A first photogrammetric analysis of the Super-Kamiokande detector : calibrating water Cherenkov detectors with photogrammetry

The Super-Kamiokande experiment is a 50 kiloton water Cherenkov detector located in the Kamioka Observatory in Japan. It is used to study neutrinos from the Sun, supernovae, cosmic rays and a neutrino beam produced at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex 300 km away. The detector is composed of 11,129 inward facing 20-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) that are used to detect Cherenkov light produced by charged particles through Cherenkov emission. Understanding the complex particle interactions that take place inside the detector is crucial to the success of the experiment. Super-K has reached a high level of precision in its measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters, yet the systematic uncertainties associated with the detector are still a limiting factor. It remains a question whether the geometry of the detector is still as it was when it was designed, or if with changes over time, or buoyancy effects on the positions and orientations of the PMTs, should be accounted for in all Super-K physics analyses. This thesis presents a novel, inter-disciplinary approach - a technique called photogrammetry from remote sensing - and proposes its application to particle physics as a way to calibrate water Cherenkov detectors. Specifically, the work develops the photogrammetry analysis pipeline, how 2D images of the inside of the Super-K detector may be used to perform its 3D reconstruction. The manuscript begins with an introduction and background to neutrino physics, Super-Kamiokande and next generation experiments, and the principles of photogrammetry. It delves into the procedures for camera calibration, detecting relevant features in the images, and the way to rebuild the detector geometry. A first ever photogrammetric reconstruction of the light injector column inside of the Super-K tank is presented as well as complementary studies which demonstrate the feasibility of the technique and the ability to achieve sub-cm precision. The results of this work are promising and motivate further development to finish the entire reconstruction for Super-K and implement the measurement into physics analyses. Furthermore, the thesis discusses hardware developments for the next generation Hyper-Kamiokande as well as how the photogrammetry for these detectors can be greatly improved.Science, Faculty ofPhysics and Astronomy, Department ofGraduat