Improved IceCube Upgrade optical module paves the way for IceCube-Gen2

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a cubic-kilometer-sized neutrino telescope, searches for high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. Located at the geographic South Pole, IceCube consists of 5,160 digital optical modules (DOMs) across 86 vertical cables (strings) embedded deep within the Antarctic ice, as well as a surface array, IceTop, and a denser inner subdetector, DeepCore. When neutrinos […]

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IceCube reports first detection of candidate astrophysical tau neutrinos

The IceCube Collaboration has reported two candidate events for the final unobserved Standard Model cosmic messenger: astrophysical tau neutrinos. And one of these neutrino events, as with previous prominent particles detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, has been given its own nickname.  Double Double, an event with a high probability of being produced by a […]

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IceCube’s latest search for neutrinos from fast radio bursts using cascades

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a one-of-a-kind detector operating at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, searches for neutrinos—tiny, ghost-like particles that can travel extremely long distances unperturbed. Of particular interest to IceCube are astrophysical neutrinos, high-energy neutrinos originating from beyond our galaxy. Because they can travel straight distances, they can be traced back to their sources. […]

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Exploring the LHAASO ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources for neutrinos

The origin of high-energy cosmic rays remains a long-standing mystery in particle astrophysics. However, it is thought that they are accelerated by galactic sources called PeVatrons, capable of accelerating particles to energies greater than 1 PeV. Some candidate galactic PeVatrons include pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe)—a type of nebula generated by strong winds of charged particles […]

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Machine learning method improves reconstruction and classification of low-energy IceCube events

Machine learning (ML) has proven to be an invaluable tool for data analysis, including the field of particle physics. Now, ML techniques are being employed to analyze data collected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a cubic-kilometer array of optical sensors buried in Antarctic ice that detect neutrinos, ghostly subatomic particles that act as cosmic messengers. […]

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IceCube neutrinos give us first glimpse into the inner depths of an active galaxy

For the first time, an international team of scientists have found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from NGC 1068, also known as Messier 77, an active galaxy in the constellation Cetus and one of the most familiar and well-studied galaxies to date. First spotted in 1780, this galaxy, located 47 million light-years away from us, […]

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IceCube analysis indicates there are many high-energy astrophysical neutrino sources 

Back in 2013, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory—a cubic-kilometer neutrino detector embedded in Antarctic ice—announced the first observation of high-energy (above 100 TeV) neutrinos originating from outside our solar system, spawning a new age in astronomy. Four years later, on September 22, 2017, a high-energy neutrino event was detected coincident with a gamma-ray flare from a […]

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IceCube probes for quantum gravity using astrophysical neutrino flavors

Neutrinos are ghostly, nearly massless particles that can travel extraordinarily large distances unimpeded. Because of this, neutrinos act as “messengers,” harboring information about their sources. Although most detected neutrinos originate from the sun or Earth’s atmosphere, there exist highly energetic astrophysical neutrinos that originate from the farthest reaches of outer space.  In 2013, the first […]

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Newly discovered optical effect allows IceCube to deduce ice crystal properties

Every second, 100 trillion neutrinos pass through the human body. These tiny, almost massless particles travel tremendous distances through space while carrying information about their sources and are created by some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. But neutrinos are incredibly difficult to detect, requiring a one-of-a-kind detector that can “see” these nearly […]

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IceCube sets strongest limits on galaxy clusters as potential neutrino sources

At present, one of the long-standing astronomical mysteries is the origin of cosmic rays, high-energy charged particles hurtling through space at the speed of light. Upon entering the atmosphere, they interact with atoms and produce an air shower of secondary particles, including nearly massless subatomic particles called neutrinos. Although very little is known about high-energy […]

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