Speaker
Description
Neutrino telescopes rely on accurate descriptions of particle production and propagation, from atmospheric cascades to the secondary particles detected in ice or water. This talk presents complementary analytical and Monte Carlo approaches to particle transport, highlighting how they can improve detector simulations and provide efficient estimates of neutrino effective areas. I will discuss an analytical treatment of muon propagation that reproduces Monte Carlo results to within 3%, offering a simple and practical way to estimate effective areas. Finally, I will turn to the remaining hurdles in achieving greater precision: quantifying the uncertainties in atmospheric-neutrino flux predictions, including those arising from cosmic-ray spectra, hadronic interactions, solar modulation, and geomagnetic effects. Together, these developments aim to improve both the efficiency and reliability of neutrino-telescope predictions, while identifying where better modeling and data are still needed.