line
in the middle coincides with the Galactic plane. The red stars correspond to potential neutrino
sources. The colour coding represents the field of view of the detector.
Competition
The geographic location and the envisaged size of KM3NeT make it ideal to observe supernova
remnants in our Galaxy. One may argue that this is the Raison d’être of KM3NeT. The IceCube
detector is already operational (http://icecube.wisc.edu). So, any discovery by IceCube can be
followed up by an independent observation with improved angular resolution and larger statistics
within a reasonable amount of time. But IceCube is located on the South Pole and has
consequently limited access to the centre of our Galaxy, giving way to KM3NeT to be the first to
observe high-energy cosmic neutrinos.
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Real-time computing
As a first step towards a large neutrino telescope, the Antares collaboration has built a prototype
detector. Major contributions of Nikhef to this project include the “all-data-to-shore” readout
system. In this system, the rare neutrino signal is filtered on shore from the background using a
farm of commodity PCs and state-of-the-art software (the signal-to-noise ratio is about 10–8 at the
primary light sensor). The software developments have been realised by Nikhef. This software is
now fully operational in the Antares experiment. This achievement changed the picture
dramatically: the readout system has become a seminal part of the astro-particle physics
programme with a neutrino telescope. It is obvious, but worth noting, that the faster the software
data filter is, the more physics can be done with the same instrument.
The concept of a software based data filter was established for the relatively small Antares
neutrino telescope. For the much larger KM3NeT neutrino telescope, massive parallel computing
will be necessary. The anticipated data throughput poses tough requirements on the performance
of the system. Therefore, simulations have to be made to study the data traffic through the
system. The rare neutrino signal needs to be filtered real-time. Hence, all processes in the system
have to keep up with the high input rate. New pattern recognition algorithms will be developed to
exploit fully the detection capabilities of the neutrino telescope.
Progress
The Antares neutrino telescope is the first neutrino telescope that uses the gamma-ray burst
(GRB) warning systems in the manner for which they are meant. As all raw data are sent to shore,
they can be buffered before being processed. In case of a GRB alert, the data that are still in the
memory of the PCs and all digital data taken during and following the burst can be saved on disk
and analysed offline with designated software. In this way, one can look before, during and after
the GRB for a correlated neutrino signal. This offers a unique opportunity to study the early phase
of a GRB with the best possible sensitivity. A recent development realised by Nikhef is a direction
sensitive data filter. In principle, if the direction of the incident neutrino is known, one can lower
the detection threshold. However, this idea is virtually impossible to implement in hardware.
Instead, a software solution has been implemented for the Antares detector. The latest
achievement shows that one can track an astrophysical source continuously and thus detect a
neutrino signal with the best possible sensitivity. As an example, the sensitivity of the KM3NeT
telescope to supernova remnants in our Galaxy and to GRBs will be greatly enhanced.
1.2 Oceanography
The KM3NeT infrastructure offers important opportunities for oceanographic studies. Deep-sea,
long-term and high-resolution observations are rare, because most oceanographic instrumentation
operate stand-alone and are thus limited by their power supply and memory capacity. Once a
deep–sea station with a permanent connection to the shore is available, continuous monitoring is
possible. With KM3NeT, the Netherlands will embark on an extended program of oceanographic
and marine–geological measurements. The continuous monitoring of the deep sea may also
provide invaluable data in the context of climate research.
Internal waves
The behaviour of deep-sea internal waves is a key component in the study of many deep-sea
processes including animal life. Internal waves are important for the redistribution of heat and
material as they are the main source of turbulence when they overturn and break. The presence of
animals and their activities depend on these ambient motions of deep-sea water. Some animals
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emit light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence, which in the deep-sea occurs mainly at the
quantum level. The unique feature of the KM3NeT facility is the possibility to measure continuously
and over a long time period both the light from bioluminescence and the internal waves at
unprecedented high sampling rates. These measurements will contribute significantly to a better
understanding of deep-sea life.
Progress
For the implementation of oceanographic instruments in the KM3NeT deep-sea structure, several
test-measurements have been performed. Two scientific cruises were undertaken, a year apart, in
the Ionian Sea (5) (6). The purpose of these cruises was to perform several test-deployments to
validate a new technique using launching vehicles for oceanographic instruments and telescope
components and to do background measurements of various oceanographic parameters in the area
of the targeted KM3NeT sites in the Ionian Sea, off-shore Porto Palo di Capo Passero, Italy and offshore Pylos, Greece. Between the cruises, two moorings, one on each site, with current meters,
optical sensors and thermistors were deployed for one year of observations. These measurements
have contributed to a better understanding of the variations in various parameters and the internal
wave field. A first paper on the local deep internal wave field has recently been submitted for
publication (7). It reveals a permanent variability of very small (few 0.001C) temperature
variations carried by very big internal waves of about 100 m in amplitude (see Figure 2). The
deep-sea trenches were found to be highly dynamic and not quiescent, as one may have expected.
Figure 2: One-and-a-half day composite of vertical excursions computed using vertical current
data and 10-s smoothed thermistor-observations (101 sensors, one every 1 m) relative to
adiabatic lapse rate (note the total range of 800 K).
