Double cascade reconstruction in KM3NeT/ARCA

Abstract

The detection of astrophysical ντ is an important verification of the observed flux of high-energy neutrinos. A flavour ratio of approximately νe : νμ : ντ ≈ 1 : 1 : 1 is predicted for astrophysical neutrinos measured at Earth due to neutrino oscillations. On top of this, the ντ offers a unique channel for neutrino astronomy due to absence of an atmospheric ντ background contribution. When a ντ interacts it produces a particle cascade and often a τ lepton which in turn decays mainly into another cascade. This results in a double cascade signature. An excellent angular resolution can be achieved when both cascade vertices are reconstructed. The KM3NeT/ARCA detector, which is under construction in the Mediterranean sea, will be able to detect this signature due to its timing and spatial resolution for cascades. We will discuss the dedicated reconstruction algorithm and performance for reconstructing double cascades using KM3NeT. The angular deviation reaches sub-degree level for tau lengths larger than 25 meters.