IceCube data analysis and detector upgrade developments

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The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located at South Pole Station Antarctica, is the world's largest neutrino detector. Optimized for neutrino energies between a few hundred GeV and tens of PeV, it is the premier facility for the study of high-energy neutrinos and indirect cosmological dark matter searches. In 2008 the original design for IceCube was augmented with a low-energy extension, called DeepCore, that reduced the threshold for the observatory to approximately 10 GeV and initiated an Antarctic-based particle physics program focused on neutrino oscillation measurements and indirect dark matter searches. The IceCube and DeepCore analyses are now reaching full sensitivity and are demonstrating significant impact with results including the discovery of the first high-energy astrophysical neutrino flux, world-leading indirect dark matter searches, and globally competitive neutrino oscillation measurements. Building on these successes, the collaboration is beginning to develop low-energy (PINGU) and high-energy extensions to IceCube to achieve fundamental measurements of the neutrino mass hierarchy and identify the sources of the highest energy neutrinos. The Canadian IceCube program is lead by 6 faculty members, including Professors Grant (PI), Kopper (Assistant Professor starting October 2014), Krauss, Moore and Pinfold at the University of Alberta and Clark at the University of Toronto. This is a recognized leading group within the collaboration in all aspects of the low-energy program, including novel developments in calibrations, designed to reduce the primary detector systematic uncertainties, and the addition of Kopper extends Canada’s leadership in the collaboration to the high-energy neutrino measurements. The group's high-level physics analyses are primarily focused on measurements of atmospheric neutrino oscillations near 20 GeV, the atmospheric neutrino flux, indirect dark matter searches, and identification of high-energy neutrino sources. Recognition by this international collaboration of the Canadian contributions has come through appointment of PI Grant as co-convenor for PINGU, Clark as PINGU simulation coordinator and Kopper as the lead contributor to the design of the high-energy extension. In this SAP Project Discovery Grant we request the funding to maintain the current core IceCube analysis activities, to continue the development of the PINGU detector and to investigate the high-energy extension. The current IceCube Canada groups include a NSERC supported postdoctoral research fellow, 2 continuing PhD graduate students and 3 undergraduate researchers. Support for an additional postdoctoral fellow, and additional graduate and undergraduate researchers will be requested. Also included are travel expenses, to facilitate the group's role in this unique international collaboration, and common fund contributions.