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1.3 Outlook
The progress made with Antares and the first results obtained with new oceanographic
measurements signify a potential gain of the science case of KM3NeT. To capitalize on this
potential gain, we plan to submit a funding request to purchase computing hardware for the realtime processing of the data and to construct a large volume temperature-sensor array. In this
way, we will accomplish a key component of the facility at a moderate cost and augment the
synergy between astro-particle physics and oceanographic research.
Bibliography
1. KM3NeT. Conceptual Design Report. 2008. ISBN 978-90-6488-031-5.
2. KM3NeT. Technical Design Report. 2011. ISBN 978-90-6488-033-9.
3. Linde, F., et al. KM3NeT: The next generation neutrino telescope. s.l. : NWO, 2008. 184.021.004.
4. First Search for Point Sources of High Energy Cosmic Neutrinos with the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope. AdrianMartinez, S., et al. submitted, Astrophys.J.L.
5. van Haren, H. Cruise report KM3NeT09: R/V Pelagia cruise 64PE316, 13-19 December 2009. s.l. : NIOZ, 2010.
6. van Haren, H. Cruise report KM3NeT11: R/V Meteor cruise M83/4, 24 January-06 February 2011. s.l. : NIOZ,
2011.
7. Large internal waves advection in very weakly stratified deep Mediterranean waters. van Haren, H. and
Gostiaux, L. submitted, Geophys. Res. Lett.
8. NIOZ3: independent temperature sensors sampling yearlong data at a rate of 1 Hz. van Haren, H., et al. 2009,
IEEE J. Ocean. Eng., 34, pp. 315-322.
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2 Talent case
With KM3NeT, one can become the first person to witness the birth of a relativistic jet and to
unravel the mystery of particle acceleration in the cosmos. This in itself will form the main
attractiveness of the facility for the world-wide community of astro-particle physicists. In addition,
the KM3NeT facility will host a network of cabled observatories in the Mediterranean Sea with a
wide array of dedicated instruments for oceanographic, geophysical and marine biological
research. These two aspects of the KM3NeT facility brought together scientists and engineers from
the respective fields of research, resulting in a large international collaboration.
Brain gain
Two national institutes participate in KM3NeT: Nikhef, the National Institute for Subatomic Physics,
and NIOZ, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research. Nikhef is a joint venture of the Dutch
funding agency FOM and four universities of which the University of Amsterdam takes part in this
proposal. The collaboration between Nikhef, NIOZ and KVI resulted in a sizeable group, consisting
on the whole of 8 senior scientists, 3 post-docs, 6 PhD students and 15 engineers. Each partner is
also member of the Antares collaboration. The group is leading in the analysis of the Antares data
(one of the members of the group is the principle author of the first paper on neutrino astronomy,
two other members are leading Antares analysis groups). This paved the way for the Dutch
contribution to the design of the KM3NeT facility. The group is well recognised for its scientific and
technical contribution to the realisation of KM3NeT (one of the members of the group was chief
editor of the Conceptual Design Report and the Technical Design Report, two other members of the
group are coordinators in the EU funded Preparatory Phase study). The group attracts students
from the Master’s programme “Particle and Astro-particle physics” of the University of Amsterdam,
VU University Amsterdam and the national research school for subatomic physics and from the
Master’s programmes in astronomy in the Netherlands. In addition, PhD students from abroad visit
the group to work on joint analyses and to acquire knowledge. The combination of access to
Antares data and the perspective of the realisation of the KM3NeT facility as the next generation
neutrino telescope provides grounds for a sustainable activity in the field. At the University of
Amsterdam, KM3NeT is one of the major experimental pillars of the recently established astroparticle physics spearhead programme, GRAPPA. This provides the permanent link between the
KM3NeT facility and the students and faculty level researchers from both inside and outside the
Netherlands. The KM3NeT facility will be distributed over several locations in the Mediterranean.
Remote operation of the facility and high-bandwidth access to data allow centralising both the
operational tasks and the analysis activities in the same place. Nikhef hosts one of the major
internet nodes in Europe providing world-wide high-bandwidth connectivity. Experience with the
Antares telescope has shown that the presence of a large research group and high-bandwidth
connectivity attracts international scientists even if the facility is not in the vicinity.
Education
The field attracts bright students. More than half of them pursues a career in industry after
graduating. They are typically engaged in high-tech industries, such as electronics, imaging and
networking, or move into R&D, data analysis or computing support departments of major
corporations and health organisations. In the joint venture, Nikhef plays a central role in
education. Its research school for subatomic physics (OSAF) organises topical lectures for PhD
students, the Master’s programme “Particle and Astroparticle Physics” and seminars with invited
speakers. In collaboration with physicists from Belgium and Germany, it organises the BND
summer school on experimental high-energy physics. Together with Dutch universities, NIOZ
organises courses for PhD students and master students in the marine sciences. Through the
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award winning HiSparc project, high-schools students are introduced to the science of cosmic rays
(http://www.hisparc.nl). For the youngest, one of the proponents of this proposal initiated the
“Techniek Toernooi”. It is organised yearly since the world year of physics (2005) and now attracts
more than 1000 children in the age group from 4 to 12 years (http://www.techniektoernooi.nl).
