Implications of in-ice volume scattering for radio-frequency neutrino experiments

Over the last three decades, several experimental initiatives have been launched with the goal of observing radio-frequency signals produced by ultra-high energy neutrinos (UHEN) interacting in solid media. Observed neutrino event signatures comprise impulsive signals with duration of order the inverse of the antenna+system bandwidth, superimposed upon an incoherent (typically white noise) thermal noise spectrum. Although bulk volume scattering (VS) of external radio-frequency signals is well-studied within the radar and glaciological communities, and can, in principle, contribute to that background. However, thus far, neutrino experiments have neglected to account for VS when projecting event rates. Herein, we present both model-dependent and model-independent constraints on both coherent, and also incoherent volume scattering, and assess their impact on UHEN experiments. We find that VS contributions are only weakly constrained by extant data; stronger limits may be obtained with dedicated calibration experiments.