We discuss the possibilities of detecting radio pulses from high energy showers in ice, such as those produced by PeV and EeV neutrino interactions. It is shown that the rich radiation pattern structure in the 100 MHz range allows the separation of electromagnetic showers induced by photons or electrons above $\sim 100$ PeV from those induced by hadrons. This opens up the possibility of measuring the energy fraction transmitted to the electron in a charged current electron neutrino interaction with adequate sampling of the angular distribution of the signal. The radio technique has the potential to complement conventional high energy neutrino detectors with flavor information for neutrino interactions in the EeV range.

• Received 20 January 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.61.023001