3 Innovation case
KM3NeT is positioned in the heart of fundamental, curiosity driven, research. Exploration of the
Universe through the detection of neutrinos in itself has no immediate application in industry, but
the harsh environment of the deep sea and the high cost of maintenance have been a driving force
for design innovations. To stimulate the required innovations, several cooperative efforts are
taking place with industry. The wealth of data that will be collected offers a rich source for
analyses which will inevitably lead to new insights in astro-particle physics, astronomy,
oceanography and possibly climate research. This will trigger the development and construction of
new deep-sea infrastructures, continuing the push for innovations. The most important
contribution to society is to satisfy mankind’s curiosity in the workings of the Universe and the
relevance of neutrinos that travel through the Universe and that would otherwise pass the Earth
without being noticed.
Top sector: high-tech systems and materials
In conjunction with CIP Ltd, a novel fibre-optic network has been designed. The size of KM3NeT is
sufficiently large to warrant the development of automated production techniques for the new
components. In due time, these components could fulfil the fibre-to-the-home demand. A new kind
of glass-transit invented at Nikhef has attracted interest from companies specialised in deep-sea
instrumentation, e.g. for off-shore. The low power high-voltage generator for photo-multiplier
tubes developed at Nikhef has the potential to become a standard component in photo-sensoring,
e.g. in medical devices or devices for homeland security. The thermistors that have been
developed at NIOZ are presently the world’s highest-performance stand-alone temperature
sensors for oceanographic research. They could expand the market for deep-sea data loggers with
research-grade performance. The remote operation of a network of deep-sea nodes with highbandwidth connections to shore and large scale real-time computing provides for a testing ground
of future large distributed systems, such as those being developed for seismic detection of oil or
gas reservoirs. In summary, this project fits well in the top sector “high-tech systems and
materials” defined by the Dutch government.
Society
The remote operation of the facility and the fast access to computer centres around Europe make
it possible to operate the detector and analyse data from home. This allows scientists with various
kinds of constraints to contribute to the research at top-level. It is planned to make KM3NeT a
CO2-neutral facility, using wind or solar energy to supply the required power for the underwater
system as well as the shore station. This represents not only a cost saving, but also reflects the
policy to prevent global heating. Last but not least, neutrinos are elementary particles that interact
only weakly with matter. There are literally billions of neutrinos which pass through us every
second without being noticed. For that reason, neutrinos are often quoted as ghost particles. The
realisation of a neutrino telescope located on the bottom of the sea looking at “invisible” particles
from the Universe has a significant X-factor. The subject has appeared a number of times in
national newspapers, on radio and even on (local) TV. It is also a popular topic for public seminars.
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4 Partnership case
KM3NeT is a large international effort that has grown out of several preparatory projects in the
Mediterranean Sea, most notably the Antares experiment of which Nikhef is a long-standing
member. KM3NeT appears on national and European roadmaps, including those of ApPEC and
ESFRI. The telescope network will be positioned in the Northern hemisphere to allow for the part of
the sky for which it is sensitive to include the Galactic centre. As such, it complements the
presently largest neutrino telescope, IceCube, in sky coverage, and surpasses it in sensitivity by a
large factor. The proposed facility will surpass the present neutrino telescopes in the Northern
hemisphere in sensitivity by almost two orders of magnitudes.
Nikhef is one of the co-founders of KM3NeT. Today, the technical design has converged and the
choice for a remotely operated distributed telescope network has been made. The legal framework
of the consortium is imminent and the funds to start the construction are anticipated. The first
steps towards a legal framework are taken by establishing KM3NeT as a European Research
Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). We intend to setup the KM3NeT headquarters in the
Netherlands. The KM3NeT infrastructure will provide nodes in the EMSO network for cabled deepsea infrastructures for Earth and marine sciences. This has attracted many scientists from these
fields. Since 2008, NIOZ is a member of the Antares collaboration and the KM3NeT consortium. For
the NIOZ institute, this has strategic value, as the technology of cabled deep–sea observatories is
considered to be of prime importance for the future of oceanographic research.
In 2008, Nikhef, NIOZ and KVI submitted a joint proposal for which funding was granted (see
reference (3) in Science case). This resulted in intense cooperation between the institutes and
strengthened the position of the Netherlands within KM3NeT. To enhance this cooperation and to
capitalize on the Dutch position, we request to maintain KM3NeT on the national roadmap.
In the direction of a world-wide organisation of the neutrino telescope community (“Global
Neutrino Observatory”) joint meetings of the Antares, KM3NeT and IceCube collaborations
(MANTS) are held once a year. In addition, a workshop on possible upgrades of the IceCube
detector was held at Nikhef in spring 2011. Nikhef is also the initiator of the bi-annual series of
international workshops on very large volume neutrino telescopes (VLVnT).
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5 Business case
The foreseen total budget of the Dutch contribution to KM3NeT amounts to 24,22 M€. Previously,
8,8 M€ was granted which was matched with 7,32 M€ from the participating institutes, namely
Nikhef, NIOZ and KVI. In addition, 0,5 M€ was received from the EU. This amounts to 16,62 M€.
