Deep underwater muon and neutrino detection (DUMAND)

The present status of the DUMAND project, a multi-institution international collaboration of cosmic-ray physicists, is outlined in terms of scientific goals, conceptual design, and first prototype development. The activities at the Hawaii DUMAND Center, especially the construction and deployment of the Muon String of Cerenkov detectors, are described. Properties of the basic array of 756 optical sensors, plus hydrophones, for detection of high-energy muons and muon-neutrino interactions are given. The array should be able to detect point sources of high-energy neutrinos from active galaxies, using neutrino-flux predictions of some astrophysical models. This unique long-term ocean-bottom facility also has important applications for ocean science and engineering. (orig./WL)