Since 2016, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory—a detector buried in a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice—has been issuing real-time alerts sent to the public within minutes of the detection of astrophysical, ghostlike particles called neutrinos. IceCube’s prompt observations are key in the emerging field of multimessenger astronomy where the combined measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum are […]
It was a quiet week at the Pole, at least for IceCube’s winterovers, with smooth detector operations—no problems or urgent troubleshooting. But there were still the typical activities, like maintenance work, emergency response training, and a cause for celebration (last week it was Easter). It was also quiet outside, with clear skies to enjoy the […]
The sun may be gone, but its light still lingers. At the Pole, sunset doesn’t just “happen”—it takes place slowly through prolonged stages of twilight, after the sun dips below the horizon, in which the light gradually diminishes until darkness reigns. That’s IceCube winterover Marc, above, outside the IceCube Lab as he gets ready to […]
Despite making up roughly 85% of all matter in the universe, dark matter (DM) still remains an enigma to astronomers and physicists. One outstanding question is the microscopic nature of DM, and thus far, no experiment has been able to determine what it is made of. To probe the nature of DM, scientists look for […]
Gravitational waves (GWs) are produced by some of the most extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as black hole and neutron star mergers. They have long been suspected as astrophysical sources of neutrinos, ghostlike cosmic messengers hurtling through space unimpeded. Thus far, common astrophysical sources of neutrinos and photons, as well as common sources of gravitational waves […]
When a star reaches the end of its thermonuclear evolution, it explodes, giving rise to neutron stars and black holes. Called core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), these explosions are triggered by the implosion of the dying star’s core. The ejecta from the CCSN can then interact with the dense circumstellar medium where charged particles can be accelerated. […]
The sun has finally gone below the horizon at the Pole, not to peek back up again for another six months or so. IceCube’s winterovers spent some time early in the week finishing up outdoor work in the fading light. Although the weather was rather bad last week, there were a few nice hours of […]
On October 9th, 2022, an unusually bright pulse of high-energy radiation whizzed past Earth, captivating astronomers around the world. The luminous emission came from a gamma-ray burst (GRB), one of the most powerful classes of explosions in the universe. Named GRB 221009A, it triggered detectors at NASA’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Large Area Telescope (both on […]
Where is the horizon? Well, it must be there somewhere, hidden between the white of the snow on the ground and the white of the cloudy sky above. These winterovers were posing at the ceremonial Pole during a recent “sunset stroll,” which was technically a 3K race but one that could be done in a […]
The spring IceCube Collaboration meeting wrapped up last week in Aachen, Germany, which was hosted by RWTH Aachen University. Over 200 members of the IceCube community attended the meeting either in person or virtually. For the second straight year since the pandemic began, the biannual collaboration meeting was held in person, with virtual offerings for […]