The remainder will be subject of a future funding request of 4,3 M€ for which the participating
institutes have already agreed the necessary matching of 3,3 M€. From the currently available
budget, 3,39 M€ has been spent on prototyping, test deployments of detector units, environmental
studies of the deep sea and pre-production runs of electronic components. This amount includes
personnel costs. The remainder of the secured budget is allocated to the construction of an
assembly line and the production of detector units during the coming years. The contribution of
KVI to KM3NeT includes testing of photo-multiplier tubes and the development of a light
concentrator ring (see section Technical case). To continue all this work, the allocated budget will
be maintained. In general, the personnel costs of the senior and junior scientists in the group are
not included in the quoted funds. In support of the Dutch contribution to KM3NeT, the participating
institutes have already committed funding for this. The cost for decommissioning of the
infrastructure is included in the running costs. We will use 0,7 M€ of the secured budget for setting
up and 3 year running of the KM3NeT headquarters. Following acquisition of sufficient funds by
partners in the consortium, we will submit a funding request at the next available opportunity to
balance the foreseen Dutch contribution to KM3NeT, to purchase computing hardware for the realtime processing of the data, and to construct a temperature-sensor array for oceanographic
research. In support of this, the applicants and the participating institutes are prepared to provide
the necessary matching.
5.1 Total cost
The foreseen total cost of the Dutch contribution is summarised in Table 1.
≤2011
2012
2013
2014
≥2015
TOTAL
prototyping
0,65
0,33
0,98
assembly site
0,10
0,74
0,84
Construction and investment cost
production of detector units
0,60
1,00
computer farm¶
oceanographic instrumentation
3,19
6,39
1,20
1,30
2,50
0,19
0,25
0,15
0,20
0,90
1,10
2,45
1,80
1,80
1,80
2,77
10,62
0,03
0,05
0,10
0,32
0,50
temperature-sensor array
¶
personnel
1,60
0,59
Running costs
common fund
Decommissioning
total
0,00
Other costs
KM3NeT headquarters¶
Total/yr
3,39
0,25
0,20
0,20
0,05
0,70
4,00
3,20
5,10
8,53
24,22
Table 1: Total cost of the Dutch contribution to KM3NeT in M€.
The entries labelled ¶ are new contributions that are explained in the text.
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Compared to the proposal for which funding has been granted (reference (3) in section Science
case), the total cost includes new contributions in the form of i) setting up and 3 year running of
the KM3NeT headquarters, ii) purchase and installation of the computer farms for the real-time
processing of the data, iii) construction of an array of temperature sensors for oceanographic
research.
KM3NeT headquarters
The instatement of the KM3NeT headquarters requires a budget of 0,7 M€. This includes the costs
for setting up the office space, the professional fees for administrative, legal and organisational
assistance, and the funding of the chief administrative officer for three years. After this, the costs
will be covered via the regular common fund contributions of the members of KM3NeT. The
Netherlands are well prepared to host an ERIC. The City of Amsterdam and the Science Park
Amsterdam are well equipped for hosting international organisations. As an example, Science Park
has been selected to host the headquarters of the European Grid Infrastructure (EGI.eu). The
Science Park is an internationally renowned centre for scientific research, education and knowledge
related business activities. It offers conference centres with various facilities for meetings and
congresses with hotels, and lunch- and dining facilities in the vicinity. Amsterdam is a very
internationally oriented city with a high quality of life and a large international community. The old
city centre, with its famous canals, is close to Science Park, offering many cultural and social
activities. Amsterdam as the gateway to Europe is well connected internationally by plane
(Amsterdam Schiphol airport is one of Europe’s largest airports), train (with high-speed trains to
Paris, Brussels, Berlin, London and Frankfurt), and by car. The cost of living is moderate compared
to other European capitals. Many local people speak English, German and French making life
convenient for foreigners. The Science Park offers a modern and well equipped location for the
KM3NeT headquarters.
Computer farm
The real-time data-filter system for the KM3NeT neutrino telescope requires a budget of 2,5 M€.
This includes costs for prototyping, purchase of hardware, transport and installation. The hardware
comprises a farm of computers as well as the necessary Ethernet switch fabric, racks and cabling.
The running costs (including power, cooling and maintenance) will be covered by the common fund
contributions of the members of KM3NeT. The required computing power has been evaluated for
the complete KM3NeT detector. This investment allows for optimisation of the signal detection
efficiency and as a result, increases the value-for-money of the entire project.
Temperature-sensor array
The large-volume array of accurate temperature sensors located both inside and outside the
telescope requires a budget of 1,1 M€. This includes costs for prototyping, acquisition of hardware,
transport and installation. The hardware comprises thermistors and other instrumentation, a
vehicle to launch the moorings outside the telescope and a wet-mateable connection to the
seafloor infrastructure of the telescope. The array will be operated parasitically to the neutrino
telescope. Running costs will be covered by the common fund contributions of the members of
KM3NeT. Cost of software developments for the interpretation of the 3D measurements are not
included and will be covered by NIOZ. After a few years of operation, the moorings may be
disconnected and recovered for use in other deep-sea areas.
