The KM3NeT neutrino telescope: Status and prospects

The KM3NeT Collaboration intends to build and operate a deep-sea research infrastructure that will host as its main facility a neutrino telescope of several cubic kilometres. The infrastructure will be distributed in three sites located near Toulon, France (40 km offshore and seabed at 2500 m), Capo Passero (80 km offshore and seabed at 3500 m) and Pylos, Greece (20 km offshore and seabed between 2500 and 5000 m). In this contribution we describe the technological choices made for the basic components of the three-dimensional array of photo-sensitive devices in which the telescope will consist. The Digital Optical Modules (DOMs) will use a 17 in. pressure-resistant sphere to accommodate 31 photomultipliers (PMTs) with a 3 in. photocathode each. These DOMs will be installed in detector units (DUs) consisting of vertical strings anchored to the seabed and kept taut by the appropriate buoyancy. These DUs will be deployed by means of launching vehicles that will allow several of them to be deployed in the same campaign. The main features of the telescope and its technical components, the science it can do and the recent progress made towards its construction will be described here.