Cosmic-ray Physics with IceCube

埋藏在南极冰盖深处的冰立方中微子天文台(ICNO)是世界上最大、最灵敏的高能中微子望远镜。它是一个10亿吨重的探测器，使用南极冰层作为高能大气和天体物理中微子的探测介质。冰立方观测到的大多数中微子的能量都在大气中微子的预期范围内，这些中微子是由来自银河系附近扇区的宇宙射线在大范围的空气骤雨中产生的粒子衰变而产生的。这些可以用来测量中微子的基本性质。在较高能量下，天体物理中微子是研究高能宇宙的关键探测器。由于其独特的性质，中微子甚至可以逃脱密集区域，不受银河系或银河系外磁场的偏转，畅通无阻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。冰立方的科学是广泛的和跨学科的。因此，有几个与其他实验合作的机会。特拉华州特别感兴趣的是与太阳和日球层物理的联系。冰顶的计数速率对太阳活动的变化非常敏感，因为它会影响到达地球的宇宙射线的流量。来自冰顶传感器的相关数据近乎实时地在其他太阳活动补充测量的背景下发布在网上。特拉华州参加了面向高中生的冰立方大师班项目，并接待当地学生进行研究体验。该奖项的主要目标是研究包括冰顶在内的冰立方探测到的高能宇宙射线事件。IceTop是IceCube的表面组件，每根井下电缆的顶部附近都有一对充满冰的水箱。每个水箱都配备了两个数字光学模块(DOM)，集成到整个冰立方数据采集系统中。这一奖项还有助于冰立方的主要任务，即研究天体物理起源的高能中微子。天体物理中微子的一个关键方面是了解由于大气中宇宙射线的相互作用而在地球上产生的中微子的背景。天体物理中微子是由遥远的高能天体物理源中的宇宙射线相互作用产生的。在中微子天文学和宇宙射线物理学中，目标都是了解自然界中高能粒子的起源和加速机制。

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.The science of IceCube is broad and interdisciplinary. As a consequence, there are several opportunities for collaboration with other experiments. Of special interest at Delaware is the connection with solar and heliospheric physics. The counting rates in IceTop are highly sensitive to changes in solar activity as it affects the flux of cosmic rays arriving at Earth. The relevant data from IceTop sensors are posted online in near real time in the context of other, complementary measures of solar activity. Delaware participates in the IceCube Master Class program for high school students, and hosts local students for research experience.The primary goal of this award is to study the high-energy cosmic-ray events detected by IceCube including IceTop. IceTop is the surface component of IceCube, with a pair of ice-filled tanks near the top of each down-hole cable. Each tank is instrumented with two digital optical modules (DOMs) integrated into the overall IceCube data acquisition system. This award also contributes to the main mission of IceCube, which is to study high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. A key aspect for astrophysical neutrinos is to understand the background due to neutrinos produced at Earth by interactions of cosmic rays in the atmosphere. The astrophysical neutrinos are produced by interactions of cosmic rays in distant, energetic astrophysical sources. Both in neutrino astronomy and in cosmic-ray physics, the goal is to understand the origin and acceleration mechanisms of high-energy particles in Nature.