SATLASNeutrinos · Ground
IceCube
IceCube Neutrino Observatory
OperatingOperating since 18 December 2010.
5,160 digital optical modules on 86 strings, 1.45–2.45 km deep, instrument a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice to detect Cherenkov lightCherenkov lightLight emitted when a charged particle moves faster than light's phase velocity in a medium. Ground gamma-ray telescopes image the nanosecond flash from the particle shower a TeV photon makes in the atmosphere; neutrino detectors see it from secondary particles in ice or water. from the charged particles that neutrinoneutrinoA nearly massless, neutral particle that interacts only weakly, so it escapes dense sources and crosses the Universe undeflected. High-energy astrophysical neutrinos point back to where cosmic rays are accelerated. interactions produce, from about 10 GeVelectronvoltThe energy an electron gains across 1 volt, 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ J. High-energy astronomy labels photons by energy: optical light is about 1.7–3.1 eV, X-rays 0.1–100 keV, gamma rays from about 100 keV to beyond 100 TeV. A 1 keV photon has wavelength 1.24 nm. (DeepCore) to the PeV range. It discovered the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux in 2013 and found the first evidence for individual sources: the blazar TXS 0506+056 and the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068.
- Operator
- NSF, IceCube collaboration
- Site
- South Pole
- Energy range
- 10 GeV – 10 PeV
- Messenger
- Neutrinos
- Completed
- 18 December 2010
Energy range
Sky coverage
The whole sky, continuously. Up-going muon tracks, using Earth to filter out atmospheric muons, give the best sensitivity in the northern sky and point to under a degree at high energy; cascades localise to about 10°. AlertsalertA machine-readable notice that a source has appeared, changed or been detected, issued within seconds to days so other facilities can follow up. Optical alerts reach users through brokers; high-energy, neutrino and gravitational-wave alerts through GCN. go out through GCN within a minute.
Archives
Sources
Verified 15 November 2026.