The IceCube Upgrade

Posted on by Staff

In 2019, the U.S. National Science Foundation, together with US institutional and international partners, approved full funding of the IceCube Upgrade project, an improvement that would significantly push the scientific capabilities of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Seven years later, the IceCube Upgrade has now been successfully deployed, marking the first significant expansion of IceCube since its completion 15 years ago.

See the press release here.

The IceCube Lab with nearby storage containers.
Aerial view of IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
The IceCube Lab during the day at the South Pole.
Schematic of the IceCube Upgrade. The IceCube Upgrade consists of six new strings 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 new module types, mDOMs (red dots) and D-Eggs (blue dots), contain multiple photosensors in each module.
Optical modules lined up for display on a long table.
A screenshot of a video showing parts of the tower operation site being moved into position at the South Pole.
Sun dogs and a double halo over the IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
A group of 40+ people in red parkas in front of a drill tower, hose reel, and the IceCube Lab at the South Pole.
Palettes loaded with packed boxes and stacked on two sleds on the ice at the South Pole.
Spools of cables on a South Pole Overland Traverse.
A bunch of people in red parkas getting off an LC-130 plane at the South Pole.
Several people shoveling snow that has built up on drill camp containers.
Group of people in parkas pulling a cable along as they work out on the ice.
The drill tower with the drill hose and main cable running through with the IceCube Lab in the background.
A view from the top of the drill tower.
Drill head poised over a test hole.
Three people surrounding the drill head for the hot water drill.
A group of six people in helmets surround a hole for drilling.
View from above of a module as it is lowered into a hole.
A D-Egg module is lowered into a borehole.
Close-up on long optical module hanging from cable.
Several people surrounding a special device (LOM logger) as it is readied for deployment.
A person crouching, others standing, as a special device (WOM) is readied for deployment.
A person crouching, another standing, as a special device (POCAM) is readied for deployment.
A special device (FOM) just before deployment.
Close-up on pencil beam module.
A seismometer going down a borehole in the ice at the South Pole.
Close-up on an acoutic module as it is readied for deployment.
A close up of a module with a Sweden camera.
View down drill hole showing a module several meters below.
Group photo of roughly 20 drillers taken around the drill hole.
Vivian O’Dell.
Albrecht Karle.
A woman smiling for a headshot.
Sunrise over the IceCube Upgrade drill camp.
The IceCube Lab is seen with the Milky Way and auroras in the night sky at the South Pole.
Group photo of about 25-30 people at the ceremonial Pole.
A group of people in front of a building posing for a photo.