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Scheduling follow-up observations of energetic transients with the neutrino target scheduler (NuTS)
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Scheduling follow-up observations of energetic transients with the neutrino target scheduler (NuTS)

Tobias Heibges, Claire Guépin, Luke Kupari, Hannah Wistrand, Randy Lahm, Johannes Eser, Mary Hall Reno, Tonia M. Venters and Lawrence Wiencke
Computer physics communications, Vol.328, 110310
11/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpc.2026.110310
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2026.110310View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Space missions offer unique opportunities for studying ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic rays and neutrinos by leveraging secondary emissions generated by extensive air showers (EAS) resulting from their interactions with the Earth’s atmosphere or crust. Detecting UHE neutrinos associated with transient sources holds great potential for unraveling the origins of UHE cosmic rays and the physical processes driving their production. Stratospheric balloon missions, illustrated recently by the Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon II Mission, serve as crucial precursors to space missions. Due to slewing abilities of their telescopes, they can perform follow-up observations of transient sources foreseen as potential candidates for detectable UHE neutrino emissions. Strategies tailored to stratospheric and space missions are essential for optimizing follow-up observations aimed at detecting these elusive neutrinos for the first time. To address this challenge, we have developed flexible software dedicated to scheduling transient source observations. The software comprises three main modules: a listener module that aggregates alerts from existing alert systems to construct a comprehensive source database, an observability module that factors in the detection system’s properties and trajectory to determine a list of observable sources during a specific time frame, and a scheduler module that prioritizes observations and proposes an optimized observation schedule. The initial release of the neutrino target scheduler software is tailored to the requirements of stratospheric balloon missions, with mock observation examples provided for various flight scenarios. This version will be employed for the upcoming POEMMA Balloon with Radio flight in 2028. Future developments will extend its capabilities, and ensure its relevance for various types of missions.
 astroparticle detector stratospheric observations transient neutrino sources

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