Energy Simulation and Reconstruction in String 63 for the IceCube Neutrino Detector.

• Main Author: Bouckoms, Sarah
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: South Pole; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14189

The remote neutrino telescope, IceCube, lies beneath the surface at the South Pole in Antarctica. It consists of a series of strings each equipped with 60 Digital Optical Modules (DOMs) every 17 meters[4]. The strings are placed approximately 130 meters apart. This creates an effective grid to make scientific observations. The DOMs were constructed to detect Cerenkov radiation emitted as high energy neutrinos interact with atomic nuclei[1]. Neutrinos interact with atomic nuclei to produce electrons. The electrons then undergo energy loss through Bremsstrahlung of photons[8]. The radiation loss occurs as a photon when the electron changes direction[6]. The photon then produces an electron and positron pair. The new electron releases further photons and more pairs are created. The processes is repeated and grows exponentially[8]. This cascading effect continues until all the energy is absorbed. The length of the cascade is proportional to the energy of the original event[8].