Infrastructure to enhance IceCube

The IceCube Observatory at the South Pole is the world´s leading international facility for the detection of high-energy neutrinos.

Recent breakthroughs include the discovery of a flux of high-energy neutrinos of cosmic origin and the identification of the first likely source of such neutrinos.

These discoveries have opened a new window on the Universe and make neutrinos a major resource in the emergent field of multi-messenger astronomy.

The envisaged next-generation facility, IceCube-Gen2, will increase the annual rate of detected neutrinos by a factor 10 and through the addition of a radio array expand the observed energy range by three orders of magnitude.

The radio technique is a cost-effective way to instrument the huge volumes needed for the detection of ultra-high energy neutrinos at the predicted flux levels. The grant will cover the Swedish contribution to the maintenance and operations common fund for IceCube.

The 3-year grant period will allow us to participate in and contribute to the development of novel technologies to upgrade IceCube in view of Gen2, and bring us in synch with other such endeavours.

We identify three specific areas where a Swedish contribution in the near term meaningfully enhances the international efforts: development of methods and technologies for efficient processing of signals from the radio array; development of wind-driven power systems to maximize the live time of the radio stations, and development of narrow optical modules with increased photo-sensitive area to optimize photon detection efficiency vs. deployment costs for new in-ice sensor strings.

The Swedish contributions would be timely and valuable. They would underscore Sweden’s influential role within IceCube and ensure Sweden’s standing in the future.

Users of IceCube data are members of IceCube but also theorists and astronomers in Sweden and abroad, as well as glaciologists and climatologists.