\n
![\"\"](\"https://i.imgur.com/NlzGEvl.jpeg\")
The IceCube Observatory is a collection of 86 strings/cables in a nearly-hexagonal disposition. A better visualization of this disposition can be seen in the next image:
\n
Each string/cable holds 60 DOMs (Digital Optical Modules), so in total we have 60 x 86 = 5160 DOM optical sensors.
\nThe sensors are burried between 1450m and 2450m below the Antartic ice and the distance between each DOM is approximately 17m. We can easily calculate it:
\nYou may be wondering, why does it detect neutrinos and not other particles? Well, Francis Halzen, Principal Investigator at the IceCube, has an answer for that:
\n\"Why are we doing astronomy with neutrinos when they are so hard to detect? Well, neutrinos don't have an electric charge so they are basically like photons the particle of light, so you apply the same astronomy. The critical difference is that neutrinos go through walls and light doesn't (60 billion solar neutrinos pass through 1cm2/sec), so they may reach us from places in the universe we have never seen before. […] IceCube is basically a big eye that looks at the sky and instead of seeing beams of light it sees beams of neutrinos.\"
\nThe reason has to do with light absorption length, the average distance light travels in ice.
\nThe south pole offers a massive amount of ultra pure ice which can hardly be reproduced by humans and this is the reason why it was built here.
\n![\"\"](\"https://i.imgur.com/8M2k7HV.png\")
The IceCube Observatory is a collection of 86 strings/cables in a nearly-hexagonal disposition. A better visualization of this disposition can be seen in the next image:
\n
Each string/cable holds 60 DOMs (Digital Optical Modules), so in total we have 60 x 86 = 5160 DOM optical sensors.
\nThe sensors are burried between 1450m and 2450m below the Antartic ice and the distance between each DOM is approximately 17m. We can easily calculate it:
\nYou may be wondering, why does it detect neutrinos and not other particles? Well, Francis Halzen, Principal Investigator at the IceCube, has an answer for that:
\n\"Why are we doing astronomy with neutrinos when they are so hard to detect? Well, neutrinos don't have an electric charge so they are basically like photons the particle of light, so you apply the same astronomy. The critical difference is that neutrinos go through walls and light doesn't (60 billion solar neutrinos pass through 1cm2/sec), so they may reach us from places in the universe we have never seen before. […] IceCube is basically a big eye that looks at the sky and instead of seeing beams of light it sees beams of neutrinos.\"
\nThe reason has to do with light absorption length, the average distance light travels in ice.
\nThe south pole offers a massive amount of ultra pure ice which can hardly be reproduced by humans and this is the reason why it was built here.
\n
Remarkable, beautiful topics that you've published on IceCube/neutrinos competition Paullier.
", "rawMarkdown": "Remarkable, beautiful topics that you've published on IceCube/neutrinos competition Paullier.", "votes": 2, "replies": [ { "id": 2117656, "postDate": "2023-01-27T12:19:44.467Z", "content": "Thanks Marilia you too!
", "rawMarkdown": "Thanks Marilia you too!", "votes": 1 } ] }, { "id": 2116765, "postDate": "2023-01-26T17:53:21.327Z", "rawMarkdown": "", "votes": 1, "isDeleted": true }, { "id": 2141425, "postDate": "2023-02-12T18:46:34.053Z", "content": "thanks MOTH, that was helpful.
", "rawMarkdown": "thanks MOTH, that was helpful." } ], "comments": [ { "id": 2117601, "author_name": "Marília Prata", "author_url": "", "post_date": "2023-01-27T11:34:01.953000", "content": "Remarkable, beautiful topics that you've published on IceCube/neutrinos competition Paullier.
", "votes": 2, "replies": [ { "id": 2117656, "author_name": "moth", "author_url": "", "post_date": "2023-01-27T12:19:44.467000", "content": "Thanks Marilia you too!
", "votes": 1, "replies": [] } ] }, { "id": 2116765, "author_name": "", "author_url": "", "post_date": "2023-01-26T17:53:21.327000", "content": "", "votes": 1, "replies": [] }, { "id": 2141425, "author_name": "Eman_Diab", "author_url": "", "post_date": "2023-02-12T18:46:34.053000", "content": "thanks MOTH, that was helpful.
", "votes": 0, "replies": [] } ], "raw_markdown_by_id": { "2116360": "### IceCube Observatory Diagram\n\nThe IceCube Observatory is a collection of 86 strings/cables in a **nearly-hexagonal** disposition. A better visualization of this disposition can be seen in the next image:\n\n\nEach string/cable holds 60 DOMs (Digital Optical Modules), so in total we have **60 x 86 = 5160 DOM optical sensors**. \n\nThe sensors are burried between 1450m and 2450m below the Antartic ice and the distance between each DOM is **approximately 17m**. We can easily calculate it:\n- **2450m - 1450m = 1000m** ---> **1000m / 60 DOMs = 16.666m**\n\n### Why it detects neutrinos?\n\nYou may be wondering, why does it detect neutrinos and not other particles? Well, Francis Halzen, Principal Investigator at the IceCube, has an answer for that:\n\n*\"Why are we doing astronomy with neutrinos when they are so hard to detect? Well, neutrinos don't have an electric charge so they are basically like photons the particle of light, so you apply the same astronomy. The critical difference is that neutrinos go through walls and light doesn't (60 billion solar neutrinos pass through 1cm2/sec), so they may reach us from places in the universe we have never seen before. [...] IceCube is basically a big eye that looks at the sky and instead of seeing beams of light it sees beams of neutrinos.\"*\n\n### Why is it located in the South Pole?\n\nThe reason has to do with **light absorption length**, the average distance light travels in ice. \n- In tap water light travels 2 meters.\n- In distilled water light travels 8 meters.\n- In ice beneath the South Pole light travels between 100 and 200 meters!\n\nThe south pole offers a massive amount of ultra pure ice which can hardly be reproduced by humans and this is the reason why it was built here.\n\n\n", "2117601": "Remarkable, beautiful topics that you've published on IceCube/neutrinos competition Paullier.", "2116765": "", "2141425": "thanks MOTH, that was helpful." } }