Neutrino-KAVE: An immersive visualization and fitting tool for neutrino physics education

Abstract

Water Cherenkov neutrino detectors, like the existing Super-Kamiokande ("Super-K") and the planned Hyper-Kamiokande ("Hyper-K") detectors, are used to study neutrino particle physics. These detectors consist of large vessels holding many thousands of tons of water, as well as tens of thousands of photomultiplier tubes. Such detectors produce large and multi-layered datasets well-suited to immersive visualization and interaction. We have developed a novel virtual reality (VR) application called Neutrino-KAVE which functions as an visualization and data interaction application. Neutrino-KAVE displays the collocation of photon sensors and their color-coded data within a to-scale representation of the Super-K or Hyper-K detector, and provides a new visualization technique for neutrino interaction patterns. Neutrino-KAVE also provides both a mechanism for modifying aspects of the presented data set, and a user interface for system control of this multifaceted application. In this paper, we describe in detail our implementation and design choices. We also report on its use cases, initial reception, and future development.