STRAW (STRings for Absorption length in Water): Pathfinder for a neutrino telescope in the deep Pacific Ocean

Abstract

The instrumentation for a pathfinder mission towards a possible large scale neutrino telescope named "STRings for Absorption length in Water" (STRAW) is presented in terms of design and performance. In June 2018 STRAW was deployed at the Cascadia Basin site operated by Ocean Networks Canada and has been collecting data since then. At a depth of about 2600 meters, the two STRAW 120 meters tall mooring lines are instrumented by three "Precision Optical Calibration Modules" (POCAM) and five Digital Optical Sensors (sDOM). The main objectives of STRAW are the measurement of light extinction in different wavelength bands and bioluminescence at Cascadia Basin. We describe the instrumentation deployed in the Pacific Ocean and show some data from the first measurements.