The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, an array of over 5,000 light sensors embedded in a cubic-kilometer of ice at the South Pole, was built to detect astrophysical neutrinos: mysterious and nearly massless particles that carry information about the most energetic events in the cosmos. Every time IceCube sees something that might be a cosmic neutrino, it […]
More planes (and more fresh faces) arrived at the Pole last week. With five planes total during the week, most of the winter crew has departed. […]
The IceCube Collaboration searches for neutrino sources using a variety of analysis methods. In a paper submitted yesterday to The Astrophysical Journal, the collaboration describes a time-dependent all-sky scan using five years of IceCube data as well as a specific analysis of blazar 3C 279. The analyses did not reveal any new neutrino point sources. […]
The first Basler plane arrived at the South Pole last week, bringing a few newcomers and carrying away some outgoing winterovers. […]
Last week it warmed up a bit at the Pole, rising from about -45 ºF (-43 ºC) to about -15 ºF (-26 ºC) over the course of the week. Much more summerlike. […]
Every year, the IceCube Collaboration sends two winterovers to the South Pole for at least 12 months. Their special duty is to keep the IceCube detector running smoothly. This year, we are delighted to have one new winterover, Josh Veitch-Michaelis, and welcome back a veteran winterover, Martin Wolf. […]
Last week, IceCube’s current winterovers, John and Yuya, officially completed a full year at the South Pole, and they’re still going. Their new replacements have not yet arrived, but they are on their way. […]
In a paper submitted recently to JCAP, the IceCube Collaboration describes a search for sub-TeV neutrino emission from astrophysical “transient” sources. This is the first transient result from IceCube to use all neutrino flavors in the 1-100 GeV energy region. In the absence of any observed sources in three years of archival IceCube data, the researchers established new limits on the volumetric rate of transients. […]
It’s a harsh environment at the South Pole. And on windy days, you can really feel it—even in the photos. The flags at the ceremonial South Pole really take a beating. […]
The number of neutrinos that IceCube detects is dependent on many factors, including the “neutrino cross section”: how likely it is for neutrinos to interact with nuclei in the ice. In a paper submitted today to Physical Review D, the IceCube Collaboration reports a new cross section measurement obtained by using 7.5 years of IceCube data. This is the first such measurement to incorporate all three neutrino flavors. […]