Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations with IceCube DeepCore

冰立方中微子天文台（ICNO）深埋在南极冰盖中，是世界上最大、最灵敏的高能中微子望远镜。它是一个10亿吨的探测器，利用南极冰作为探测高能大气和天体物理中微子的介质。冰立方观测到的大多数中微子的能量都在预期的大气中微子的能量范围内，这些中微子是由来自银河系附近部分的宇宙射线在广泛的空气阵雨中产生的粒子衰变产生的。这些可以用来测量中微子的基本性质。在更高的能量下，天体物理中微子是高能宇宙的关键探测器。由于其独特的性质，中微子甚至可以逃离密集的区域，不受星系或星系外磁场的偏转，并且可以不受阻碍地穿越充满光子的宇宙。因此，中微子提供了关于强大的宇宙物体的动力学和内部的直接信息，这些物体可能是高能宇宙射线的起源：超新星、黑洞、脉冲星、活动星系核和其他极端的河外现象。该奖项将为各级年轻物理学家提供参与粒子天体物理学的机会，特别强调鼓励妇女和代表性不足的群体参与。PI成立并担任物理和天文学妇女（PAW）的教师导师。PAW为公开讨论女性面临的挑战及其解决方案提供了一个论坛，为开始攻读物理学的本科生和研究生女性提供了一个指导计划，通过外展活动提高了当地女性在科学领域的知名度，并在友好的环境中提供了网络和职业发展机会。DeepCore扩展是一个由最里面的七根冰立方弦组成的子阵列，另外还有八根包含传感器的弦，这些传感器部署在2100米以下最清澈的冰中，可以观测到能量低至100亿电子伏特的大气中微子。该奖项将支持该小组继续利用DeepCore数据来回答中微子物理学的基本问题，包括对tau中微子外观的高统计测量，以及对重建和分析技术的进一步改进，中微子振荡参数的测量。他们将使用来自冰立方和DeepCore的中微子，通过天体物理多信使天文台网络促进对多信使天体物理源的实时搜索。

Embedded deep in the ice cap at the South Pole, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO) is the world's largest and most sensitive high energy neutrino telescope. It is a 1 billion-ton detector using the Antarctic ice as a detection medium for high energy atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos. Most of the neutrinos observed by IceCube exhibit energies in the range expected for atmospheric neutrinos originating from decays of particles produced in extensive air showers by cosmic rays coming from nearby sectors of the Milky Way Galaxy. These may be used to measure the fundamental properties of neutrinos. At higher energies, astrophysical neutrinos are key probes of the high-energy universe. Because of their unique properties, neutrinos escape even dense regions, are not deflected by galactic or extra-galactic magnetic fields and traverse the photon-filled universe unhindered. Thus, neutrinos provide direct information about the dynamics and interiors of the powerful cosmic objects that may be the origins of high energy cosmic rays: supernovae, black holes, pulsars, active galactic nuclei and other extreme extragalactic phenomena.This award will provide opportunities for young physicists at all levels to become involved in particle astrophysics, with a particular emphasis on encouraging participation among women and underrepresented groups. The PI founded and serves as the faculty mentor to the Physics and Astronomy Women (PAW). PAW provides a forum for open discussion of the challenges facing women as well as their solutions, runs a mentoring program for starting undergraduate and graduate women in physics, increases the local visibility of women in science through outreach activities, and provides networking and professional development opportunities in a friendly environment.The DeepCore extension, a sub-array comprising the seven innermost IceCube strings, augmented by eight additional strings containing sensors deployed below 2100 m in the clearest ice, has enabled the observation of atmospheric neutrinos at energies as low as 10 billion electron-volts. This award will support this group to continue to exploit the DeepCore data to answer fundamental questions of neutrino physics, including a high statistics inclusive measurement of tau neutrino appearance and, with further refinements in reconstruction and analysis techniques, measurements of the neutrino oscillation parameters. They will use neutrinos from IceCube and DeepCore to facilitate real-time searches for multi-messenger astrophysical sources via the Astrophysical Multi-messenger Observatory Network.