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Progress
The prototyping for the neutrino telescope involves a design of the optical module, the mechanical
structure and the readout. The design of the optical module has been made by Nikhef and is
complete. The design of the readout has been worked out as well. The design of the mechanical
structure is ongoing but an alternative design has been made and validated in a joint effort by
Nikhef and NIOZ. The preparation of the assembly site has started following the completion of the
design of the optical module. The production of detector units will start after the mechanical
structure has been validated and sufficient funds have been acquired. The expenditure includes the
development of a launcher vehicle and two scientific cruises.
Risks
The total cost of the infrastructure has been worked out in the Technical Design Report (see
reference (2) in section Science case) and was estimated at 220-250 M€. This estimate is based on
the experience with Antares, offers from industry and prices of standard components. As such, the
cost risk is limited. However, such a sizeable amount requires contributions from regional,
national, and European funds. The currently secured funds are insufficient for the immediate start
of construction. At the time of this writing, proposals are being submitted in France, Greece and
Italy to acquire funding from the structural funds for regional development of the 7th Framework
Programme of the EU as well as national funds. The lack of available funds may delay the
construction of the infrastructure. A phased construction may alleviate the immediate funding but
it will also postpone the scientific results. The risks of the Dutch contribution to KM3NeT are
minimised by not requesting additional funding now and by making the future funding request
contingent on the successful acquisition of funds by the partners in the consortium.
5.2 Non-NWO contributions
The received funding from non-NWO contributions is summarised in Table 2. In this, the column
labelled “secured” includes the matching of the applicants already committed through an earlier
proposal. In 2006 the consortium received funding from the 6th Framework Programme (FP6) of
the EU for a design study. About 9 M€ was awarded to the KM3NeT design study, of which 0,65 M€
was allocated to the Netherlands, through FOM, the Dutch partner in the consortium. This amount
has not been included in Table 2. From the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) of the EU, the
consortium received 5 M€ of which 0,5 M€ was allocated to the Netherlands. This amount has been
included in column labelled “secured” of Table 2. The following columns refer to the additional
matching of the applicants anticipating the planned funding request.
secured
2012
2013
2014
≥2015
TOTAL
Nikhef
5,02
0,70
0,50
0,50
0,90
7,62
NIOZ
1,73
0,30
0,20
0,10
0,10
2,43
KVI
0,57
0,57
EU-FP7
0,50
0,50
Total/yr
7,82
1,00
0,70
0,60
1,00
Table 2: Received funding from non-NWO contribution in M€.
5.3 Requested NWO financing
We do not request funding for this proposal.
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6 Technical case
In designing a detector to be placed at the bottom of an ocean there are several difficulties that
must be addressed: (1) The ambient hydrostatic pressure; (2) The corrosive environment of the
seawater; (3) The distance from shore for the communication; (4) The force on the structure due
to the sea currents; (5) The backgrounds due to downward going muons; (6) The backgrounds
due to 40K decay. For the physical process of detecting neutrinos from sources near the Galactic
centre there are additional requirements (a) optimal angular resolution of the reconstructed muon;
combined with (b) a large sensitive area facing the Galactic centre. These issues led, during the
KM3NeT design study, to an investigation of a few feasible designs, which have been studied in
detail. After more intensive investigations during the EU funded preparatory phase study of
KM3NeT, the following optimal technical design was adopted by the consortium.
Optical module
The KM3NeT optical module has been designed by Nikhef. In this, a number of optical sensors are
housed in commonly used deep-sea pressure resistant glass instrumentation spheres (see Figure
3). The actual light sensors are 31 photo-multiplier tubes of 76 mm diameter, surrounded by a 102
mm diameter light concentrator ring developed at KVI. A custom low power (<45 mW) CockcroftWalton base provides the high voltage for the photo-multiplier tube. It includes an amplifierdiscriminator on the output. All digitizing and readout electronics is housed in the optical module.
Finally, the optical module also has instrumentation that allows for the reconstruction of its
position (acoustic piezo), determination of its orientation (compass and tilt meter) and calibration
of its timing (nano-beacon). For a given size of the detector, the number of pressure transitions in
the design is minimised. Segmenting the photocathode area allows cleaner background rejection.
The view of the module is made as uniform as possible.
Figure 3: The KM3NeT optical module. The telescope will consist of more than ten thousand of
such modules. Each optical module consists of a glass sphere with a diameter of 42 cm, housing
31 photo-multiplier tubes. The glass sphere can withstand a pressure of up to 600 bar and is
transparent for the faint light that must be detected to see neutrinos from the cosmos. The
aluminium umbrella at the top provides cooling for the electronics inside.
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The prototyping of this optical module was performed with Photonis photo-multiplier tubes.
Unfortunately, the manufacture of photo-multiplier tubes ceased at Photonis in 2009. In the
meantime contacts have been made with four manufacturers, who have all expressed interest in
the production of the photo-multiplier tubes. They have already produced prototypes that are close
to or comply with specifications.
Mechanical structure
The optical modules must be distributed in the deep-sea over a large volume of seawater. To that
end, they are supported on narrow vertical mechanical structures that are weighted down on the
seabed by an anchor and held vertical with the aid of a buoy at the top. The structure has twenty
storeys covering a total height of almost one kilometre. This architecture is commonly referred to
as a tower (see Figure 4). For installation in the deep sea, the storeys ─bars with an optical
module at either end─ are stacked together and the tower is deployed as a compact package.
