The case for high energy neutrino astronomy

The detection of MeV neutrinos from the Sun enabled direct observations of nuclear reactions in the core of the Sun, as well as studies of fundamental neutrino properties. The main goal of the construction of high energy, >1 TeV, neutrino telescopes is to extend the distance accessible to neutrino astronomy to cosmological scales. The existence of extra-Galactic sources of high energy neutrinos is implied by the existence of ultra-high energy, ≥1019 eV, cosmic-rays (UHECRs), the origin of which is a mystery. High energy neutrino telescopes under construction are likely to reach the sensitivity required for detecting an extra-Galactic neutrino signal. Such detection will allow one to identify the sources of UHECRs and will provide a unique probe of the sources, which may allow one to resolve open questions related to the physics that underlies models of UHECR accelerators. Moreover, such detection will provide information on fundamental neutrino properties. In this talk I briefly review the challenges and prospects of high energy neutrino astronomy.