Observation of an optical anisotropy in the deep glacial ice at the geographic South Pole using a laser dust logger
We report on a depth-dependent observation of a directional anisotropy in the recorded intensity of back-scattered light as measured by an oriented laser dust logger. The measurement was performed in a drill hole at the geographic South Pole, about a kilometer away from the IceCube Neutrino Observat...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-34 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2020-34/ |
| Summary: | We report on a depth-dependent observation of a directional anisotropy in the recorded intensity of back-scattered light as measured by an oriented laser dust logger. The measurement was performed in a drill hole at the geographic South Pole, about a kilometer away from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The drill hole remains open for access, after the SPICEcore collaboration had retrieved a 1751 m ice core. We find the measured anisotropy axis of 126 ± 3° to be compatible with the local flow direction. The observation is discussed in comparison to a similar anisotropy observed in data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and is able to dismiss Mie scattering based explanations in favor of a birefringence based scenario. In the future, the measurement principle, when combined with a full-chain simulation, may be used to provide a continuous record of fabric properties along the entire depth of a drill hole. |
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