Once the package has reached the seabed, the buoy is released, the storeys unfurl from the
package one-by-one and the tower rises to its full height. Two cables, carrying optical fibres for the
readout and conductors for the electrical power, run the height of the tower.
Figure 4: Artist impression of a KM3NeT tower. For comparison, the tower is projected beside the
DOM tower in Utrecht. The facility will consist of 320 towers, deployed in the Mediterranean Sea at
a depth of several kilometres.
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Readout
The front-end electronics necessary for the readout of the optical module is based on an FPGA,
which incorporates the accurate “time-stamping” of the signal. This method was developed at
Nikhef as part of work for the LHCb experiment at CERN and updated for use in the KM3NeT optical
modules. The alternative would require additional electronic circuitry. The readout technology uses
optical fibres to accommodate the required data transfer rate to shore of several hundred Gb/s.
Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology provides each optical module with its
own optical channel directly to shore. All communications lasers are housed on shore and are of
the continuous wave type. The data from the optical modules are sent to shore by modulating this
carrier wave at the optical module, using reflective electro-absorption modulators (REAMs). This
system was developed by Nikhef in cooperation with the company CIP Ltd, who provided a
laboratory test set-up that has been used at Nikhef for further development of the concept. The
system has been lab-tested and industry standard bit-error rates have been achieved for transfers
over 100 km of fibre. A timing synchronisation of better than 50 ps has been achieved. A system
using partial modulation of the downlink carrier signal provides a method for communication with
the optical module for setting local parameters.
Real-time computing
The readout of the deep-sea infrastructure is based on the “all-data-to-shore” concept of Nikhef.
In this, all signals are digitised and all digital data are sent to shore where they are processed in
real-time. This concept has been applied successfully to the Antares prototype detector and has
now become a standard for all deep-sea instrumentation. The purchase, installation and operation
of a large computer farm are common practice. The location on shore makes it possible to
maintain and upgrade the system at moderate cost. The use of a software trigger profits optimally
from the steady increase of the performance of computers (Moore’s law) and future improvements
of compilers and underlying algorithms. The flexibility of this system gives the possibility to adapt
or even extend the infrastructure as future physics objectives may require.
Oceanography
The large-volume temperature sensor array for oceanographic research will consist of a distributed
network of sensors inside the telescope and several moorings with instrumentation positioned
outside the telescope, but also connected to shore. For this, the optical modules will be equipped
with accurate thermistors developed by NIOZ in the new glass-transits designed by Nikhef. First
laboratory tests of these transits were successful, including pressure-tank tests at NIOZ. The
spacing between the thermistors in the mooring lines positioned outside the telescope will be
optimized for measuring small-scale internal waves, while with the sensors inside the telescope
large-scale internal waves can be probed for almost no additional cost. The full system will cover
all possible energetic internal waves scales, thus allowing for unique studies on internal waveturbulence transitions. The moorings will be deployed simultaneously using launcher vehicles which
have successfully been tested for single moorings during two cruises in the Ionian Sea (see
references (5) and (6) in section Science case).
Site
As a result of the EU funded preparatory phase study, the site issue evolved to a remotely
operated distributed neutrino telescope network. This solution does not affect the performance of
the neutrino telescope, in particular the capability to detect neutrinos from galactic sources.
However, it will extend the scope of the other sciences. The logistics of the project may become
more complex, requiring a strong centralised project management which is promptly addressed by
this proposal.
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Risks and alternatives
In the design there are several areas of concern. The packed tower structure to be deployed from
a ship tends to be large and the deployment is as yet untested. A program of test deployments is
scheduled for the coming year. An alternative structure with an efficient deployment technique has
been designed and tested by Nikhef and NIOZ. In this design, a storey consists of just one optical
module, eliminating any dead material. This reduces the tower to a simple string that can be rolled
onto a spherical launcher vehicle. After deployment at the seabed, the launcher vehicle unrolls the
string to its full height. The launcher vehicle can be recovered after each deployment reducing the
additional cost to practically zero. Such a launcher vehicle has already been made and the
deployment method has been validated during two cruises. Although the string has not been
chosen as the preferred solution, it remains a viable alternative. A newly designed vertical
communications cable is currently under development at Nikhef. Alternatives are available, though
traditional cables are generally more expensive, less easy to handle and thicker (thus causing
more drag).
The experience with Antares has shown that the overall risk in a deep-sea infrastructure depends
critically on avoidance of single-point failures, limitation of error propagation and quality assurance
during the construction. The present design concentrates almost all active components either in
the optical module or on shore. The optical module is a single standalone sensor. Its functionality
does not depend on other optical modules in the system. The data path to and from the optical
module is for the most part a passive optical system. The risk analysis of the optical module is
somewhat complicated as it is a custom design, but some of the components have been used
extensively. For example, the glass spheres have a leakage probability below the percent level.
Experience with Antares has shown that leakage occurs primarily on submersion and does not
increase significantly with time. For KM3NeT this is acceptable only if this error does not propagate
in the tower. Each optical module is therefore galvanically separated from the rest of the system,
avoiding the propagation of any leaks by corrosion.
