IceCube searches for neutrinos—invisible, nearly massless subatomic particles which rarely ever interact with normal matter.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a unique detector buried deep within ice at the South Pole that's designed to observe some of the strangest particles in the universe. Now, the facility is set to receive a $37 million upgrade in order to enhance its capabilities, with the intention of providing fascinating new insights into the nature of the cosmos.
Understanding more about these elusive subatomic particles could cast new light on some of the most extreme phenomena in the universe—where neutrinos are produced—such as exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, neutron stars and black holes, according to the IceCube website. They act as a kind of"astronomical messenger," travelling in straight lines from their source without being affected by other matter.
Clearly, detecting neutrinos is a tricky business. In order to do this, IceCube—which is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation —observes the light emitted by secondary charged particles"that are produced when a single neutrino crashes into a proton or neutron inside an atom," according to the observatory website.
At this site, scientists and engineers, installed more than 5,000 individual light detectors in eighty-six 1.5-mile-deep holes in the ice. Now, the NSF and other international partners have approved funding to expand the observatory's current detection capabilities—with the upgrades due to be installed between 2022 and 2023.
The second aim is to gain a better understanding of the ice around the detector which will provide better observations of those neutrinos with higher energies—which are created by extreme astronomical phenomena.
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