First Light at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
- Tyce DeYoung, Pennsylvania State University
Thursday, October 24, 4:10 PM - Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Biomedical & Physical Sciences Bldg., Rm. 1415
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the world's largest neutrino detector, instrumenting a cubic kilometer of the Antarctic ice cap below the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Completed in 2010, the primary scientific goal of IceCube is the detection of high energy (TeV scale and above) neutrinos emitted by astrophysical accelerators of cosmic rays. Although the sources of the high energy cosmic rays remain unknown, candidates include galactic objects such as supernova remnants and extragalactic objects such as active galactic nuclei and gamma ray bursts. A flux of neutrinos originating outside our solar system - including the highest energy neutrinos ever observed - has been detected in the IceCube data, although their exact origin remains unclear. The nature of these neutrinos and the prospects for uncovering their sources will be discussed.