IceCube Upgrade – Final Field Season

Posted on by Jean DeMerit

Here’s a glimpse into the background, the preparations, and the current activity at the South Pole during the final field season for the IceCube Upgrade.

Aerial view of IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
The IceCube Upgrade will consist of seven new strings, to be deployed in 2025-2026, at the locations shown in the top view in red. The current IceCube array optimized for TeV neutrinos is shown in blue, while the existing low-energy extension known as DeepCore is shown in green. The side view shows the distribution of module types on the new strings. The new module types, mDOMs and D-Eggs, contain multiple photosensors in each module.
Drill head poised over test hole.
Optical modules lined up for display on a long table.
Group of people in parkas pulling a cable along as they work out on the ice.
Sunrise over the IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
The IceCube Lab with nearby storage containers.
Sun dogs and a double halo over the IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
Palettes loaded with packed boxes and stacked on two sleds on the ice at the South Pole.
Group photo of about 25-30 people at the ceremonial Pole.