Submersible Data Loggers
Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliersA multi-national scientific collaboration is integrating Sonardyne Fetch instruments into the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment to ensure precise underwater positioning for its deep-sea detector array.
The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) is a world-class neutrino telescope being constructed 3,000 meters deep off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. By leveraging Ocean Networks Canada’s existing deep-sea infrastructure in the Cascadia Basin, the project aims to detect and analyze high-energy neutrinos to unlock insights into extreme cosmic phenomena, including black holes and supernovae. Beyond astrophysics, the array will deliver vital data for oceanography, climate science, and tectonic research.
The detector involves anchoring a three-dimensional grid of thousands of advanced optical sensors. These sensors are designed to detect Cherenkov radiation, a faint light created when high-energy neutrinos interact with water molecules. Because ocean currents constantly move the anchored detector lines, maintaining an absolute geo-reference frame and precise relative positioning between components is essential for maintaining data integrity.
The P-ONE configuration
As shown on the left, seven clusters will constitute a one cubic kilometer detector. A single cluster with ten mooring lines is depicted on the right.
Professor Matthias Danninger, principal investigator at Simon Fraser University and coordinator of the array’s acoustic positioning, said, “The P-ONE collaboration’s goal is to create a unique observational facility, as part of a global effort to improve our understanding of high-energy and ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrinos, their sources and their role in astro and particle physics.”
Regarding the technical requirements of the array, Danninger commented, “The positioning system is critical to its success. Critically, we need to know precisely where our detector is in the absolute geo-reference frame and also where each component is relative to each other at any time, as, although anchored the ocean currents will move the detector lines constantly. With Sonardyne’s Fetch system, we’ll achieve the precision we need and continuous monitoring to maintain alignment, safeguarding data integrity and enabling P-ONE to unlock insights into extreme cosmic phenomena.”
The initial pilot array, and a potential future full array covering multiple square kilometers, will be connected to the existing cabled infrastructure of Ocean Networks Canada. This connection provides the experiment with readily available power and data transmission capabilities, enabling real-time monitoring and analysis.
Michelle Barnett, Ocean Science Business Development Manager at Sonardyne, added, “We’re incredibly proud that our Fetch technology is playing a pivotal role in the P-ONE project, supporting international, collaborative science. By ensuring precise sensor positioning and stability, we will be enabling pioneering discoveries in cosmic phenomena and demonstrating how innovative underwater technology can advance global scientific research.”
Sonardyne’s Fetch technology is designed as a long-life autonomous seabed node capable of operating for up to 10 years, making it suitable for extended deep-sea monitoring campaigns. The platform features a robust, deep-rated housing and an adaptable design that allows for the integration of various sensors to support seabed deformation studies and broader ocean science applications.
