Ice Cube Laboratory
Alan Light
- 2007-2008 - Antarcticans Database Project -
more
Back to thumbnails
Previous
Next
Ice Cube Laboratory (ICL) is a huge new neutrino detector which, when finished, will occupy approximately one cubic kilometre. The Ice Cube drillers drilled about 80 holes 2.5 kilometres deep, and dropped strings of detectors into the holes that are so sensitive they will register a single photon. There are one kilometre of sensors, then another 1.5 km of cable to the surface.
By going this far deep, they get to some very clear ice, which allows the whole thing to work. The detectors can detect extremely small flashes of light that occur when a neutrino hits something in the ice, and can determine if that neutrino was travelling up (through the earth from the northern hemisphere), or down. Using this knowledge, and using the earth itself as a filter, they can measure a particular type of neutrino which they are looking for. This building is where all the cables run to, where the computers and offices are.
Nov 2007
Photo; © Alan Light - This Picture is in the public domain
Tags: