Analysis of IceCube Data at UW-Madison 2013-2016

该奖项将继续为冰立方中微子探测器获取的数据的科学分析提供资金。威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校小组为改进最终探测器配置的校准和分析软件作出了广泛努力，包括对冰的光学性质的理解进行了重大改进，从而改进了仪器。冰立方在建造过程中探测到了30多万个大气中微子，其中一些的能量超过了加速器光束产生的能量的三个数量级以上。DeepCore是冰立方阵列的填充物，覆盖在探测器下半部分大量非常清晰的冰上，将阈值降低到10千兆电子伏特(GeV)。这立即导致观测到以前无法获得的能量的大气中微子振荡，其统计意义大于五个标准差。在能谱的另一端，随着冰立方有效面积的改善，测量结果对河外宇宙射线与宇宙微波光子相互作用中产生的中微子通量达到了敏感程度，从而创造了一个新的机会来揭示它们的来源。冰立方的灵敏度已经达到了这样的水平，从一般的争论来看，如果超新星遗迹和伽马射线爆发确实分别是银河系和河外宇宙射线的来源，他们就必须观测到这两种情况。广泛的影响：冰立方的成果将通过广泛传播结果和经验，在多个层面上增进对科学和技术的理解。冰立方属于激发新一代美国科学家和工程师创新能力的独特项目类别。该组织的方法是将冰立方的科学和资源提供给现有的教育和推广项目，这些项目已经证明是成功的。

This award will provide continued funding for the scientific analysis of data taken with the IceCube neutrino detector. Extensive efforts by the University of Wisconsin - Madison group towards improving the calibrations and the analysis software for the final detector configuration, including implementing significant refinements of the understanding of the optical properties of the ice, have resulted in an improved instrument. IceCube has detected more than 300,000 atmospheric neutrinos during construction, some with energies that exceed by more than three orders of magnitude the energies of those produced with accelerator beams. The construction of DeepCore, an infill of the IceCube array over a significant instrumented volume of very clear ice in the bottom half of the detector, has lowered the threshold to 10 Gigaelectronvolts (GeV). This immediately resulted in the observation of atmospheric neutrino oscillations at energies previously inaccessible with statistical significance greater than five standard deviations. On the other end of the energy spectrum, with IceCube's improved effective area, measurements have reached sensitivity to the flux of neutrinos produced in the interactions of extragalactic cosmic rays with cosmic microwave photons, thus creating a new opportunity to reveal their sources. IceCube's sensitivity has reached a level where, from general arguments, they must observe supernova remnants and gamma-ray bursts if these are indeed the sources of the galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, respectively.Broader Impacts: IceCube results will enhance scientific and technological understanding on many levels through broad dissemination of the results and experiences. IceCube is in a unique class of projects that inspire the innovative capacity of a new generation of American scientists and engineers. The group's approach has been to make IceCube science and resources available to existing education and outreach programs with a proven record of success.