Observational Constraints on the Ultra-high Energy Cosmic Neutrino Flux from the Second Flight of the ANITA Experiment

Understand

The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) completed its second long-duration balloon flight in January 2009, with 31 days aloft (28.5 live days) over Antarctica.

• ANITA searches for impulsive coherent radio Cherenkov emission from 200 to 1200 MHz, arising from the Askaryan charge excess in ultra-high energy neutrino-induced cascades within Antarctic ice.
• This flight included significant improvements over the first flight in the payload sensitivity, efficiency, and a flight trajectory over deeper ice.
• Analysis of in-flight calibration pulses from surface and sub-surface locations verifies the expected sensitivity.