https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-6451-3
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
The cosmic ray shadow of the Moon observed with the ANTARES neutrino telescope
1
Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000, Strasbourg, France
2
Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, Technical University of Catalonia, Rambla Exposició, 08800, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain
3
INFN, Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
4
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, Erlangen, Germany
5
Institut d’Investigació per a la Gestió Integrada de les Zones Costaneres (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València. C/ Paranimf 1, 46730, Gandia, Spain
6
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille, France
7
APC, Univ Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Obs de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
8
IFIC, Instituto de Física Corpuscular (CSIC, Universitat de València) c/ Catedrático José Beltrán, 2 E-46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
9
LAM - Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, Pôle de l’Étoile Site de Château-Gombert, rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie 38, 13388, Marseille Cedex 13, France
10
National Center for Energy Sciences and Nuclear Techniques, B.P.1382, 10001, Rabat, Morocco
11
INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS), Via S. Sofia 62, 95123, Catania, Italy
12
Nikhef, Science Park, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
13
Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
14
Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed V in Rabat, 4 av. Ibn Battouta, B.P. 1014, 10000, Rabat, Morocco
15
Institute of Space Science, RO-077125, Măgurele, Bucharest, Romania
16
Universiteit van Amsterdam, Instituut voor Hoge-Energie Fysica, Science Park 105, 1098 XG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
17
INFN, Sezione di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
18
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università La Sapienza, P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
19
Gran Sasso Science Institute, Viale Francesco Crispi 7, 00167, L’Aquila, Italy
20
LPHEA, Faculty of Science, Semlali, Cadi Ayyad University, P.O.B. 2390, Marrakech, Morocco
21
INFN, Sezione di Bologna, Viale Berti-Pichat 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
22
INFN, Sezione di Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70126, Bari, Italy
23
Department of Computer Architecture and Technology/CITIC, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
24
Géoazur, UCA, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Sophia Antipolis, France
25
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
26
Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France
27
Laboratory of Physics of Matter and Radiations, University Mohammed I, B.P.717, 6000, Oujda, Morocco
28
Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg, Emil-Fischer Str. 31, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
29
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell’Università, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
30
Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire, Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS/IN2P3, BP 10448, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
31
LIS, UMR Université de Toulon, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 83041, Toulon, France
32
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University, Landsdiep 4, 1797, SZ ’t Horntje (Texel), The Netherlands
33
Institut Universitaire de France, 75005, Paris, France
34
Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte and ECAP, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Sternwartstr. 7, 96049, Bamberg, Germany
35
Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Leninskie gory, Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
36
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille University, 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
37
Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS-INSU/IRD UM 110, 83957, La Garde Cedex, France
38
INFN, Sezione di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123, Catania, Italy
39
IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
40
INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
41
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
42
INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Via Cintia, 80126, Napoli, Italy
43
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università Federico II di Napoli, Via Cintia, 80126, Napoli, Italy
44
Dpto. de Física Teórica y del Cosmos & C.A.F.P.E., University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
45
GRPHE, Université de Haute Alsace - Institut universitaire de technologie de Colmar, 34 rue du Grillenbreit, BP 50568, 68008, Colmar, France
* e-mail: tommaso.chiarusi@bo.infn.it
** e-mail: matteo.sanguineti@ge.infn.it
Received:
5
August
2018
Accepted:
14
November
2018
Published online:
11
December
2018
One of the main objectives of the ANTARES telescope is the search for point-like neutrino sources. Both the pointing accuracy and the angular resolution of the detector are important in this context and a reliable way to evaluate this performance is needed. In order to measure the pointing accuracy of the detector, one possibility is to study the shadow of the Moon, i.e. the deficit of the atmospheric muon flux from the direction of the Moon induced by the absorption of cosmic rays. Analysing the data taken between 2007 and 2016, the Moon shadow is observed with statistical significance. The detector angular resolution for downward-going muons is
The resulting pointing performance is consistent with the expectations. An independent check of the telescope pointing accuracy is realised with the data collected by a shower array detector onboard of a ship temporarily moving around the ANTARES location.
© The Author(s), 2018