Photo-multiplier tubes are typically very reliable items. Typical FIT rates (failures in 109 hours) are
around 10. The optical modules contain many photo-multiplier tubes so a single failure only causes
a slight reduction in efficiency rather than a complete blind spot. The FPGAs have typical FIT rates
in the range of 10 to 50 depending on their size and configuration. FIT rates of the custom
electronics have been estimated from component reliability figures. The overall failure rate of the
optical module has been estimated at less than 500, equivalent of 5% in 10 years operation. The
failure is then defined as at least one photo-multiplier tube becoming inoperative.
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7 Possible focus for the Netherlands
Internationally, the Netherlands are uniquely positioned with the experimental astro-particle
physics concentrated in Nikhef. The collaboration between Nikhef and NIOZ strengthens our
position. In addition, Nikhef hosts one of the major internet nodes in Europe. It is our intention to
increase the visibility of the Netherlands for KM3NeT by installing the headquarters of KM3NeT at
the Science Park Amsterdam and by claiming a major part of the infrastructure for data analysis
through the creation of a designated data centre within the BiG Grid infrastructure already centred
at Nikhef. The deployment of the first cabled temperature sensor array in the deep sea will
underline the importance of NIOZ in the field of oceanographic research.
8 Critical mass
In the Netherlands, the collaboration between Nikhef, KVI and NIOZ has resulted in a sizeable
group, consisting on the whole of 8 senior scientists, 3 post-docs, 6 PhD students and 15
engineers. It is anticipated that after completion of the facility the number of engineers will
decrease to one or two for maintenance, while the number of senior and junior scientists will
increase considerably. The home base of the group remains in the Netherlands, since the facility
will be operated remotely. The instatement of the KM3NeT headquarters in the Science Park of
Amsterdam will underline the strong position of the group in the consortium.
The group has contributed several design innovations which have been adopted in the final
technical solution for the telescope, indicating that the required critical mass has already been
reached both in number and quality. For the construction of the facility, assembly lines at Nikhef
are being prepared, for which the resources have been allocated. The construction of an innovative
accurate temperature sensor array at NIOZ is planned in the near future.
In anticipation of scientific data, contacts have been established between the group and the Anton
Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Institute for Theoretical Physics of
the University of Amsterdam, in particular via the GRAPPA spearhead programme. The
collaboration between Nikhef and the University of Leiden is promoted through this proposal (one
of the members of the group is teaching a course in astro-particle physics in Leiden). These
contacts strengthen the position of the group in Dutch research and support the scientific
capitalization of the Dutch investment in KM3NeT.
As a result of the design study, it has been agreed that all members of the KM3NeT consortium will
have first-hand access to all data. External users will be granted access to the data after one (or
exceptionally two) year or immediately after dissemination of the results. The real time computer
farm that is planned provides for a multi-user operation of the facility. External users may thus
request operation time of the neutrino telescope for a specific astrophysical source at zero
additional cost.
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9 Embedding
The collaboration between Nikhef, KVI and NIOZ is organised centrally. The group leaders at
Nikhef and NIOZ represent the Netherlands in the governance board of KM3NeT. In addition, the
Netherlands supply two project leaders and play a leading role in the simulations for the
optimisation of the detector design. The Dutch contribution to KM3NeT is well recognised. The
proposal to host the KM3NeT headquarters in the Netherlands is broadly supported by the
consortium.
In March of 2010, the administrative standing committee (ASC) was installed. It consists of
representatives from all funding agencies and it is chaired by F. Linde, director of Nikhef. The ASC
stimulated the technical convergence, embraced the solution of a distributed neutrino telescope
network and encourages the establishment of an ERIC. Recently, the ASC instated the scientific
standing committee (SSC), chaired by A. Bettini. The SSC has put forward a list of questions in
preparation of the scientific focus, final design choices and cost optimisation. The SCC foresees a
COB report by early 2012.
Beside the accelerator-based particle physics program, Nikhef coordinates all experimental astroparticle physics in the Netherlands. These activities comprise about 30% of the Nikhef research
budget. In this, neutrino astronomy forms the main part. Nikhef provides through Big Grid, a joint
venture with NCF (Dutch Computing Facilities Foundation) and NBIC (Netherlands Bioinformatics
Center), for a Tier-1 facility for the worldwide LHC computing grid. This computing infrastructure
will be integrated in a national e-infrastructure. SURF, the Dutch foundation providing ICT support
for universities and research organizations, will lead this initiative. SURF has already established
20 years ago a separate unit (SURFnet) that takes care of the national research network and will
establish a designated unit for computing and data facilities, by integrating the national HPC centre
SARA. To this end, SURF has submitted an investment proposal in the present NWO Roadmap call.
Through this, Nikhef foresees in providing computing infrastructure to KM3NeT as well.
10 Proven willingness to collaborate
The collaboration between Nikhef, KVI and NIOZ is unique in the sense that it brings together
know-how on deep-sea technology with knowledge about high-bandwidth transmission and realtime processing of large amounts of data. During the design phase, NIOZ has developed a
launcher vehicle that facilitates the deployment of detector units. The perspective of a network of
cabled deep-sea nodes offers a breakthrough in oceanographic research. In this respect, the
Antares project serves as a pathfinder. As an example, a combined analysis made by NIOZ of
Antares data and in situ measurements of the sea currents have yielded new insights in the
phenomenon of deep-sea bioluminescence. This demonstrates the synergy between astro-particle
physics, oceanography and marine biology. The synergy established with Antares will be
augmented with KM3NeT.
