Over the past decade, neutrino astronomy has emerged as a new window into the extreme and hidden universe. Cosmic neutrinos—invisible particles released in nuclear processes—are messengers of the Universe’s most mysterious and energetic phenomena: the surroundings of black holes, the activity of galactic nuclei, and the collapse of stars. Detecting cosmic neutrinos could fundamentally change our understanding of these phenomena—and of neutrinos themselves.
Yet, despite the initial successes of neutrino astronomy, current neutrino observatories have struggled to identify specific sources connected to cosmic phenomena; they lack sensitivity to the highest-energy neutrinos. Here, we propose a groundbreaking new type of neutrino telescope designed to detect high-energy-neutrinos and identify their related sources. The Tau Air Shower Mountain-Based Observatory—TAMBO, meaning messenger in Quechua—will dramatically increase the number of detected high-energy cosmic neutrinos and discover the highest energy cosmic neutrinos yet at a fraction of the cost of current or planned telescopes.
In the proposed project, we will build the first stage of TAMBO, called TAMBITO. TAMBITO will confirm the principle of operation of this new style of neutrino telescope. Also, TAMBITO will make the first depth-dependent measurement of vertical cosmic-ray showers and will be sensitive to neutrino flares. TAMBITO will revolutionize the search for neutrino sources at a tenth of the cost of current experiments.
In this project we respond to urgent demands to decrease the social and environmental impact of physics research infrastructure. Through anthropological and sociological studies, we will map stakeholders in the local community, understand their cultural cosmological outlooks, and perform impact and life cycle assessments of instruments. TAMBO will be the first of its kind in particle physics to spearhead a social and environmentally responsible approach to siting instruments.
