Project Title

Element Composition of High-Energy Solar Particles

Summary

Event Number:
A-118-S
NSF/OPP Award 1341562

Program Manager:
Dr. Robert Moore

ASC POC/Implementer:
John Rand / Paul Sullivan / Sheryl Seagraves

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Surujhdeo Seunarine
surujhdeo.seunarine@uwrf.edu
University of Wisconsin River Falls
Department of Physics
River Falls, Wisconsin

Location

Supporting Stations: South Pole Station
Research Locations: B2 Laboratory, Near Field

Description

This project operates a neutron-monitor suite at South Pole which is in addition to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory which is also located at south Pole. Central to the research is understanding the response of these detectors to the radiation environment of the South Pole, particularly in determining the cause of the decline in cosmic ray intensity at South Pole over the last 50 years. Understanding this decline is important because cosmic rays produce radionuclides such as Beryllium-10 that become trapped in the ice and are used to determine ice-core ages and precipitation levels over Earth's polar regions. An understanding of the production rate is vital to interpreting these data.

Field Season Overview

The instrumentation for this project is located in the B2 Lab and near the V8 vault. It runs continuously year-round, essentially autonomously, with only limited intervention required by personnel onsite and by the science team via the internet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no participants will deploy to service the equipment this season, and the scheduled decommissioning and removal of the equipment has been deferred for a year. Onsite Research Associates will provide monitoring, troubleshooting, and the collection and forwarding of data as needed.