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11 Reflection of social trends
The common way to study astrophysics is by detection of electro-magnetic radiation from the
Universe, while particle physics is studied by detecting particles produced at man-made
accelerators. Cosmic neutrinos have the potential of giving access to particle physics at the most
extreme conditions. The scientific promise of detecting cosmic neutrinos is in the realm of genuine
discoveries, thereby establishing neutrino astronomy as a new, viable and exciting field of
research.
From a European perspective, astro-particle physics in general and neutrino astronomy in
particular offer a unique opportunity for pioneering scientific research with a global appeal. At the
moment, the global effort in this field is focussed around the IceCube neutrino telescope, located
on the South Pole. The strong scientific case for a large neutrino telescope in the Northern
hemisphere has been recognised in national and European roadmaps, including those of ApPEC
and ESFRI.
KM3NeT is a large deep-sea infrastructure to be constructed in the Mediterranean Sea hosting the
next-generation neutrino telescope. The infrastructure it requires will be shared by a multitude of
other sciences, making continuous and long-term measurements in the area of oceanography,
geophysics, and marine biological sciences possible. In this sense, the planned facility is
multidisciplinary by construction.
The Mediterranean is the ideal place for KM3NeT since the region of the sky observed includes the
centre of our Galaxy. It provides water of excellent optical properties at the right depth and
reasonable distance from shore. The KM3NeT facility will be distributed over several locations in
the Mediterranean that offer the availability of nearby shore stations for marine operations and onshore data processing and are eligible for regional funding through the 7 th Framework Programme
of the EU.
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Timetable
Duration of the project
Planned starting date
2012
Expected completion date
2025
Progress
The feasibility of neutrino astronomy with a detector in the deep sea was proved by the successful
deployment and operation of the Antares prototype detector. For the realisation of the KM3NeT
neutrino telescope, major decisions had to be taken that concern the scientific focus, the choice of
the photo-multiplier tubes, the design of the optical module and the mechanical structure and the
location of the infrastructure. No funding source governed the progress. Yet, the detection of
neutrinos from galactic sources, and in particular from supernova remnants, is now widely
accepted as the primary objective. The choice of the photo-multiplier tubes has been made and
four possible manufacturers have been identified. The design of the optical module has been
completed. The design of the mechanical structure is still ongoing but an alternative design exists.
The site issue has evolved to a distributed neutrino telescope network with remote operation. This
solution does not affect the performance of the neutrino telescope but will extend the scope of the
other sciences and may well aid the funding.
Milestones and deliverables
To maximise the scientific potential of KM3NeT, several cost effective design innovations have
been introduced that require validation. The optical module for KM3NeT will be validated by
integration of two modules in the Antares detector (2011) and a deployment of a small prototype
detector off-shore Porto Palo di Capo Passero, Italy (2012). The first test allows for a long term
operation of the photo-multiplier tubes before launching the orders. The second test includes the
validation of the readout electronics and the fibre-optic data transmission system. The results of
these tests can be concluded without recovery of the components. The validation of the
mechanical structure involves several short-term deployment tests (2011) and one long-term test
in the deep sea (2012), off-shore Toulon, France and Pylos, Greece. The results of the short-term
deployment tests might lead to the choice for alternative string design of which the deployment
using the launcher vehicle of NIOZ has been already validated. The long-term test allows for
validation of (dead) materials, cables and glass-transits which can be monitored in situ. The choice
of the hardware for the real-time computing farm will be made timely as the price for performance
figure steadily improves. Experience with Antares has shown that placing the order a few months
before the actual demand is optimal in terms of cost and sufficient for installation. The validation
of the thermistor array will proceed through several successive deployments of small prototypes at
Pylos (2014-2015). The results of first tests will possibly be used for fine-tuning of the design of
the neutrino telescope. A critical milestone is the outcome of the funding requests in France,
Greece and Italy that involve the structural funds of the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) of the EU
(2012). This represents the only go/no-go decision of the project. The results of the necessary
validation tests will be concluded in time (2013) to comply with the constraints of the European
FP7 structural funds. Prior to the establishment of an ERIC, we foresee in the instatement of the
KM3NeT headquarters in the Netherlands (2012). The establishment of an ERIC requires the
formal approval of the participating countries and the EU which may take about one year. The time
to construct the infrastructure has been worked out in the Technical Design Report (see reference
(2) in section Science case) and was estimated to about five years. The start of operation,
however, will take place before the completion of the infrastructure. Hence, one can obtain the
first scientific results right away.
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Figure 5: Copy of figure 10-1 from the Technical Design Report (reference (2) in Science case).
The technical design has converged and the site decision is made. The actual start of construction
is contingent on the outcome of the funding requests (see text).
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Declaration and signature
We have not requested funding for this research elsewhere. By submitting this form through Iris, I
declare that I have completed this form truthfully and completely.
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