A sensor architecture for neutrino telescopes

In the Mediterranean Sea the ANTARES telescope is operating since 2006. Building on the success of this telescope and on the experiences of the DUMAND, IceCube, NEMO and NESTOR projects, a design for a new generation deep-sea neutrino telescope has been developed, which relies on the paradigm of the neutrino telescope as a giant sensor. Slender flexible strings with optical sensors form the basic building blocks for the telescope. The sensor concept has been implemented using photonic technologies for readout, data acquisition and communication, which allow for migration of functionalities from the deep-sea to the shore. This is one of the detector designs options developed during the EU funded KM3NeT Design Study. We will present its concept and implications for the detector as a whole.