Project Title

Management and operations of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory 2021-2026

Summary

Event Number:
A-333-S
NSF / OPP Award 2042807

Program Director:
Dr. Vladimir Papitashvili

ASC POC/Implementer:
Paul Sullivan / Sheryl Seagraves / Leah Street

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Francis Halzen
halzen@icecube.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department of Physics

Project Web Site:
https://icecube.wisc.edu/

Location

Supporting Stations: South Pole Station
Research Locations: South Pole Station

Description

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO) is located at the South Pole Station in the deep ice. The ICNO’s Management & Operations (M&O) core team of researchers and engineers maintain the existing neutrino detector infrastructure at the South Pole and home institution, guaranteeing an uninterrupted stream of scientifically unique, high-quality data. The M&O activities are built upon more than a decade successful experience of managing the overall ICNO operations after completing the NSF-funded major research facility IceCube project where hardware and software systems were developed and deployed by the core team on schedule and within budget. Effective coordination of efforts by the M&O personnel and from within the IceCube Collaboration has yielded significant increases in the performance of this cubic-kilometer detector with time. The broader impacts of the ICNO/M&O activities are strong, involving postdocs and students in day-by-day operation and calibration of the cubic-km neutrino detector. The extraordinary physics results produced by ICNO in the past decade and its extraordinary location at the South Pole have a high potential to excite the imagination of high school students and the public in general at a national and international level.

Field Season Overview

On-Ice activities include Maintenance and Operations improvements to the existing IceCube infrastructure located at the South Pole: (1) Winterover training/transition; (2) ICL server OS updates; (3) ICL computing network switch lifecycle replacement (loader, 1000 lbs cargo); (4) ICL computing UPS lifecycle replacement (loader, crane, fire-tech or electrician, 5000 lbs cargo); (5) Disposal of old UPSs and lead-acid batteries (5000 lbs hazardous waste--or retro or via traverse); (6) On-ice DAQ support and DOMHub maintenance; (7) Retro JADE archival disks; (8) Two additional power drops in the ICL server room (electrician); (9) ICL upwind drift management (dozer); (10) Snow access ramp in front of ICL (dozer); (11) Specific IceTop tanks to be added to the annual horizontal monitoring survey (surveyor); (12) ICL rooftop mini wind turbine maintenance; (13) IceTop marker pole extensions and maintenance; and (14) IceACT upgrade (will use existing cabling) [400 lbs cargo]. Tasks with additional support requested and/or new installations: Vault extension for ARA station A4 (carpenter, materials)

Deploying Team Members