First scientific results of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope

KM3NeT is a multidisciplinary observatory, for the detection and study of cosmic neutrinos and their sources in the Universe, as well as the measurement of neutrino properties such as the mass hierarchy and oscillation parameters. Two underwater detectors are under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. The configuration of the ARCA detector, located off-shore Sicily, Italy, is optimized for the detection of neutrinos in the energy range of 1 TeV-100 PeV. The ORCA detector off-shore Toulon, France is configured for the measurement of neutrinos with energy from about 100 MeV up to the sub-TeV region. At present, 21 and 14 detection units are taking data at the ARCA and the ORCA sites, respectively. Installation of additional detection units is foreseen in the next few years. In this contribution an overview of the expected performances of the full detectors will be reviewed and the main physics results obtained with ARCA and ORCA, still in their partial configuration, will be reported. Finally, in the context of the multi-messenger scenario the KM3NeT online alert system will be presented.

Automated summary

KM3NeT is a multidisciplinary observatory for studying cosmic neutrinos, including the measurement of neutrino properties and the detection of their sources. Construction of two underwater detectors, ARCA and ORCA, is underway in the Mediterranean Sea. ARCA is optimized for detecting neutrinos with energies from 1 TeV to 100 PeV, while ORCA is designed for measuring lower energy neutrinos from about 100 MeV up to the sub-TeV region. The current number of detection units at ARCA and ORCA sites are 21 and 14, respectively. This article provides an overview of the expected performance of the full detectors, reports on the main physics results obtained with the partial configuration of ARCA and ORCA, and presents the KM3NeT online alert system in the context of a multi-messenger scenario.