On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope
The IceCube Neutrino Telescope is designed to detect high energy neutrinos with a large array of photomultiplier tubes placed deep within the Antarctic ice. The way that light propagates through the ice needs to be modelled accurately to enable the paths of charged particles to be reconstructed from...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
University of Canterbury. Physics and Astronomy
2008
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.26021/7272 https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/1529 |
id |
ftdatacite:10.26021/7272 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdatacite:10.26021/7272 2023-05-15T13:35:41+02:00 On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope Whitehead, Samuel Robert 2008 https://dx.doi.org/10.26021/7272 https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/1529 en eng University of Canterbury. Physics and Astronomy Copyright Samuel Robert Whitehead https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses IceCube ice properties Antarctica South Pole dust layers optical properties light propagation Physics CreativeWork article 2008 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.26021/7272 2021-11-05T12:55:41Z The IceCube Neutrino Telescope is designed to detect high energy neutrinos with a large array of photomultiplier tubes placed deep within the Antarctic ice. The way that light propagates through the ice needs to be modelled accurately to enable the paths of charged particles to be reconstructed from the distribution of their Cerenkov radiation. Light travelling through even the purest of ice will undergo scattering and absorption processes, however the ice in which IceCube is embedded has optical properties that vary significantly with depth which need to be accurately modelled. Currently, simulation of the muon background using the current ice model is unable to fully replicate experimental data. In this thesis we investigate a potential method of improving on the current generation of ice models. We introduce thin, highly absorbing layers into the current description of the detection medium and investigate the effect on the simulation of muon tracks in IceCube. We find that better agreement between simulation and data can be seen in the occupancy of optical modules, through the introduction of such absorptive layers into the existing ice layers. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica South pole South pole DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) Antarctic The Antarctic South Pole |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftdatacite |
language |
English |
topic |
IceCube ice properties Antarctica South Pole dust layers optical properties light propagation Physics |
spellingShingle |
IceCube ice properties Antarctica South Pole dust layers optical properties light propagation Physics Whitehead, Samuel Robert On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
topic_facet |
IceCube ice properties Antarctica South Pole dust layers optical properties light propagation Physics |
description |
The IceCube Neutrino Telescope is designed to detect high energy neutrinos with a large array of photomultiplier tubes placed deep within the Antarctic ice. The way that light propagates through the ice needs to be modelled accurately to enable the paths of charged particles to be reconstructed from the distribution of their Cerenkov radiation. Light travelling through even the purest of ice will undergo scattering and absorption processes, however the ice in which IceCube is embedded has optical properties that vary significantly with depth which need to be accurately modelled. Currently, simulation of the muon background using the current ice model is unable to fully replicate experimental data. In this thesis we investigate a potential method of improving on the current generation of ice models. We introduce thin, highly absorbing layers into the current description of the detection medium and investigate the effect on the simulation of muon tracks in IceCube. We find that better agreement between simulation and data can be seen in the occupancy of optical modules, through the introduction of such absorptive layers into the existing ice layers. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Whitehead, Samuel Robert |
author_facet |
Whitehead, Samuel Robert |
author_sort |
Whitehead, Samuel Robert |
title |
On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
title_short |
On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
title_full |
On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
title_fullStr |
On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
title_full_unstemmed |
On the Properties of Ice at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope |
title_sort |
on the properties of ice at the icecube neutrino telescope |
publisher |
University of Canterbury. Physics and Astronomy |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.26021/7272 https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/1529 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic South Pole |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic South Pole |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica South pole South pole |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica South pole South pole |
op_rights |
Copyright Samuel Robert Whitehead https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.26021/7272 |
_version_ |
1766068878181400576 |